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Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

: Practical Paralegalism

Today's Quote: Jurors Creeped Out by Creeps - and Nerds

By Lynne DeVenny

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So we interviewed some jurors right after the trial--and were told by all but one of them that they were seriously annoyed by some of the sneers, body language, guffaws and antics of the fire-breathing "let's kick some ass" associates and paralegals in the firms helping the plaintiff and the co-defendant in and out of the courtroom. This seemed to happen a lot with two younger lawyers (I knew them both--nice people, usually...) in the same firm who sat together in the court room smirking and cockily approaching counsel's table bearing a note or message with an attitude that said: "take that" and "your sufferings will be legendary, chumps"--that kind of thing. ~ Excerpt from "To Jurors, do your associates and paralegals seem like stone creeps?" (What About Clients?)

If you've never been to a trial, you'll probably read the What About Clients? post and think, "No way is the Steve Urkel effect a consideration in the courtroom, and besides he is just plain adorable."

If you have been to a trial, you'll know that jurors sometimes aren't thinking about what you hope they're thinking about (the trial), and they really are closely scrutinizing the lawyers and their assistants - their demeanor, their clothes, their hair, and heck, even their socks if the distance is too far between trouser hem and shoe - in and out of the courtroom.

Bottom line, paralegals assisting at trial do have to be careful not to be a distraction on many levels. Of course, you don't want to act like a creep, but I honestly never considered The Nerd Factor before.

Since I was Queen of the Nerds in high school, I immediately did a Nerd Self-Check.

Coke bottle glasses? Contacts that correct astigmatism at all times. Even my dog doesn't know what I look like with glasses.

Acne? Replaced by wrinkles