OCBA UPDATE: Confessions of a (former) computer school dropout

By Judith K. Cunningham Remember "Grease," the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John movie about a group of teenagers attending fictional Rydell High School during the 1950s? The musical had several memorable songs; one of the lesser-known, "Beauty School Dropout," went like this: "Beauty school dropout, no graduation day for you; beauty school dropout, missed your midterms and flunked shampoo..." Several years ago I was reminded of "Beauty School Dropout" when I attended a computer class for a new data query program I wanted to learn so I could create and customize reports and produce court information without having to formally request assistance from the county's Information Technology (IT) Department. At that time I was Court Administrator/Judicial Assistant for the Oakland County Circuit Court, so this appeared to be an appropriate class for me to take. A bit of background here: this was at least 15 years ago, if not longer, and computers did not have the capabilities they have now. In addition, the court's information was all housed on the county's mainframe and managed by IT, so the class was intended to allow non-IT people like me to query, sort and otherwise manipulate data for customized reporting. I viewed it as a sort of weaning away from mainframe dependency and transitioning to the ability to create and customize statistical reports for court administration purposes. So off I went to computer school at the county's IT Department. There were about eight people in the class plus the instructor, all of whom looked like they were young enough to be one of my children. We all had our own computer stations, so I settled in to what I hoped would be a productive afternoon. I soon realized this class was Version II of the program and everyone else had not only taken Version I, but also had used it previously in their work. So either they had a considerable head start or I was at a serious disadvantage. I needed constant help from the instructor, who eventually just parked herself over my shoulder so she would be right there for me. And when she wasn't hovering over me, the students on either side helped guide me through the work. I plodded through the afternoon, very frustrated and very much in need of assistance from a patient and kind teacher, and my classmates. Later that evening when I told my son (who was in middle school at the time) that I'd been to computer school, he laughed, "You went to computer school?" "Yes, I took a class at the county computer department." "How was it? How'd you do?" he asked me. "How'd I do? Let me tell you how I did: I was the oldest, slowest and dumbest person in the class. I felt like a big dolt." What I also felt was an overwhelming sense of empathy for kids in school - particularly elementary school - who just didn't get it, who always needed extra help from teachers, friends, classmates, anyone. My classroom experiences from elementary through law school were positive, rewarding and almost always successful (with few exceptions, one being high school chemistry). To be at the bottom of the heap was not something I'd experienced and certainly not anything I wanted to repeat. That computer class has stayed with me these many years; it eventually came to be known as my "computer school dropout" experience, sung to the tune of "Beauty School Dropout" from "Grease." There have been many more computer classes since then and I've managed to get through most of them without too much pain, suffering or feeling like a "big dolt," but that one has stuck in my mind. Fast forward to late September of this year. I registered for a course offered by the State Bar of Michigan, "iPad for Lawyers," generously hosted by Cooley Law School at its Auburn Hills campus. When I arrived for class I planned to sit next to a young person - any young person - thinking he or she would help me, as I was sure I'd need a tutor. Well, guess what? There weren't any young people in the room - at least none that I saw. Just about everyone there was middle-aged or beyond - a virtual sea of gray - hair, that is. Apparently our younger colleagues just intuitively know how to use the iPad. I took my chances and sat at the end of a row in case I needed to make a hasty retreat. I was not an absolute novice to the iPad, as I've loaned one out from the county when traveling or if I knew I was going to be away from the office for several days, but my knowledge, experience and familiarity with the device was severely limited. Nevertheless, my brief acquaintance was sufficient enough to help me through the class at Cooley. Long story short: I did it! I managed to stay the course, navigate the iPad, follow the instructions, practice the examples and thoroughly enjoy the day. In sum, it was an excellent learning experience and an affirmation of my ability to "get" something technological. Computer school dropout? Not me - at least not this time. The iPad class came just about a week after the State Bar of Michigan's Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids, where I'd registered for the ICLE Solo and Small Firm Institute. While there, I sat in on a presentation called "The Creative Counsel," designed to inspire attorneys to think about implementing innovative pricing strategies, creative marketing, customer service principles and cutting-edge ideas from other industries and professions. As in-house counsel, I don't "market" our county legal department; we have plenty of clients with more legal issues than we can sometimes manage. But I was curious about the "creative counsel" caption. Among many other ideas, the speaker suggested that we lawyers are in the business of serving reluctant clients - that our clients would prefer not to need us at all. He also suggested that we think of our business in a customer service context, i.e., rethink each stage of a client's experience starting from the time the client calls the office, sits in a waiting room, has the initial interview. Be the client for a moment, walk in his or her shoes, and see things from his or her perspective. Ask clients how we can serve them more effectively and make an effort to seek feedback, not only from clients, but also from support staff and other constituents The presentation reminded me that several years ago I initiated a series of focus groups with clients my office serves within Oakland County government. We met with a few of our "biggest users" - the Sheriff's Department, the Human Resources Department, Health and Human Services, and IT - to initiate a dialogue as to how we can improve the delivery of legal services and what we need from these respective departments to accomplish this. The Creative Counsel presentation at the State Bar meeting was the nudge I needed to renew and re-engineer this effort. Time marches on, legal needs change, and we and our clients have experienced personnel shifts, so we need to revisit these matters periodically. My purpose in discussing continuing education in this space is to nudge all of us to keep at it. We all need to sharpen our skill sets, retool and sometimes re-invent our practices, and certainly we need to keep apprised of changes in the law and trends in law practice management. As to the OCBA's continuing legal education (CLE) efforts, one of the outcomes of our strategic plan was to infuse CLE into more of our programming by having each of our substantive law committees assign a liaison to our CLE Committee. This approach has worked well for our Legislative Committee, so we have incorporated it for our CLE Committee too. Now a liaison from all of our substantive committees is assigned to our CLE Committee and our members are constantly encouraged to participate in continuing legal education opportunities within our bar. Check out our website and LACHES for details on upcoming programs. Speaking of CLE, this month our Veteran's Committee is hosting an "Introduction to Veteran's Law," a series of seminars on November 1, 8, 15 and 29. This program will run the gamut of issues facing veterans upon returning from active service - from family law and consumer matters, to pensions and estate planning and many more. This is a great opportunity for attorneys who represent veterans or hope to represent them to participate in seminars designed specifically for this segment of the population. And what a wonderful service and appropriate way to say thank you to our men and women who have served our country in the military. On a personal note, I am disappointed that CLE is not mandatory for Michigan attorneys. Unlike the vast majority of states, Michigan does not require a certain number of CLE credits to maintain attorney licensure. But good lawyers are constantly improving their skills and knowledge without being required to do so, and they know they need to keep up with changes in the law, changes in social issues that frame so many of the legal matters we become involved in, and changes in the needs, wants and expectations of clients. Even though it's not mandatory, the OCBA, the State Bar of Michigan, the Institute for Continuing Legal Education and many other entities, including the ABA, sponsor CLE programs and classes for attorneys and support staff. I encourage you to take advantage of these numerous opportunities to learn. For my part, I always feel inspired, energized and enthusiastic after going back to school, whether for a computer class, creative lawyering or even some new physical activity. In fact, I started yoga and Pilates when I was 58 years old; it's fun to learn new skills whether they're mental or physical. We are all learners and teachers. My suggestion for this month is: learn, teach, share. And finally, in this month and season of Thanksgiving, please take time to count your blessings and give thanks. ---------------- Oakland County Corporation Counsel Judith K. Cunningham is the 80th president of the Oakland County Bar Association. Published: Thu, Nov 22, 2012