Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

How to Lower Those Outside Fees

Posted on October 20, 2008
The fifth suggestion in Law.com's recent article for in-house legal departments looking to cut costs is perhaps the best: paralegal support. Find a good paralegal, and make the investment:Consider innovative paralegal or support strategies.A great paralegal, whether that person is in-house or outside, can save significant amounts of fees...

A Note on Lawcrossing.com

Posted on October 20, 2008
At no point did I speak to anyone from Lawcrossing.com or Lawcrossing or its affiliates or subsidiaries regarding paralegal regulation or paralegal salaries. The author of those articles, Stony Olsen, took the "quotes" from this blog without ever contacting me and without my authorization...

Jordan Scrhader Ramis Hires New Paralegal

Posted on October 17, 2008
Jordan Schrader Ramis PC hired Holly P. Iburg as a paralegal in the firm?s dirt law practice group.Iburg will support the firm?s real estate and land use practices and has 10 years of legal experience. Formerly an attorney in Oregon and California, she has 12 years of development and construction experience, including serving as vice president of operations for a land development company...

Bose McKinney & Evans Hires Paralegal Amy Case

Posted on October 16, 2008
Indianapolis law firm of Bose McKinney & Evans LLP has hired Amy Case as a paralegal in the Litigation Group.Case assists with the preparation of federal, state and county cases for trial and settlement. Among her duties are client intake and preparation, preparing pleadings, calendaring events, and scheduling and attending depositions, mediations, and bench and jury trials...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Highlights of NFPA's 2008 Policy Meeting

Posted on October 15, 2008
The 2008 Policy Meeting of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations opened on Saturday, October 11 and lasted through Sunday, October 12. During that time, delegates voted on agenda items and paid tribute to the profession. On Saturday morning, NFPA honored Phyllis Dunton, Illinois Paralegal Association, and Koann Lawrence, Rocky Mountain Paralegal Association, in Memoriam...

2009 New NFPA Officers

Posted on October 12, 2008
Left to right: Cheryl Corning, Region V Director; Sandy Heintz, Region IV Director; Mary McKay, RP, Region III Director; Helen Federline, RP, Region II Director; Theresa Prater, RP, Region I Director; Georgette Lovelace, RP, President; Tracey Young, RP, VPPI; Ann Price, RP, VP-PACE; Stephen Imondi, RP, Secretary-Director of Operations; Anita Haworth, RP, Past President-Board AdvisorSent via BlackBerry by AT&T A Paralegal's Blog

2008 NFPA Convention: CLEs and Personality Types

Posted on October 11, 2008
Thursday at the 2008 Annual Convention of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, the attendees had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge through CLE seminars and National Federation of Paralegal Associations training. In the morning Coordinator and Future Board Member Training, Anita Haworth, RP, NFPA President, and Linda McGirr, Vice President and Director of Membership, guided attendees through the basics of being on the Board or being a Coordinator...

On the policy meeting floor

Posted on October 11, 2008
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T A Paralegal's Blog

Justice Clinton-Imber at the NFPA Convention

Posted on October 10, 2008
Honorable Annabelle Clinton-Imber, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice, addresses NFPA members as the Friday luncheon speaker. Justice Clinton-Imber began her legal career as a paralegal in Houston and is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts...

At the NFPA Booth

Posted on October 10, 2008
Stephen Imondi, RP and Wayne Akin man NFPA's booth at the 2008 Annual Convention.Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T A Paralegal's Blog

ArPA Wednesday Welcome Reception

Posted on October 09, 2008
ArPA's Wednesday night welcome reception was well-attended by paralegals, NFPA board members, and even local attorneys. Wine and cheese were served in a low-key setting, and door prizes were awarded. Paula Adams of ArPA was officially presented with her RP pin during the reception...

NFPA Presidential Candidates

Posted on October 09, 2008
Susan Ippoliti and Georgette Lovelace, R.P., candidates for NFPA president, socialize at the Thursday night vendor reception.Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T A Paralegal's Blog

Keeping NFPA's Focus on Advancing the Paralegal Profession

Posted on October 06, 2008
As delegates gear up to travel to Rogers this week for the 2008 NFPA Annual Convention, there are three more agenda topics that can make or break the advancement of the paralegal profession.Defining "Practicing Paralegal." This agenda topic would delete "practicing" altogether from NFPA's Bylaws, leaving "paralegal" open to a wide variety of interpretations - most notably, someone working as a vendor who once was a paralegal...

Grandfathering Provisions Are Sunset for a Reason

Posted on October 03, 2008
In 2000, the grandfathering provision of the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE), allowing paralegals with experience but not formal education to take the exam, sunset. The earliest Registered Paralegals (RPs) listed on the National Federation of Paralegal Association's website are from 1996, meaning that the grandfathering provision extended for at least four years...

Hennepin County Gets Grant to Hire Paralegal

Posted on October 02, 2008
Minnesota's Hennepin County is getting a $500,000 federal grant to solve cold cases. The Department of Justice grant will be used to hire a cold case team that includes a paralegal, as well as a full-time detective, a forensic scientist, a prosecutor, and the use of the county sheriff's crime lab, which is one of three DNA testing labs in the state...

