This guide is designed to help you, as a new Partner in Culhane Meadows, to quickly and efficiently adopt the firm’s relevant systems as you transition your law practice to the Culhane Meadows platform. We have worked hard to choose software and design our processes to fully support the wide variety of legal practices that Culhane Meadows partners have created, with an eye both to efficiency and ease of use. Please review this guide closely and direct any questions you may have either to the Partner who recruited you (if any) or to your applicable Office Managing Partner (“OMP”). You will be absorbing lots of new information in a short period of time and this handy New Partner Roadmap/Checklist (password: abetterway) will provide a useful reference tool to check off various tasks that you have completed during the onboarding process. To ensure that your integration with our technology platforms goes smoothly and satisfies our security protocols, please ensure that your equipment meets our Minimum System Requirements .
Note also that should you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement in any of the procedures or systems presented here, please do not hesitate to bring them to the attention of the Managing Partners. We are always open to new ideas for improvement and efficiency, and our firm will continue to benefit from your experience and suggestions.
1. Information Repository
All of the information you need to provide the firm will be collected and saved to your personnel file by our administrative team. Please review and follow the New Partner Intake Instructions to locate and submit necessary forms and information. Questions about the onboarding documents should be sent to admin@cm.law.
2. Phone and Voicemail Setup
Each CM partner is responsible for selecting their own telephone service provider to be used for CM business calls. Some partners choose to use their cell phones to receive business calls directly while others choose to use a VoIP service such as Ring Central or 8×8 that provide a separate business phone and fax number and offer a variety of add-on services such as personal/live answering services. Other partners choose to pay for a live answering service.
CM has a central/main telephone number for the firm, which helps all of us look more unified. Our main toll-free number is 1-844-CULHANE (285-4263), which is currently operated through Grasshopper.com. Each partner is assigned a personal extension and the main number and extension will be published on the attorney’s website bio page. By separate email, you should receive an invitation directly from Grasshopper.com to login and set up your mailbox, PIN, etc. Step by step instructions can be found in this Grasshopper Set Up Guide. Every partner needs to (1) set up a personalized greeting message AND (2) record your name for the dial-by-name directory.
Our main telephone number will not be monitored live, but will have an automated answering service that allows callers to search by name and leave voicemail messages for any partner (or for designated “departments” such as Accounting and Recruiting). Then the voicemail messages will be auto-transcribed into text and emailed to the recipient in a matter of seconds (along with an attachment of the actual audio recording of the message and a button that allows you to request manual transcription of the message if it is unclear).
OPTIONAL CALL FORWARDING: This is an add-on feature we are making available to our partners for $12/month (price subject to change in the future based on vendor charges) and the fee will be auto-deducted from the draw of you choose to set up call-forwarding. The benefit of setting up call forwarding (which can be activated either 24/7 or during certain business hours, at your choosing) is that callers who dial your extension will be seamlessly auto-forwarded to any phone number(s) of your choosing (e.g., cell, home office, Italian villa). Opting in to Grasshopper’s call forwarding also allows for the use of Grasshopper’s smart phone app that allows users to “shield” personal numbers during outgoing calls in much the same way as other more expensive VoIP providers (note: Grasshopper does not offer a personal fax line). If you do not wish to pay the optional monthly upgrade fee for call forwarding, do not activate that feature during the set-up process and callers will instead be directed to your personal VM inbox.
Regardless of whether a partner has an automated voicemail system or a live answering service, it is imperative that the initial message heard by a caller identifies the partner and Culhane Meadows by name. For example, a voicemail message should say: “Hello, this is John Q. Smith at Culhane Meadows. I’m sorry I missed you, but please leave your information and I will return your call as soon as possible.” A live answering service might say something such as: “Thank you for calling Culhane Meadows. This is John Q. Smith’s office. How may I assist you?”
It is not acceptable for a partner’s published business line to use a default/uncustomized voicemail message (e.g., “Please leave a message at the tone”) or to contain an answering message that could be construed by the caller as having reached a solo law practice (e.g., “Thank you for calling the Law Office of John Q. Smith…”)
3. Email Setup
Admin will provide you with your email address and password to get you started on the firm’s email system. After you receive the initial email setup message, detailed instructions can be found in our CM Email Setup Guide for getting yourself up and running on Outlook, syncing your phone with CM email as well as how to set up your signature block.
We have created specific distribution groups based on city and practice area. You will be automatically added to the email group for your local office, but please send a message to admin@cm.law identify the specific practice groups you would like to be part of for email distributions. Email distribution list options are:
4. Announcements of Your New Partnership
To maximize your announcement about joining the firm, please update your social media and professional profile pages immediately upon your official start date. We will make announcements on the firm’s website and through our official social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter). Grant Walsh will also be happy to discuss options and costs for an official press release to the newswires if you reach out to him on this.
