Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Employer: Carmel & Naccasha, San Luis Obispo, CA

Years of Paralegal Experience: 30 (gulp!)

Education/Degrees: BA in education and Spanish

Specialty Areas: Litigation, SSI

Career Highlight: Co-authoring Evidence Management for the Paralegal (Delmar Cengage Learning, 2008), a text book that is used in paralegal programs around the country.

Paralegal Practice Tip: Keep up on new developments in technology and you will remain a valuable resource for your firm. Also, if you want to try doing something new, just ask. I never knew anything about probate or estate work until a firm needed help on trust litigation projects and hired me to assist in that work. I?ve discovered that I enjoy doing administrative work and my firm encourages me to develop those skills. Don?t become complacent; working in new areas is what has kept this an exciting profession for all these years.

Favorite Internet Resource: http://www.law.com/jsp/law/index.jsp This site sends out daily e-mails about what is new in the legal world.

Favorite Legal Software: I use a variety of software for specific tasks such as court forms. I rely on Microsoft Outlook for my calendar and office e-mail.

Do you use social media resources, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or blogs, for career and/or case development?
I use LinkedIn to keep in touch with colleagues and to do investigation. I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and to do investigation. I do not Tweet. I am in charge of the blogs that are written at my firm ? I edit and post them and contribute to our firm?s blog.

Fun Fact: I am a trustee for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. That may not exactly be a ?fun? fact but I enjoy the job very much.

One Gadget You Can?t Live Without: My Blackberry. And I never thought I?d say that.

Favorite Quote: My favorite quotes change frequently and are not always PG rated! My current favorite: ?Life is messy; get over it.?

Paralegal/Legal Association Memberships: Central Coast Paralegal Association, San Luis Obispo County Bar Association

Professional Links: http://www.carnaclaw.com/, http://www.linkedin.com/, esheffer@carnaclaw.com
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Many thanks to Ellen for her contributions to Practical Paralegalism and the paralegal profession. She was featured in a February 2010 post at The Empowered Paralegal, "Paralegals Picked in Politics." Per her bio at an evidence management boot camp:

She is the former director of the Paralegal Studies Program at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as well as an instructor in the program. Ms. Sheffer served on the board of directors of the Commission for Advanced California Paralegal Specialization and sat on the Certifying Board for the National Association of Legal Assistants. Ms. Sheffer has contributed articles to national legal publications, including American Lawyer Magazine.