Mandatory, Not Voluntary, Is Necessary for the Profession

Posted on October 01, 2008
One of the National Federation of Paralegal Association's (NFPA) member organizations submitted an agenda topic to allow NFPA to support all types of regulation, not just mandatory licensure. As it stands now, NFPA can only promote regulation if it meets the minimum standards it has set: formal education requirements, an exam, a character requirement, and a grandparenting provision...

Paralegal Touted for County Treasurer

Posted on September 29, 2008
In Pittsylvania County, Virginia, M.K. "Kate" Berger is one of the candidates for County Treasurer, and she's getting a hearty thumbs-up from a county resident.The first thing cited in the opinion piece is Berger's paralegal experience:[Berger] has a general practice paralegal certificate from the Paralegal Institute of Silver Springs, Md...

Yes to Creating an Entry Level Paralegal Exam

Posted on September 29, 2008
At the 2008 National Federation of Paralegal Associations' (NFPA) Annual Convention, being held next week in Rogers, Arkansas, several agenda topics that will shape the future of the paralegal profession are being discussed. One topic, submitted by the Arkansas Paralegal Association (ArPA), is the creation of an entry-level exam for paralegals...

From Paralegal to Hip Tranquil Chick

Posted on September 26, 2008
In her 20s, Kimberly Wilson took up yoga to handle the stress from her job as a paralegal. The harmony, health, and balance of yoga propelled her to open her own yoga studio in her living room, shortly after she took a new job running the paralegal program at Georgetown University...

Essential Tech Tools for Paralegals

Posted on September 24, 2008
As a paralegal in a small firm, I cannot afford to be afraid of technology. There are times when I will be asked to troubleshoot an issue or recommend a product, and in order to do that properly, I need to stay on top of the latest trends. My technology toolkit consists of:GadgetsBlackBerry Curve...

Hire a Paralegal, Keep an Attorney

Posted on September 22, 2008
Lumberton City Attorney Robert Price agreed to stay on until March, partially because the City agreed to hire a paralegal to ease his workload. The City hasn't had a paralegal for two years, but hiring a paralegal is definitely in the City's budget.(Source: FayObserver...

Female Paralegals Paid Less Than Male Counterparts

Posted on September 19, 2008
There is currently a pretty big kerfluffle over this American Community Survey report released by the U.S. Census Bureau. At the heart of the controversy is the finding that female paralegals receive lower salaries than their male counterparts. The study revealed that the median salary for female paralegals is $42,600, and the median salary for male paralegals is $45,700 -- in other words, female paralegals make 93 cents on the man's dollar...

Fios Adds Registered Paralegal to Consulting Team

Posted on September 17, 2008
Fios, Inc. has announced that Cynthia Bateman, former global privacy and e-discovery director from Georgia-Pacific, is one of three new additions to their team.Bateman comes to Fios after spending more than 13 years with Georgia-Pacific, most recently serving as the global privacy and e-discovery director...

When Social Events Override Professional Development

Posted on September 15, 2008
Up until August, I was the Primary Representative (and webmaster) for the Western Massachusetts Paralegal Association, and I was proud of it. I worked hard to raise funds for my association to keep us involved at the national level, and I poured my heart into it...

Preparation Key to Making Yourself Recession-Proof

Posted on September 11, 2008
"Recession" is an ugly word, but it's a word that has become part of our daily vocabulary. With "recession" comes an even uglier word, "layoff." It can happen to anyone, no matter how hard-working. While no one is truly "recession-proof," here are some tips to become "recession resistant": 1...

Book Recommendation: The Paralegal's Handbook

Posted on September 09, 2008
The Paralegal's Handbook: A Complete Reference for All Your Daily Tasks, written by Anita Haworth, RP and Lesley Cox, RP is an excellent resource for paralegals, both novice and experienced. This is the first book I reached for to learn how to handle a personal injury case, and I know that I will use it many times in the future...

Indiana Supreme Court Rejects Voluntary Paralegal Regulation

Posted on September 08, 2008
In yet another blow to paralegal regulation, the Indiana Supreme Court rejected a proposed Rule 2.2 to include the voluntary regulation of paralegals. While I support mandatory regulation, not voluntary, it is still a blow to paralegals who are working so hard to be recognized as professionals...

Sending Large Electronic Files With Ease

Posted on September 06, 2008
Corporate firewalls and e-mail safeguards can make sending large electronic files, such as audio and video files, next to impossible. Often, the e-mail will bounce back to you, and you're left burning the file to CD and shipping it via FedEx in order to meet a deadline...

Does Outsourcing Put Private Data at Risk?

Posted on September 05, 2008
Here's an angle that I didn't even think about in my original opposition to outsourcing: the risk of exposing private data. A partner at the Maryland firm of Newman, McIntosh & Hennessey, Joseph Hennessey, filed suit against Acumen Legal Services, a legal process outsourcing company based in India...

inData Corporation Releases DepoView DVD

Posted on September 04, 2008
inData Corporation, the developer of TrialDirector® software, has released a new product called DepoView® DVD. DepoView DVD allows attorneys, paralegals, and other litigation professionals to view video depositions and associated transcripts on a standard DVD player or computer...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.