Currently viewing archive for January 2013
The IACC 42nd Annual Convention was a fantastic conference held January 16-18 2013 by the International Association of Commercial Collectors. The convention took place at the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach Resort & Spa in Miami Beach, Florida. The conference was attended by Jennifer Dlugolecki, Director of Client Relations, and Stephanie Irvine, Marketing + Communications Specialist of Firefly.
Aside from the tropical temperature and resort atmosphere, this conference was packed with networking opportunities and informational sessions, as most conferences are. However, the convention organizers truly did an exceptional job. Check out some of the highlights!
Welcoming Reception/Meeting
The welcoming reception started the convention off on a great note with a fresh cocktail hour followed by a three course meal. The meeting was brief and introduced the award winners, new members, new conference attendees, and the president-elect. A couple humorous speeches were given and the meeting was adjourned. Again, a great opening session that held everyone’s attention, wasn’t too long, and got the conference off to a great start.
The Exhibit Hall
An intimate convention room allowed for attendees to grab a bite to eat and speak with vendors and other attendees. The small setting was fantastic and allowed the vendors to get great attention. The conference was the perfect size to allow for true interaction.
Check out our booth! A lot of the chotchkies we brought had already been snagged up at the time of our picture.
Meet the Attorneys
This session was fantastic. It allowed the vendors to meet and connect with the IACC attorneys. There are so many conventions and conferences where there are few opportunities to actually meet and talk with the attorneys at a conference. This allowed for a quick meet and great, which set the tone for a personalized conference with true networking possibilities. Later, exhibitors were introduced and allowed a few minutes to introduce themselves. I loved this part– it allowed us to reach a wider audience that might not have known who we are.
Client Customer Service Session
This session provided great tips for garnering a true relationship with your clients and prospective clients. This session was helpful not just for the attorneys, but also for vendors. Everyone benefited from the advice provided. Also, social media and it’s importance (or lack thereof) in the legal world. This was a riveting discussion that included opinions from both sides. Projections for what would happen with social media and law firms in the future were also discussed. This was absolutely an engaging session.
Special Event: Floridian Princess Dinner Cruise
The special event on Thursday evening encouraged attendees to get on board The Floridian Princess for a sunset cruise and dinner along the intercoastal waterways. The weather was perfect for this event, a live band played until 10:00 pm, and the sights were amazing.
Overall, this conference proved to be a great conference, and we will definitely be attending in the future.
It is no secret that compliance is on the minds of anyone in the process serving and legal services industries. And being cognizant of the increased scrutiny, Firefly Legal, a national process serving company headquartered in the south suburbs of Chicago, began a self-initiated audit in October 2012 to further to provide additional confidence to its clients and stay on the forefront of changing industry standards. The audit concluded in January 2013, resulting in Firefly Legal obtaining the SOC 1 certification.
Currently, the SOC 1 certification, which is the certification standard in security, is not required of process serving companies. The audit covers security measures, processing integrity, and confidentiality.
Some have speculated that obtaining this certification may become standard in the coming years as more stringent regulations in the legal field are rapidly increasing, specifically in foreclosure and collections industries.
When Firefly Legal first announced that they would be undergoing the audit, Firefly Legal founder Ken McMaster, explained that going through this process was a necessary move to make Firefly stand out as a leader in the industry. He commented that “We need to provide our clients with a higher level of confidence. They need to know, without a doubt, that any work placed in Firefly’s hands is handled with the utmost in security and protection.”
To obtain this certification, a third-party company verifies that security, including information technology and relevant controls, internal business processes and controls, and confidentiality, among other points of evaluation, are sound.
Firefly Legal’s Vice President Matt Massa acknowledged that Frost Cummings Tidwell Group, the company that completed the audit at Firefly Legal, “conducted a thorough and detailed audit.”
This certification is similar to the well-known SSAE 16 (SOC 1) certification, which is a certification audit that more closely looks at financial reporting. Historically, this certification was reserved for those in the finance industries; however, the critical need for quality assurance in all industries has caused the certification to evolve and move beyond just the finance industry to incorporate and serve anyone needing quality assurance in their operations.
Headquartered in Mokena, Illinois, Firefly Legal is a national associate legal services company specializing in process serving, skip traces, court filing, document retrieval, and loss mitigation.
Attention Young Lawyers!
Looking for a CLE?
The Chicago Bar is holding a FREE! (for members) seminar for Young Lawyers in Chicago–
As per the Chicago Bar’s Facebook page:
The Young Lawyers Section’s Jan. 16 Circuit Court of Cook County Walk Through will address the nuts and bolts of practice in the Court and provide a tour of the clerk’s and sheriff’s offices that will help explain the procedures for both filing and service of process & more. Register and get the details at www.chicagobar.org/cle.
View the calendar of events here: http://www.chicagobar.org/source/Meetings/cCalendarProcessSearch.cfm?Section=Calendar&Type=Seminars
Date: January 10, 2013
To: Firefly Legal Clients
From: Firefly Legal Team
Re: New Year Brings Fee Changes in IL
At Firefly Legal, we want you to be informed of changes, delays, and other pertinent information that may affect how your business is done. Because that’s what trusted business partners do.
Please be advised that as of 1/1/2013, the following fees have been changed:
DOUGLAS COUNTY, IL RECORDER FEE CHANGES
- Recording (land) $58 for 4 pages; $1 for each additional page
- Recording (non land) $48 for 4 pages; $1 for each additional page
MORGAN COUNTY, IL FILING FEE CHANGES
- Filing fee for Real Estate Mort. Forcl. $228.00
MEMORANDUM
Date: January 4, 2013
To: Firefly Legal Clients – FL
From: Firefly Legal Team
Re: Polk County Florida – New Clerk of Courts
At Firefly Legal, we want you to be informed of changes, delays, and other pertinent information that may affect how your business is done. Because that’s what trusted business partners do.
Please be advised that as of 1/8/2013, the new Clerk of Court will be Stacy Butterfield. Richard M. Weiss, the current Clerk of Court, will be retiring.
All summonses for this county will require the current Clerk of Court’s name; please make sure all documents bear the correct clerk of court’s name.
Firefly has been unofficially verbally advised that during the first couple weeks there may be some concessions allowing an on-page write-in correction of the correct clerk’s name. However, this is not guaranteed and the court recommends that this change be made ASAP after 1/8/2013.
You can read more about the election results here.
Stacy Butterfield, Polk County Clerk of Court-elect
MEMORANDUM
Date: January 3, 2013
To: Firefly Legal Clients
From: Firefly Legal Team
Re: Lake County Circuit Clerk
At Firefly Legal, we want you to be informed of changes, delays, and other pertinent information that may affect how your business is done. Because that’s what trusted business partners do.
Please be advised that as of December 1, 2012 there is a new circuit clerk in Lake County, IL, Keith Brin. Beginning January 1, 2013, the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court will no longer accept documents with the incorrect name. This information is per the memo from the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, 18 N. County Street, Waukegan, IL 60085.
Be sure to update any/all paperwork with this information.