Looking Back

Looking back on my experience at Pacific Attorney Group i can say it was a success. In recent years I had developed an interest in law. As I read several books my interest grew. I didn't really know what to expect as I entered the doors of Pacific Attorney Group. Questions filled my mind; would it be like what you see on television? Would i be welcomed by the staff? Would they trust me with important information? Before I knew it I was fully immersed in the day-to-day action of the firm. At the time I was like a student in a new classroom, taking notes and observing everything carefully. Seeing my growth at the firm has reassured my passion for this field. By the end of my internship I could recite the application process from memory and complete almost any assignment that was put in front of me.

I started with a simple interest in law and the legal process. Leaving Pacific Attorney Group has reaffirmed my interest and has forced me to reconsider my career path. Now I am strongly considering a career in law and I am planning my future schooling around this experience. I hope to one day start my own law firm. Although i am not sure which sector of law I will specialize in I can say with confidence that it is something i want to accomplish. I will use my experience at Pacific Attorney Group as a model for my own business one day. I plan to have up to date technology, a focus on sustainability, and weekly meetings with my staff. Although starting my own firm may take many years, as I learned in my Introduction to Business Management course, it is important to have a clear vision and mission of what you set out to accomplish.

An experience to remember

After staying an extra three days in addition to my one week extension my time at Pacific Attorney Group has finally come to an end.

During my last few days at the firm I learned that today's daily business processes are highly dependent on the use of technology. One morning i arrived and turned the computer at my desk on as i would every morning. I then went on to start up the firms worker's compensation database where i would access each clients digital file. When i went to start up the program i received an error message and shortly after the program shut down. I tried once again only to find myself in the same position. Before i could ask if anyone else was having the same issue i heard the office manager over the loud speaker asking everyone to shut their computers down for maintenance.

Fifteen minutes passed and some of the employees began to file mail into their respective folders to pass the time. Thirty minutes passed and a few people began to grow impatient. Without the database or even the computers the firm was held at a stand still. Although the employees continued to answer phone calls from clients there was not much they could do for them other than to inform them that the computers were undergoing maintenance and place them on their call back list.

This delay was a huge setback for the firm as the maintenance lasted almost the entire morning. Luckily on this day there wasn't any urgent correspondence that needed to be sent out or any phone calls regarding settlement which would need immediate assistance. This made me realize just how important technology has become in the world of business. I began to think about my future workplace and how important it will be to have a back up plan in case there is ever an issue with the computers. A secure back up plan might simply be an organized file of hard copies of whatever documents are used. This would ensure that even if there are issues with the database we could still provide our customers with answers to their questions and keep the business rolling.

Although i learned the ups and downs of Worker's Compensation its situations and scenarios like the one  described above that i will learn from and take with me until the day i decide to start my own firm. I will be more prepared for set backs that may arise and in the world of business they could come at anytime. Whether its a technological issue or an angry, screaming client I will understand that there are bumps in the road and its those who are better prepared for those bumps and handle them with caution that succeed.

July 26th

As the week of the 20th came to an end i was offered the opportunity to extend my stay at Pacific Attorney Group. I was honored to have been given the extension and i  decided to stay until the end of the month.

After spending a little over two months at the firm i began to notice a few things about the way it handled its waste. I would frequently see trash cans filled with paper  that were simply being thrown away. The firms receptionist handles hundreds of different articles of mail which sometimes end up in the trash. The remaining mail is then distributed to the paralegals and hearing representatives. Each person then makes notes of the correspondence they receive and throws whatever paper they don't need into the trash.

Not only did unneeded mail end up in the trash but also drafts of documents that were printed also ended up being thrown away. Since there were many new employees entering the firm, there were many instances where someone would print out a court document or a letter to a client and once it was reviewed by the paralegal they would need to make corrections and reprint the document. The drafts would pile up and were eventually thrown away with the rest of the trash.

I began to wonder where all the paper went and whether or not it was being recycled. After asking the paralegal about the firm's recycling policy i learned that it did not have one. Taking Dickinson's ideologies into account i decided to do something to improve the firms sustainability. Conveniently there an open office on the Worker's Compensation section of the firm which meant that there was an extra trashcan that was not being used. After asking the receptionist if a recycling bin would be useful and running the idea by my supervisor i took the spare trashcan and labeled it "paper only."After all i was able to find two bins to designate for paper waste. These bins will be emptied but instead of being combined with the rest of the trash they will be recycled.

Sustainability in the workplace is still a relatively new idea but as new business arise we should see an increase in the importance of making business "greener."Being at Dickinson has given me a first hand look at the importance of sustainability and i'm glad i was able to make a small difference for Pacific Attorney Group.

Reaching the end

This week i learned an important lesson in detail. Filing new applications has become a familiar task for me. With new applications being accepted everyday it is important for me to get them out to the board right away. There were many instances where I would be working on an application and I would be asked to do a more important task such as send a fax to an insurance adjuster or call a defense attorney to answer an urgent question about a case. After returning to complete the application i brought it to my supervisor for review. She pointed out a very important step that i had left out and i had to go back and correct the entire application. 

I learned that regardless of how comfortable i may be with a task it is always important to review it carefully before submitting it. Important information like social security numbers, court issued numbers, and addresses must all be correct. If for some reason you accidentally put a four instead of a five the entire process is delayed. If the court receives any applications with mistakes they are sent back to the firm. The employees at the firm must then stop whatever they are working on and reissue any applications that come back with mistakes. Not only does it effect the efficiency of the firm but since the case cannot move forward without the numbers that are assigned by the court there is a higher possibility that a client's case will be delayed, causing more frustration. One mistake can easily become a bigger problem. 