Below is a checklist of places to update your online and professional profiles.
- State Bar. Notify your state bar(s) for any of your licensure jurisdictions/courts that you are part of CM and provide your updated contact information. Most state bars and courts have website portals where you can quickly and easily do these updates. NOTE: We want partners to use our Regus office address as their official business addresses, but please ensure that all bar-related communications, journal subscriptions, vendor mail, etc. be mailed to your home address. See below for more info on using the firm’s Regus addresses.
- Linked In. Be sure to list yourself as a Partner of the firm and then link your profile to our official company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/culhane-meadows-pllc. When you go through the “Add a position” option in the edit profile mode, begin typing Culhane Meadows into the “Company Name” field and it should auto-find our page (recognizable by the icon of our logo). Look up your OMP’s LinkedIn profile and follow his/her lead in terms of information about the firm in general, but feel free to personalize.
- Facebook. Update your job info to identify a Partner at the firm and then link to our official company page: https://www.facebook.com/CulhaneMeadows. Click on “Edit Profile” and then start typing Culhane Meadows in the field that says “Where have you worked?” It should auto-locate our page, recognizable by the side-by-side CM logo.
- Martindale-Hubbell. Send email to listings@martindale.com from your CM email account that says: “Please update my Martindale profile information to reflect that I am now a partner at Culhane Meadows PLLC in the [insert name of city] office located at [insert your city’s office address]. My direct phone number is _____.”
- Super Lawyers. This is the Thomson-Reuters version of the Martindale-Hubbell listings. It is free to register and create a profile. Once you have a profile in their system, you become eligible to be nominated as a Super Lawyer and various other recognitions within your state or practice area. Here is the link to login or register for your profile:https://my.superlawyers.com/
- AVVO.com. Generally, most attorneys already have an AVVO profile, even if it has not been claimed. If you already have a profile, be sure to login and update to reflect that you joined CM. If you do not have a profile, go to the site and search for yourself. If it finds you, scroll to the bottom and select “Claim your Profile” to register. If it does not find your profile, you can register for a free account here: https://www.avvo.com/account/register by uploading information and data, photo, etc. your AVVO rating should increase.
- Local Bar Associations and other Professional Organizations. Most large cities have their own bar associations, so be sure to update your information in their directories. Likewise, if you are part of any professional organizations be sure to let them know you joined CM.
- Alumni Magazines. Almost every educational institution requests—and readily publishes—announcements about alumni who start new jobs. It is a great way to let former classmates from college and law school know about your move to CM…it could even lead to new clients and recruits!
- Local Business Journals and Newspapers. Most local business journals or the business sections of major newspapers offer free “People on the Move” sections where you can submit a photo and brief info about your move to Culhane Meadows.
5. Firm's Use of Regus Offices
We use Regus offices across the country to serve as our official business addresses in each market. The address to the Regus office for your locality (consistent across all attorneys in that office) is to be used as the official “firm address” for all client-related correspondence (i.e., clients, courts, opposing counsel, etc.). However, all other non-client-related correspondence should avoid using the Regus office address, including correspondence from the Bar. Please use your home address or go get a PO Box for that sort of mail. Mail from the Regus office is subject to delay, as it is only processed once or twice a week (though you will generally be called if you get a FedEx, certified letter, etc. and you are welcome to call them to ask whether you have any mail if you are expecting something). For more details on our Regus Office, please click HERE to see the chapter of the Partner Handbook dedicated entirely to our use of Regus Offices and our policies regarding mail delivery/forwarding. The Regus section of the Handbook also contains the relevant customer service contact information for each Regus location and describes the benefits available to Partners such as discounted conference room rentals or office suites.
USPS Form 1583 for Regus Offices. To ensure you receive your mail sent to Regus, please make plans to visit the Regus location that is in your city with this Form 1583 completed. This is a USPS requirement and the USPS has begun audits of all locations where mail is forwarded to ensure there is a form on file for every person who has asked for their mail to be forwarded. You will need to show a form of ID such as a license or passport.
6. Partners Contact Details (vCard files)
To efficiently obtain and save all partners’ vCard files into Outlook, go to the Partners’ vCard Page where all .VCF files can be located. With your Outlook open on your computer, select each file and then save it to your local computer.
7. Client Intake, File Transfers, Conflict Checks & Business Acceptance Policies
The Partner Handbook has a dedicated chapter on this subject HERE, but the information below is designed to serve as a general overview. Still, you should familiarize yourself with the complete information in the Partner Handbook.File Transfers
You must obtain a signed File Transfer Letter from all your clients even if you already have electronic versions of all their documents, including client emails, as those files all belong to your previous firm until such File Transfer Letter is signed. You will find an example File Transfer Letter HERE.
