areas of practice and not likely to have a significant number of conflict concerns arise should they ever need to step in .
An additional benefit of designating a successor attorney ( and consider making this a reciprocal designation if both of you are solos ) is this individual can also act as your backup attorney thereby allowing you to take extended absences from your office for work , pleasure , or health reasons . Also , don ’ t forget to make sure appropriate employees are made aware of who your designated attorney is and how to contact this individual should this ever become necessary .
Once the successor designation process is complete , there are a few other tasks worth doing . Consider providing notice of the existence of and reason for a designated attorney in your fee agreements so clients are aware of the steps you have taken to protect their interests in the event of an emergency .
Develop and maintain an office procedures manual that discusses your calendaring system , conflict system , active file list , open and closed file systems , accounting system , and any other key system . This resource will prove valuable in helping your designated attorney quickly come up to speed on how you run your practice . This is also just one of a number of reasons why it is so important to keep critical systems such as the calendar and conflict system current at all times .
be aware a number of resources based upon the materials in this Oregon guide are also available on the websites of a number of other state bars .
“ Planning Ahead : A Guide to Protecting Your Clients ’ Interests in the Event of Your Disability or Death ” is available at : https :// www . osbplf . org / assets / Planning % 20Ahead % 20August % 202015 . pdf
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Your designated attorney will need to review all client files as quickly as possible in order to determine if any immediate protective action is necessary . Given this , never get lackadaisical with your file documentation process . The documentation in all files should always be thorough and current . Missteps can all too easily occur as a result of poorly documented files .
Finally , write a letter for the designated attorney that details duties for all employees ; includes login instructions to all necessary computers and systems ; provides financial details such as location and account numbers for all bank accounts , particularly client trust accounts ; and contact information for all staff and principal vendors such as banks , insurance companies , utility companies , and the landlord . In short , think about what you would need to know if you were the person coming in to wind down your practice and capture that intellectual capital in a way that will be useful to the designated attorney .
Additional assistance in developing a plan for your death or disability can be found in a handbook published by the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund . This valuable , free resource is available online and may also prove quite useful to your designated attorney should his or her services ever be needed . In the handbook “ Planning Ahead : A Guide to Protecting Your Clients ’ Interests in the Event of Your Disability or Death ” you will find items such as a checklist for closing another attorney ’ s office , a sample notice of designated assisting attorney , sample letters to clients , a sample authorization for the transfer of a client file , and much more . Also ,
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