Risk management

Team trialsThere's no substitute for having a good team.

If a member of your team is ill, absent or under strain then problems can arise - and if you don't have checks and systems in place, they may remain hidden until it's too late.Chris worked in a practice as head of a small team doing licensing work for a few large clients.

An experienced clerk dealt with most of the routine correspondence.

It was only when the clerk was injured in a car accident and was off for some months that Chris actually looked at her work.

To his dismay, he found that she kept almost no file notes.

Her diary system was a complete mystery.

He had never received complaints about her work, but in her absence he could not identify critical dates nor see what needed to be done.

A lot of extra time had to be spent on her files.If a colleague is under pressure, at work or at home, the quality of their work may decline.

They may be forgetful, careless or simply feel that they are unable to cope.

But how would you know? Sue knew that her assistant solicitor was going through an acrimonious divorce, and she offered as much support and sympathy as she could.

He was never absent - in fact he put in extra hours, so she took it for granted that his work was not suffering.

Several months later she began to receive a number of complaints about him from clients.

Only then did Sue discover that he had not been staying late to work - he just couldn't face going home.

In fact he had been filing correspondence without replying to it, because he just felt unable to deal with clients.Perhaps the most dangerous time of all is when fee-earners hand in their notice.

There is little incentive for them to tackle difficult matters at this stage, and the resignation may follow a long period of dissatisfaction or uncertainty.

If they have been looking for other jobs, then it's unlikely that they have been fully committed to their current ones.

Any problems may simply be deferred until after the departure date.The following systems can help prevent unpleasant surprises:l Regular file reviews, which should reveal anydormant or sluggish files (tip: get your accounts department to extract details of files where no time has been recorded recently or where no bills have been issued).l Close supervision, including reading all incoming post and faxes - this will alert you to any potential problems at an early stage.l Strict policies on making diary entries, keeping attendance notes, and the way in which files are kept - have file reviews to check that these policies are followed.l When fee-earners leave, ensure that a partner goes through all their files with them at least two weeks before the departure date.

l This column was prepared by the St.

Paul risk management team.