About the Author
Kelly Lynn Anders, Director of Communications & Diversity at Creighton University School of Law, works with attorneys and students to sharpen their time management, business etiquette, and organization skills.
Contact Kelly at organizedlawyer@gmail.com.
How to Order
- Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Carolina Academic Press.
- Amazon Kindle Ebook
- See flier about this book (165 KB PDF).
Video and Audio
- Interview by KSNT 27 News, January 14, 2010
- Interview by Kansas Public Radio, February 6, 2009
- Interview by Deb Goodrich on KMAJ 1440, January 30, 2009
- Interview by KSNT 27 News, January 16, 2009
- Interview by KTMJ Fox 43 Topeka News, January 2, 2009
In The News
- Featured, National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees (NACTT) website (July 17, 2011).
- "My Desk, My Enemy: 6 Helpful Ways to Get Organized" (blog post highlights The Organized Lawyer as a work providing "a lot of useful suggestions") (April 30, 2011).
- Most Organized Law Office (overview page references The Organized Lawyer (TOL) as "The Most Important Book You'll Read" and TOL website as one of "The 2 Most Important Websites You'll Visit") (last accessed July 19, 2010)
- "Order in the Office: Part Martha Stewart, part Perry Mason, Kelly Lynn Anders Straightens up the Lawyers," 4:1 Topeka Magazine, p. 20, 22 (Winter 2009/2010) (274 KB PDF)
- "The Organized Tax Lawyer," TaxProf Blog, June 25, 2009
- "Does Your Workspace Need an Amendment?" 23:1 Legislative Lawyer, p. 1-2 (Summer 2009)
- "Are Those Sleek and Tidy Lawyer Offices In the Movies and on TV a Fair Depiction of Reality?" Legal Profession Blog, April 2, 2009
- "Order in the Office: Why Organization is Essential to the Legal Profession," 69:6 Oregon State Bar Bulletin, p. 44-47 (April 2009)
- "Taming the Beast," 95 ABA Journal 10 (March 2009)
- "Get Organized," The National Jurist, February 2009, p. 6 (excerpt) (202 KB PDF)
- "Are You Organized? Take Our Test to Find Out," AmLaw Daily, January 30, 2009.
- "Your Workspace is a First Impression," New York Law Journal, January 23, 2009, "The Back Page," p. 24, 23 (1.5 MB PDF)
- "WU Professor, Author Cleans Up: Anders Says Organization is Part of Business Etiquette," Topeka Capital-Journal, December 19, 2008, p. A-2.
- "Growth Area: Beards on Laid-Off Executives," Wall Street Journal, December 16, 2008.
- Omaha World-Herald, December 14, 2008.
- "Anders on Making Lawyers More Organized and Efficient," Legal Profession Blog, September 19, 2008
- Book Announcement, AALS Professional Responsibility Section Newsletter, Fall 2008, p. 39.
- Book Announcement, AALS Professional Responsibility Section Newsletter, Summer 2008, p. 12.
Columns
- Keep Funds Simple and Separate at Three Banks (March 11, 2010) (60 KB PDF)
- Making Your Home Office Feel More Like Home (January 15, 2010)
- Business Casual Isn't Always an Oxymoron (December 2009)
Presentations
- "Organization and Professionalism in Your Legal Practice," ALI-ABA (webcast), July 14, 2011.
- "The Ethical Use of Social Media for Lawyers and Museum Professionals" (Ethics CLE), Legal Issues in Museum Administration, 39th Annual ALI-ABA Course of Study (co-sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution with the cooperation of the American Association of Museums), Washington, D.C., March 23, 2011.
- "Organization & Professionalism in the Law" (Ethics CLE), Iowa Association of Administrative Law Judges' Fall Meeting, Des Moines, Iowa, September 13, 2010.
- "Ethical Use of Social Media," Ethics CLE, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas City, Missouri, June 30, 2010.
- Panelist, "Life as a Professional: Professionalism, Effectiveness, and Personal Balance," Associate Deans' Conference— Nudge: Leading, Motivating, and Team Building, Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, American Bar Association, June 25, 2010.
- Panelist, "Why Does a Diverse Judiciary Matter? How Can We Achieve It?," Quest for a More Diverse Judiciary, League of Women Voters of Kansas, Topeka, Kansas, October 17, 2009.
- "Developing a Professional Wardrobe: Basics for Men and Women," Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas, February 10, 2010.
- "Organization & Professionalism in the Law (Ethics CLE)," Fifth Annual Legal Diversity Summit, Nebraska Bar Association, Omaha, Nebraska, October 9, 2009.
- "The Organized Lawyer & Professionalism in the Law," Lawyers & Leaders Programs, University of Iowa College of Law, Iowa City, Iowa, March 26, 2009.
- "Developing a Professional Wardrobe: Basics for Men and Women," Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas, January 27, 2009.
Other Publications
- See a full list Kelly's publications and presentations.
Photo Credit
Photograph of Kelly Lynn Anders by Jason Dailey, courtesy Topeka Magazine and Sunflower Publishing.
What does it mean to be organized?
