Legal and Medical Office Procedures, Office Equipment, Organization, and Job Search

Introduction to Legal Office

• Positions available in a law firm:
  • Receptionist
  • Legal Secretary
  • Paralegal (legal assistant)
  • Librarian
  • Researcher
  • Transcriber
  • Financial and records control
• Role of office professional has broadened to include:
  • Training, orientation, and supervision of new assistants
  • Completing research
  • Operating and troubleshooting office technologies
  • Managing the office entirely
• Legal Secretarial or Assistant Careers: There are only 84,236 lawyers reflected in the Supreme Court of the Philippines' Roll of Attorneys as of 30 November 2022.
• Training and Qualifications for paralegals: A bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, humanities, or a background in law is needed.
• Skills required of legal office professionals (Newspaper ads):
  • Computer literacy
  • Bankruptcy experience (a plus)
  • Organizational skills
  • Responsibility
  • Typing skills
  • Knowledge of pleadings, motions, briefs, memoranda, correspondence
  • Scheduling skills
  • General office duties
  • Word processing ability
  • Familiarity with personal computers
  • Excel and Word skills
  • Dictating equipment skills
  • Telephone skills
  • Experience in civil litigation and workers' compensation
  • Experience in handling complex cases
  • Knowledge of filing procedures
  • Strong organizational and interpersonal skills
  • Microsoft Word 2007 (a plus)
• Lawyers, like doctors, have a law practice, the duties will vary based on the size and specialization of the legal practice.
• Frequently processed documents:
  • Contracts
  • Bankruptcy filings
  • Wills
  • Petitions
  • Affidavits
  • Power of Attorney

Document Preparation

• Responsibilities include preparing documents; in small offices, this may include keying and formatting legal instruments.
• Legal documents can be purchased or created on a computer and printed.
• Type and Font Size: Times Roman 12-point is a good, readable font.
• Format: Margins are pre-designed on ruled paper.
• Citations: Courts often specify citation formats for court cases.
• Stapling and Folding: Legal papers are usually protected by a legal back.
• Page Numbers: Drafts should be numbered and labeled as requested.
• Dates: Date every legal document. Verify the correct date format with the attorney or office staff.
• Number Treatment: Numbers with legal significance (money, time periods) are usually written in both words and numbers.
• Names and Signatures: Key the names of individuals as they usually use them.
• Seals: Some documents require seals or initials.
• Instructions: Information to prepare documents may be received in various ways depending on experience.

Introduction to Medical Office

• Medical offices:
  • Physician Practice: The most common employment place for medical front office staff.
  • Ambulatory Center (Urgent Care Center)
  • Clinic: May specialize in a specific medical need or geographic area.
  • Other Medical Settings: Research centers, laboratories, nursing and retirement homes, specialized care centers (psychiatric and rehabilitation), and insurance companies.
• Medical Office Careers:
  • Medical Assistant—Pediatrics
  • Medical Transcriptionist
  • Secretary for Medical Practice
  • Transcription/Dictation Coordinator
  • Receptionist (Full-time, Spanish a Plus)
  • Coding Specialist
• Medical Office Skills:
  • Administrative Tasks: Front desk procedures, administrative procedures, scheduling, records management, billing and insurance.
  • Communication Skills: Recognize and respect cultural diversity, adapt communications, apply professional telephone and interpersonal techniques, recognize and respond to communication, and manage electronic information.
• Basic Medical Office Positions:
  • Front office staff
  • Clinical staff
  • Physicians
  • Billing and accounts receivable personnel
• Front Office Staff: Consists of two or more persons, depending on how busy the office is. If the office sees 200 or more patients per day, more front office personnel would be required in an office.
• Billing Staff: Collects money from insurance companies and patients; without this department, there would be no medical office.

