Alaska Law Blog

Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon is featured in the current edition of the The Alaska Contractor magazine. The magazine is a publication of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska ("AGC").

Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon has been a member of AGC for decades. The firm's longstanding contruction law practice is discussed at length in the magazine article. "Founded in 1962, Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon boasts extensive experience in all phases of construction law. Its attorneys have represented contractors, architects, engineers, lenders, title insurance companies and property owners in both small residential and large commercial disputes."

The firm's lead constuction law attorney is Robert J. Dickson. As Mr. Dickson explains, "there are no simple cases" in construction disputes. "All involve big money." The firm's lawyers nevertheless endeavor to meet the client's needs in a business-like and effective manner. As attorney Bruce Gagnon states, "Clients come in, and we help them achieve their goals as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. It's that simple."

Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon is pleased to announce that Office Manager Jodi L. Walton has achieved the certification of CLM.

Lest the uninformed mistakenly believe that “CLM” is being used in the Urban Dictionary sense of "Career Limiting Move" – e.g., chuckling at the Managing Partner’s bad comb over -- we assure that this is not the case. Rather, “CLM” as we use it here is a career improving move. The acronym actually stands for “Certified Legal Manager.”

The CLM certification is issued by the Association of Legal Administrators (“ALA”). To earn this distinction, a person must be employed full-time in managing a legal organization, must have at least three years experience in the management position, must complete a course of study in areas key to legal organization management, must pass an examination on those areas, must adhere to a code of ethics, and must commit to fulfilling continuing education requirements.

As the ALA explains, the CLM designation demonstrates that a legal administrator has “mastered the knowledge, skills and abilities to operate at a high level of expertise in the field of legal management.”

We could add that the achievement is a rare feat in the Alaska legal community, but we won’t bring that up because it might be perceived as just bragging.

Congratulations, Jodi L. Walton, CLM!