Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Paralegals & Legal Secretaries Blogs -> Practical Paralegalism

Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

: Practical Paralegalism

What's Worse than Being Fired for Insubordination?

By Lynne DeVenny

Your answer may be different, but I think being sued by your former law firm for $1.25 million dollars makes the whole termination issue almost insignificant.

The last time Practical Paralegalism mulled over Texas paralegal Amber Williams' legal problems, in "Fired Paralegal Sued by Former Boss for Citysearch Review," I pointed out that you have to be pretty mad to take the time to file a defamation suit against someone who is likely judgment-proof. I really wasn't thinking in terms of specific numbers. If anything, I was conceptualizing this lawsuit in terms of our state's vague boilerplate civil damages language used in Superior Court complaints, "in excess of $10,000."


But the Texas Lawyer recently published an article that provides way more deets, including the $1.25 million in damages requested in the petition filed by the paralegal's former employer, Weston & Associates. There's also a PDF of the petition itself, most of which is allegations about numerous different kinds of damages caused by the publication of the false review on Citysearch (which the attorney discovered by Googling himself).

I found one allegation particularly notable. Williams only worked at the law firm from October 11 through November 6, 2010. I'm pretty sure that's less than a month.

Regardless of how this civil dispute is ultimately resolved, no job that you've held for a month, or less, is worth this much hassle. If things don't work out with an employer, don't work out your frustration and anger on the Internet. Walk away. Move on.

Stay away from all computers.

Sources: Texas Lawyer; ABA Journal

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on March 29, 2011 (boomark / email).