Common Office Equipment

• Definition: Office equipment is essential for creating a conducive work environment that fosters productivity, collaboration, and growth.
• Importance: Provides tools and resources necessary for employees to communicate effectively, work efficiently, stay organized, and maintain a safe and productive work environment. Investing in the right equipment and maintaining it properly is crucial for the success and growth of any organization.
• Computer Technology:
  • Computer is the heart of every office.
  • Desktop Computer: Most businesses still use desktop computers because they cost less for the computing power.
  • Multiple Monitors: Using multiple monitors saves time and increases productivity.
  • Laptop: Laptops are ideal for travel.
  • Tablet: Fabulous for reading, streaming, emailing, and playing games, but not great for getting any real work done.
• Computer Accessories:
  • Monitor Stand: Elevates and holds a monitor at an optimal viewing height and angle.
  • Laptop Stand: Elevates and supports a laptop for improved ergonomics, comfort, and productivity.
  • Mouse: A hand-held input device used to interact with GUIs.
  • Keyboard: An input device used to enter text, numbers, and commands.
  • Webcam: Captures video and audio in real-time for video calls and live streaming.
  • Mic: Captures audio input and converts sound waves into electrical signals.
  • Router: Forwards data packets between computer networks.
• Office Machines:
  • Printer: Produces hard copies of documents or images.
  • Scanner: Converts physical documents into digital data.
  • Photocopier: Produces multiple copies of a document quickly and easily.
  • Paper Shredder: Cuts paper into small strips or particles to ensure confidentiality.
  • Laminator: Applies a protective plastic film onto paper.
• Office Equipment:
  • Paper Cutter: Cuts large sheets of paper to specific sizes.
  • Binding Machine: Fastens together multiple sheets of paper into a single document.
  • Filing Cabinet: Stores and organizes documents and files.
  • Paper Tray: Stores and loads paper for printing or copying.
  • Whiteboard: A smooth, white surface for writing with dry-erase markers.

Organizing for Growth and Productivity

• Objective: A well-organized workstation is a critical component of efficient time management, productivity, and personal comfort.
  • Define Effective Organization and its Benefits and models
  • Organizing Workstations
  • Organizing Office Supplies
  • Manage Projects and Share Tasks without Losing Control

Organizational Effectiveness

• Organizational Effectiveness Models:
  • Goal Model: Accomplishing its goals; the most traditional way of measuring organizational effectiveness.
  • Internal Process Model: High-quality internal processes; looks not at the outcome but at what happens inside of the organization.
  • Resource-Based Model: Obtaining resources needed for high performance; firms achieve a competitive advantage by exploiting resources that are valuable, rare, and hard to imitate or copy.
  • Strategic Constituency Model: Satisfying strategic constituencies that hold sway over the organization.
  • Stakeholder Model: Satisfying stakeholders of the organization; This includes strategic constituencies but also those who are indirectly affected by the organization but may not have power over it.
  • Competing Values Model: The presence of simultaneous opposites; measures effectiveness by the ability of an organization to simultaneously promote competing values.
  • Abundance Model: Flourishing and virtuousness.
• Measuring organizational effectiveness is not a matter of either/or; it is about taking multiple perspectives.
• How to measure organizational effectiveness? The OE scorecard:
  • Activity domain.
  • Perspective.
  • Level of analysis.
  • Time frame.
  • Frame of reference.
• How HR can contribute to organizational effectiveness:
  • People practices.
  • Workforce capabilities.
  • Key performance drivers.
  • Organizational objectives.
  • Unique resources & capabilities.
  • Efficient processes & organization.
  • Product and service outputs.
    • Shareholder Value
    • Stakeholder Value
  • Societal Value
• Understanding the drivers of organizational effectiveness will help you do a better job and help the organization advance in multiple ways.

Organizing Your Workspace

• Why it's important to organize your workspace:
  • Improved time management
  • Quickly locate important items.
  • Remember important tasks.
  • Maintain a professional appearance.
  • Focus on workplace goals.
• Organizing Your Workspace:
  • Examine how your workspace is used.
  • Group similar objects together.
  • Group and separate items associated with each job duty.
  • Throw unnecessary items in the trash.
• Your job duties and professional goals should dictate how your workspace is organized.
• Putting It Away:
  • Store often-used items at close range or at eye level.
  • Establish separate stations for specific job duties.
  • Post important reminders at eye level.
  • Limit your desktop to items you use daily.
  • Keep books and manuals on a bookshelf within reach.
  • Keep decorative items to a minimum, check employer's policy first.
  • Store rarely used items in a labeled deep storage area.

