Recommendation - HTML Training

To:   CEO

From:  Jennifer Mackson

Date:  June 12, 2016

Re:     HTML Training

The firm is considering HTML training for attorneys and staff.  HTML is the language/coding used to create webpages.  The firm has in-house Content Editors in the New York and Miami offices who create, update and maintain the firm's website content.  Their salary is  $55,000 and $45,00 respectively and they are already proficient in HTML.

The intellectual property and litigation group have blogs that they post to on a bi-weekly basis.  The Content Editor is the point person if a practice group has new content to add, needs content revised or wants the blog re-designed with a more attractive layout.  There are times when the Content Editor cannot meet all requests within a certain deadline much to the practice group's frustration.  During those moments, it would be helpful and beneficial for an attorney or staff member to have an understanding and minimal proficiency in HTML.  However, these moments of frustration are few and far between.  HTML can be taught but it comes with a cost.  The costs are outlined below.

The cost of training the entire firm - consisting of 600 attorneys and administrative staff of 150 - on HTML is calculated as follows:

Attorneys:  For a minimum of 2 hours at an average non-billable hourly rate of $300/hour for 1 day = $360,000 (600 attorneys x $300 x 2 hours x 1 day).

Staff:  For a minimum of 2 hours at an average hourly rate of $35/hour for 1 day = $10,500 (150 employees x $35 x 2 hours x 1 day).

To keep costs at a minimum, the firm can have IT personnel or the Content Editors lead the training.  Training done by IT personnel would cost $1,302 (21 IT personnel x $31/hour x 2 hours x 1 day).  To avoid the cost of travel for the Content Editors who would have to travel to at least 9 offices between them to lead training in the firm's 21 offices; they can conduct training via webinar at a cost of:

NYC Content Editor - $558
($31/hour x 2 hours x 9 office x 1 day)

Miami - $500
($25/hour x 2 hours  x 10 offices x 1 day)

Approximate Total Cost for Training = $371,802

It is clearly more cost efficient for the firm to continue to allow the Content Editors to handle the editing and updating of the firm's website and practice group blogs.  However, if the firm is insistent on training, I recommend that the training be offered as an option and not a requirement.  This way only those who are really interested and feel they would benefit the most could participate in the training.  The firm would only have to pay for training possibly 10 - 15% of the firm attorneys and staff instead of 750 employees. The firm would spend approximately $7,000 instead of $370,000. 

My recommendation is to leave the website and blog editing to the Content Editors who are already proficient in HTML and, if necessary, in the future, offer HTML training as an option instead of a requirement to staff and attorneys.