Conflict Checks Protocol
a. How To Run Conflict Check. Culhane Meadows has adopted a uniform Conflict Check Form that is available in the Partner Portal and which form should be completed and submitted each time you run a conflict check for a new client or for a new matter involving an existing client. Only if the Conflict Check Form is not working for any reason, the originating attorney can send an email containing the following information to conflicts@cm.law:
- Name of client/prospective client (and its related parties):
- Name of adverse party(ies):
- Name of adverse related party(ies) and type of relationship:
- Type of matter with sufficient description of the anticipated work:
- If a patent matter, nature of patent claims:
Examples of “type of matter” would include “review of NDA between our client the supplier and adverse vendor,” or “defending claim for unlawful termination by former employee.” Keep in mind that providing as much detail as possible may help avoid delays if the matter is referred to the Business Acceptance Committee for further review.
b. Speed of Conflict Checks. Our Admin strives to respond to the Conflict Check requests as quickly as possible. As a general rule, they should provide a response to you on the following schedule:
If request is received by Noon (EST), then initial results will be completed by COB.
If request is received after Noon (EST), results will be completed by 8:30 a.m. (EST) the following business day.PLEASE NOTE: If this is a truly time-sensitive or urgent/emergency client situation where the work must commence within 24-48 hours, you can mark your form as URGENT and the Conflicts Admin will work to expedite your conflict check as quickly as possible.
c. What To Do If Conflict Detected. If you receive a “hit” as a result of your check, you should consult with the attorney whose client has given rise to the hit in order to determine whether there is a true conflict. Unless there is no actual conflict, the Conflicts Committee will additionally be involved to be sure that any waivers that need to be obtained are put in place, or that any business that must be declined is in fact declined.
d. Declining Business. If the determination is made NOT to take on a particular client or a particular matter for an existing client, put this in writing (email is fine) to the would-be client. If it is a litigation or other matter with deadlines that may be approaching, you should also include in your message (to the would-be client) the fact that deadlines may be approaching and that you are not providing them with legal advice as to the matter that they were calling about. You should further advise them that they should contact legal counsel to advise them with regard to approaching deadlines, etc.
e. Client Intake Committees – Note that running a Conflict Check is ONLY ONE Consideration. Please also be aware that in certain cases – at present, in the case of any new litigation or in the case of any representation of an individual adverse to a business entity, the Business Acceptance Committee (“BAC”) may also become involved as a result of your conflict check, in order to review the new matter and carefully review any necessary conditions for accepting the new business. Some of these conditions may include retainers and/or special diligence on would-be clients before the engagement is approved. In some cases, the BAC may decide that it’s in the best interest of an existing firm client (or a prospective client with new business) to turn down the representation. For this reason, any communication about a new matter with a would-be client should be couched in careful language such as “as soon as I confirm that our firm can accept this new matter…” so as not to set expectations that cannot be met in every case. Please see the Firm Handbook for full details on our Conflicts Policy.
Opening New Client (or adding new matter for an existing client) in Firm’s System
Setting up a new client file in our system require the originating attorney to (1) complete and submit the New Client Form via the Partner Portal and (2) obtain a written engagement agreement from the client. Generally, partners should use an engagement letter consistent with the firm’s form engagement agreements saved on the DMS (search for “engagement template” and then look for the one from your office/jurisdiction). You should always use the current template from the DMS to ensure you are starting from the most updated version of the agreement.
a. Use of Engagement Letter. The current Engagement Letter template for your office market should be the default version you start from. However, it may be customized by client request (within reason, and subject to manager approval if you seek to make any substantive changes). Some large institutional clients will not accept an engagement letter from any law firm. Rather, they insist that any firm representing them agree to their outside counsel guidelines. In this case, simply discuss the situation with your Office Managing Partner so the Firm has notice of the particular client demands or expectations.
Please be sure to identify the actual client who we will be representing, whether it is an entity or individual. The engagement letter extends technically only to the client identified in the letter. If you intend the engagement to cover more than one client, please list these persons/entities in the letter. You may also add “such list to be updated from time to time by written agreement of the parties, subject to additional conflict check.” Please do not use language like “XYZ Inc. and affiliates” or other open-ended language when identifying the firm’s client(s), especially in the case of large company groups, as this has a destabilizing effect on our conflict checking system.