Why does it matter?
How are lawyers different?
On a regular basis, attorneys are sanctioned for many misdeeds that can be traced back to disorganization. Often, the sanctions are for actions that are inexcusable, but not malicious. Rather they are examples of how bad things can get when one is disorganized. Examples include:
- commingling of funds,
- failure to produce records to opposing counsel,
- failure to file in a timely manner,
- being inaccessible to clients,
- and seeming ill prepared to represent clients during hearings.
Just the thought of all of the responsibilities we need to handle can be overwhelming.
How does one do so and remain organized?
What's Your Organizational Style?
There's more than one way to be organized, but you wouldn't know it from most books and television shows. There's so much more to creating and maintaining an organized space than purchasing a bunch of plastic bins and attractive containers from the local office supply store. Add stress and time constraints and multiple types of items to control and it's a recipe for failure — or a belief that organization is impossible. That's where this book comes in.
A New Approach
The Organized Lawyer is designed to address the needs of all types of lawyers - corporate, nonprofit, government, law firm, academic, and solo practitioners. Whether you're in a cubicle, corner office, or working out of your home, this book will help you develop and maintain a more organized space.
What sets this book apart from other organizational guides is its approach. Many books offer valuable tips and tools, but they fail to address how different people have different ways of looking at their things. I believe we all have a particular organization style that impacts how we view our things, live with them, and keep them organized — or disorganized. What works for some does not work for others.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Your Organizational Type
- Office Layouts
- Desk Arrangements
- Paper and Electronic Files
- Financial Recordkeeping
- Planners and Electronic Organizers
- Organizing Your Home Office
- Alternative Work Areas
- Home and Office Libraries
- Personal Services
- Marketing and Entertaining
- Your Professional Wardrobe
- Keeping on Track
Reviews
- The Organized Lawyer, by Joseph E. Redding, 83:8 Wisconsin Lawyer (August 2010)
"...[T]here are many useful tips and thought processes that can be used by any attorney, regardless of years in practice or size of firm. Remember, even one tip that saves 10 minutes a day will add up to more than an extra 43 hours of time per year to do the things you want to do."
- The Organized Lawyer, by Thomas J. Helms, 39:5 Colorado Lawyer 93 (May 2010) (67 KB PDF)
"Every chapter has at least one or two fresh ideas that even the most experienced and well-organized attorney can implement to improve his or her work space."
- Finding Help When You Don't Know Where To Turn, by Janean Johnston, 58:5 Virginia Lawyer 55-56 (December 2009) (36 KB PDF)
- The Organized Lawyer Gives Hope to Law Offices Everywhere, by Mary Louise C. Hopson, Headnotes (Dallas Bar Association) (October 2009), p. 7 (138 KB PDF)
- New Books, 44 Court Review 188 (2009) (55 KB PDF)
"Written in an engaging, conversational style, she presents a fresh approach to organization… The book's best asset within a crowded field of book on organizing is that it is not too complicated."
- Review, by C. Suzanne Landers, 45:7 Tennessee Bar Journal 31 (July 2009) (see also review as 191 KB PDF)
"...[A] tool that may help those who tend towards the messy."
- Review, 24:2 Reference & Research Book News 185 (May 2009)
- Review, 134:9 Library Journal 74 (May 15, 2009)
"More than just another book on how to get organized, Anders addresses all the professional needs of attorneys."
- Review, 19:4 Midwest Book Review: Internet Bookwatch (April 2009)
"Covering everything from making a better home out of one's office to keeping the book's balanced, using electronic devices, and more, The Organized Lawyer is strongly recommended for any lawyer who does more organization than actual work."
- Book Review: 'The Organized Lawyer', by Robert Yates, Chicago Lawyer (April 10, 2009)
"...[F]illed with step-by-step processes to make your workspace and, by extension, you, more efficient… This is a short, pleasant read and set up so you can skip around (as Anders encourages the reader to do) to find the stuff that interests you. But, most of all, it makes you conscious of the need to be organized and stay organized so that you can work better."
- Review, Journal of the Kansas Bar Association, v. 78:3 (March 2009), p. 16 (88 KB PDF)
"...[O]ne of the best books on organization for lawyers..."
- Review, Bench & Bar of Minnesota, v. 66:2 (February 2009), p. 33
- "Review of 'The Organized Lawyer'," by Emily Bergfeld, AALL Spectrum Blog, February 13, 2009
"This book is a useful resource for attorneys interested in achieving a more organized and supportive work environment, and as such, is an appropriate addition to any law library... The Organized Lawyer succeeds in reminding readers of the importance of maintaining an organized work environment and provides a general road map on the journey from clutter to order."
- Book Review Highlight, The Organized Lawyer (review) by Mitchell H. Rubinstein, Adjunct Law Prof Blog, January 17, 2009.
- The Organized Lawyer - Who, Me? (review) by Laura Calloway, The Last Word: News of Interest to Members of the Alabama State Bar, January 12, 2009.
"...[D]esigned to help lawyers in any type practice understand how they relate to their 'stuff' and develop better ways for dealing with it.