The 6S Lean Method

• Definition: 6S (5S + Safety) is a system that aims to promote and sustain a high level of productivity and safety throughout a workspace.
• The 6S components:
  • Sort (Seiri)
  • Set in order (Seiton)
  • Shine (Seiso)
  • Standardize (Seiketsu)
  • Sustain (Shitsuke)
  • Safety

How to organize office supplies:

• Take inventory of the supplies you use in your office and break them down into zones!
  • Office supply zone
  • Printing Zone
  • Desk/work zone
  • Mail/bill zone
  • Paper/filing zone
  • Craft zone
  • Storage zone
  • Wrapping zone
• Brilliant ways to organize office supplies:
  • Use drawer dividers.
  • Get creative with storage solutions.
  • Use stackable trays.
  • Prioritize organizing the desktop.
  • Invest in a desktop organizer.
  • Organize unsightly cords.
  • Set up a print station.
  • Address incoming and outgoing mail.
• How to deal with paper in the office:
  • Invest in pretty stackable trays.
  • Color code your filing system.
  • Use binders to manage daily life.
• Use the 6/P Strategy to organize office supplies:
  • PREPARE: Set up your office with a trash bag, a box, and 2 laundry hampers for the following categories: Trash. Donate. Relocate, and Replace
  • PURGE: Remove everything except furniture from the office and place it in one of the following four categories: Trash-Place all trash in bag, Donate-Place any items you want to donate in the box, Relocate-Place any items that need to go into a different room in laundry hamper #1, Replace-Place any items that need to stay in the room in laundry hamper #2
  • POLISH: Now that the room is empty, it's time to clean using a top-down approach: Remove cobwebs from ceiling, Clean light fixture, Clean door and the trim around it, Dust shelves and furniture, Clean blinds and windows, Clean doorknobs and switch plates, Clean trim and baseboards, Vacuum/ mop floors, Remove curtains and wash
  • PERSONALIZE: Now that the area is clean, it's time to put your personal stamp on it: Use the personalize printable to help you decide what zones will make the office function better for you!
  • PLACE: Now that the area is ready, it's time to find a place for the items in your bins:Trash-Place the trash in your garbage can, Donate-Take the donation box to take to donation center, Relocate-Place items in laundry hamper #1 in the room they belong in, Replace-Place items in laundry hamper #2 back in the office in its designated zone
  • PUT BACK: If you want your office to stay organized and free of clutter, you must remember to things back in their designated. Doing so, will make your time in this area so much more productive!

Job Search and Advancement

• Learning Objectives:
  • Analyze your skills, abilities, and interests.
  • Determine your job search plan.
  • Prepare employment documents.
  • Interview successfully.
  • Develop skills for job advancement and job changes.
• Evaluate Your Skills:
  • Communication
  • Interpersonal relations
  • Time Management
  • Critical Thinking
  • Decision Making
  • Creative Thinking
  • Teamwork
  • Technology
  • Leadership
  • Stress Management
  • Problem Solving
  • Customer Focus
• Identify Your Abilities:
  • Openness to Change
  • Initiative and Motivation
  • Integrity and Honesty
  • Dependability
  • Confidentiality
  • Commitment to Observing and Learning
• Determine Your Interests: CGI describes:
  • The nature of the industry
  • Working conditions
  • Current employment and job outlook
  • Occupations in the industry
  • Education, training, and other requirements
  • Advancement opportunities
  • Typical earnings
• Set Goals.
• Look for Mentors.
• Adopt a Job Search Plan:
  • Traditional Job Search
  • Targeted Job Search

Job Search Plan

• Develop Networks
• Search Online
• Read Newspaper
• Visit Employment Agencies
• Work with your College or University
• Research Organizations

Prepare Employment Documents

• Prepare a Resume
  • Chronological
  • Functional
  • Electronic

Prepare a Letter of Application

• State your interest in the position
• Provide general information about your skills
• Sell your skills
• Transmit your resume
• Request an interview, providing your contact information

Interview Successfully

• Online Prescreening
• Telephone Prescreening
• In-Person Interview

Frequently Asked Questions

• How did you learn about this position?
• Why do you want this job?
• Tell me about yourself
• What is your greatest strength/weakness?
• Why should I hire you?
• How do you handle pressure?

Illegal Questions

• How old are you?
• Are you married?
• How many children do you have?
• What child-care arrangements do you have for them?
• Have you had any operations or illness recently
• How is your health
• Do you have a disability

Interview Tips

• What to take with you
• Map the route
• Dress appropriately
• Arrive early