Please take care to add to the field “Special Provisions” any exclusions you can think of that the client might use to claim we did not complete the representation – if by some unlikely turn of events the client has turned from friend to foe. If, for example, you are not going to do the following, you should exempt it in your engagement letter (e.g., updating completed research, future filings with respect to closed transactions, tax work, work with respect to related claims brought by parties other than those identified in the engagement letter, etc.). A large number of professional negligence cases are brought by clients who misunderstood the breadth of the representation. The only way to limit your exposure is to outline, in the engagement letter or in follow-up correspondence, what it is you are and are not doing for the client, and ensure that the client acknowledges your disclaimer if you choose to place the limiting text in an email message/other correspondence.
b. Use of New Client Form. In order to open the new client, it is necessary to completely fill out the New Client Form via the Partner Portal, to the best of your ability. If you have particular needs in terms of invoicing, you can describe them in the “Special Notes to Accounting” section of the New Client Form or you can describe them in a separate email to Accounting if the client requires significant changes to our standard billing practices. Our Accounting team strives to accommodate any request that our billing software will support.
c. Transmittal. Please transmit the signed Engagement Letter (in PDF format) by attaching it to the New Client Form in the Partner Portal. Alternatively, you may email the signed letter as an attachment to admin@cm.law and accounting@cm.law. The signed engagement letter may be delayed if work is urgent, but as a general rule Culhane Meadows will not prepare invoices to be transmitted to any client that does not have a signed engagement letter on file. The effective date on the Engagement Letter should pre-date any billable time entries.
d. Adding New Matters for Existing Clients. If you need Admin/Accounting to set up a new matter for an existing client that is already in the firm’s systems (i.e., Bill4Time or the DMS), please use this form: New Matter for Existing Client.
8. Setting Client Rates
Partners are free to set their own billable rates for their clients, and the firm maintains a master list of each partner’s standard billable rate. The rates vary from office to office given the differences in each legal market and what each market will bear. For example, partners in New York may have a standard rate of $425; whereas, partners in Atlanta may have a rate closer to $325. You will be asked to provide the firm with your billable rate, which should be the rate at which you charge your own clients. You should not have one rate for your clients and a higher rate for work you do for other partners’ clients. You will also be asked whether or not you are willing to work for a lower rate in case there is a need for your expertise in another market where the client rate might be lower than your standard rate. This information will be available in an Excel spreadsheet on the DMS.
As a general rule, $250/hour is the minimum billable rate allowed at the firm without the consent of the OMP. Setting a minimum rate prevents firm name dilution. Volume discounts are an option, but please speak with an OMP before committing with the client. Project-based flat fees may be quoted without manager approval, but prepaid hours are different and need to be discussed with your OMP (i.e., ‘3 days per week on site’).
9. Identifying Client Prospects and New Recruits
Admin maintains lists of the client prospects and potential recruits of each of our partners so partners can coordinate efforts on selling to client prospects and recruiting new partners. These lists also assist in the unlikely event of a dispute as to client origination or recruiting credit. To notify Admin of your client prospects, please complete and submit the New Client Prospects form on the Partner Portal. Similarly, use the New Recruits Form to submit new additions to the recruiting database. The full database of information for both lists is stored on the DMS.
10. Billing Time and Invoicing
The Partner Handbook has a dedicated section for accounting, billing and invoicing procedures HERE. This summary is only an overview and you should familiarize yourself with the more detailed information in the Partner Handbook.a. Bill4Time. We use Bill4Time for billing time and invoicing. You can access Bill4Time by going to https://culhane.bill4time.com and using your email address and the password Admin or Heather Haughian will provide you. You will have the option to use the full functionality on the Bill4Time site or if you are just entering time, you can use their desktop widget or download an app for your phone (iPhone and Android both). To watch a recorded webinar on how to use Bill4Time, go to: https://bill4time.zendesk.com/entries/186829-upcoming-webinars
b. eBilling. If you have a client that requires electronic billing, then you need to notify our accounting back office at accounting@cm.law as soon as possible to get that process started. All subscription fees for client’s eBilling systems are deducted from the Originating Attorney’s draw.
c. End of Month Billing. At the end of each month, you will need to have entered all your time into Bill4Time and follow all the directions set forth in End of Month Timeline Procedures to ensure timely processing and transmittal of your invoices.
11. Partner Draws
We have 2 partner draws each month on the 15th and the 30th. If you have not submitted your ACH form, then your draws will not be processed on time.
If you have any questions regarding the Partner Orientation, please contact the partner who recruited you or your OMP.
12. Group Benefits Available to CM Partners - 401(k), Health, Dental, Vision, Disability
CM partners are eligible to participate in partner-funded group benefits, including retirement savings through a 401(k) and medical, dental, and vision plans. For details about the plans, eligibility and enrollment instructions, click HERE.