Aside from the paperwork that comes with the internship i am also learning how to adapt to working with coworkers with various temperaments. There are those who are friendly and welcoming and there are also others who prefer to keep to themselves. I have learned that not everyone will make an effort to befriend you and sometimes it is up to you to make the first move and simply ask how they are doing and provoke some small talk. Saying hello in the mornings and getting to know your coworkers goes a long way. It has helped me become more comfortable with everyone rather than just my supervisor. There have been instances where i had a question but my supervisor was either in a meeting or on the phone with a client. Getting more comfortable with those around me gave me more resources to reach out to when i needed help on an assignment. This sense of community is not only good for me but for the firm as well. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable and accepted at their job site so they can perform to the best of their abilities. 

My highlight of the week was talking to a client on the phone in spanish. About a week ago i sent the client a copy of his deposition, which is a written document of everything that was said during his court appearance. The client is to sign the document, make any necessary corrections, and send it back. On Thursday we received it without a signature or corrections. I was asked to call the client and asked what had happened. After talking to the client and explaining what the copy of the deposition was he told me he had never received it. I then verified his address and the conclusion was that we had mixed up the four digit house number when it was entered into the system. I made the necessary correction and explained that he would be receiving it shortly. Although i had made a mistake earlier in the week i also helped correct an error in a clients case. 

July 7th

Today I became familiar with a different part of the legal process, substitution of attorney. This part of the job is not the most pleasant but it does happen frequently. From time to time attorneys are faced with clients who become frustrated mid way through their cases and decide to take their cases to a different firm in hope of speeding up the process.

After a few months some clients become impatient and begin calling the firm on a daily basis to find out any updates on their case. But what i have learned is that these cases take many months and often years to settle. The clients begin to think that the attorney is ignoring their case but there are many steps in the process that delay settlement. I have seen many instances where the client must wait months for a response from his or her insurance company before scheduling an appointment with a doctor to evaluate the injury. Other examples that slow the process include finding doctors within a clients insurance company's Medical Provider Network. Sometimes doctors are located far from a client's residence and must be reissued or pushed back in order to schedule transportation. These examples have nothing to do with the attorney's effort in the case but from a client's perspective may appear to be a deficiency in the firm.

I was asked to complete Substitution on Attorney paperwork which would be filed to the Marina Del Rey Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. It was important that these documents be filed right away in order to serve the following attorney with the file and paperwork that had already been completed and collected. I also learned that regardless of the substitution the firm would still be included in the settlement and owed a percentage based on the amount of work completed on the case. This amount varies and is often negotiated once the case reaches settlement. There are instances where the two attorneys fail to agree on distribution of fees and must take the issue to court.

June 28th

At first it was difficult for me to understand the long process of a worker's compensation claim because i was performing different steps for each case that i handled. Now that i have completed several examples of each step i have a clearer picture of what the entire process looks like.

Starting with the phone conversation that takes place between the paralegal and the applicant the claim must then be approved by the attorney. Each application must be carefully reviewed before approval in order to ensure that the claim will be approved. Some reasons why a case would be turned down would be if the client's accident took place out of California or if the case did not classify as worker's compensation. (Usually the cases that are turned away fall under "wrongful termination")

One interesting experience that i had involved refreshing my Spanish. The legal assistant who i work closely with was out to lunch and the attorney was away at court. A client called with an urgent message so i was forwarded the call and had the opportunity to speak with the client. The client expressed his concerns and i was able to comfort him and take his call back information. I assured him that i would relay his message and have the paralegal in charge of his case contact him at her earliest convenience.

Another exciting experience so far has been meeting with a client in person. One client came to the office to meet with the paralegal in charge if his case and i was able to sit in on the meeting. The client came in with questions about his case and brought in paperwork to be copied and placed into his file. I also learned shortly after the meeting started that i had scheduled a doctors appointment for this client the week before. It was interesting to see the client in person and see how my work helped his case move forward. 

June 21st

Now that I have gotten to know most of the staff in my department it has become easier for me to make suggestions to the rest of the group in order to increase my efficiency. For example, in the beginning i would send various types of mail and faxes throughout the day for correspondence purposes. The fax and stamp machines are located on the upper floor of the firm. One several occasions I would come back down from sending a fax and someone would ask me to go stamp some mail. This became tiring after several trips so I began asking whether or not anyone had anything to be sent before heading upstairs that way I could complete assignments for several people on only one trip.

Another thing that I have suggested is a way in which new cases were being processed into the database. Sometimes I am asked to send information to opposing attorneys and insurance carriers but the contact information for these parties is missing from many of the files. This would slow the pace at which I could complete tasks because I would have to stop and pull the physical file and search through documents to find a phone number. After, I suggested that the contact information be inputed into the computer database immediately after a notice is received of each party's representation in the case.

The first official paperwork that I have become familiar with is the first step of the workers compensation claim process. The first thing that the attorney's office must do is file an application to the Workers Compensation Appeals Board, or WCAB. With new cases coming in every day it is important to get the applications entered into the database. Once all the contact information is entered and the client is contacted by the attorney the next step is to create the application which will be processed in court. After learning what the application would include, I made my first application by accessing the Workers Compensation website and finding the forms with the proper bar codes which are authorized by the Board. Once the applications are issued, each case is assigned a number which will be used to identify the case until settlement is reached.

I am still trying to work on identifying paperwork and I have learned that I can work on that by simply reading the documents and looking for key words such as names of firms or insurance carriers. I have also created my own file on the computer so that i am able to save my work and use them as references for future assignments that call for similar requests. This allows me to see who I sent the document to and  what information I need to include, such as claim numbers and names of clients. I look forward to watching the way new cases grow and observing how far along the cases move in a month's time.