Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

City Clerk Returns to Paralegal Career

Posted on January 26, 2009
Papillion, Nebraska City Clerk Jennifer Niemer has resigned after almost seven years of service. Previously a general litigation paralegal, Niemer plans to return to paralegal work, this time in the corporate arena. Niemer credits her legal background as being very helpful for the position of city clerk...

Wave Software Launches Wave University Webinars

Posted on January 26, 2009
Wave Software has announced the launch of Wave University. Wave University will provide free educational opportunities through educational webinars, "lunch and learn" series, and software training webinars. ?Cutting the High Cost of eDiscovery Through Reliable Processes, People and Tools? will be presented by Dan Regard, Managing Director at Intelligent Discovery Solutions, Inc...

McAffe & Taft Names New Paralegal

Posted on January 25, 2009
McAfee & Taft names J. Lynn McKay paralegal. She is a certified paralegal and will be responsible for assisting attorneys in the firm?s tax and family wealth group in matters related to wills, trusts, estate taxes, gift taxes and probate law. McAfee & Taft is one of the largest law firms in the Southwest with offices in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa...

Top Employment Law Issues for Paralegals

Posted on January 23, 2009
According to this article from The Legal Intelligencer, the most common areas of employment litigation involving paralegals include failure to pay overtime, sexual harassment, violation of family and medical leave laws, and retaliation against whistleblowers...

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Paralegal Layoff Watch: Cooley Axes 52 Lawyers, 62 Staff

Posted on January 22, 2009
The layoffs keep coming. Cooley Godward Kronish axed 52 lawyers and 62 staff yesterday, citing the economy. The practice areas most affected by the layoffs are corporate, transactional, and public securities.However, Cooley just finished up a strong year, with 14 percent growth in revenue...

Free Live Webcast on Electronic Signature Case Law Review

Posted on January 22, 2009
Silanis Technology will co-host a free, live webcast with law firm Locke Lord Bisell & Lidell LLP to review the latest case law and lessons learned involving business contracts executed with electronic signature technology. The 60-minute webcast will take place on Thursday, January 29 at 2:00 pm (EST) and focus on how to reduce contract disputes and strengthen the enforceability of electronically signed records by automating the enforcement of regulatory requirements and the capture of strong legal evidence...

Top Five Ways to Prepare for Layoffs

Posted on January 20, 2009
Paralegals are not recession-proof, and the recent layoffs at firms across the United States, even at firms that made a profit, only drive that point home. When the writing is on the wall, and it's only a matter of time until the dreaded pink slip lands on your desk, it helps to be prepared...

Litworks Announces Certified Litigation Support Project Manager Course

Posted on January 19, 2009
LitWorks has added a Certified Litigation Support Project Manager course to their existing training catalog. The three-day course, offered to litigation support professionals with three or more years of industry experience, is focused on improving project management skills...

Evans Elected Paralegal of the Year in Cumberland County

Posted on January 18, 2009
Wanda Evans was recently elected Paralegal of the Year by the Cumberland County Paralegal Association. Evans is a paralegal with the law firm of McCauley & Person LLP.(Source: FayObserver.com) A Paralegal's Blog

Paralegal Named Chief Magistrate

Posted on January 16, 2009
Traci Carper-Strickland has been appointed as Kanawha County, West Virginia's Chief Magistrate. Carper-Strickland was appointed as a magistrate in 1999 after the death of Magistrate Chuck Ferrell, then was elected in 2000 and served a four-year term. In 2007, she was appointed again to fill a vacant seat after Magistrate Janie Moore resigned...

Legal Secretaries Find Paralegal Doors Shut

Posted on January 15, 2009
In this economy, it's very tempting to take a legal secretary position after being laid off, in hopes of being promoted to a paralegal position in the same firm.Don't.Most firms would rather lose their top employees than allow them to reach their potential, probably because said top employees are just too good at their current jobs, or because most lawyers don't want to interview and train replacements...

Peak Discovery Releases Upgrade to Peak Review Metrics

Posted on January 13, 2009
Peak Discovery, Inc. has released an enhanced upgrade to its proprietary software, Peak Review Metrics. Peak Review Metrics measures and reports on essential data in the document review process through extracting data from the document review system and combining it with time and billing information to generate metrics for individual reviewers and the group...

Service Member of the Year Is a Paralegal

Posted on January 11, 2009
The Service Member of the Year for fiscal year 2008 is Pfc. Alicia Lyman who serves as a paralegal for the 206th Military Intelligence Battalion. Lyman is originally from Naples, N.Y. and has been stationed at Fort Gordon since November 2007. She has always volunteered for additional work to help others...

Being a Paralegal Tops Being a Lawyer

Posted on January 09, 2009
The Voice that tells me I should have gone to law school just got very quiet. CareerCast.com ranked "Paralegal Assistants" as having the 17th top job, out of the top 200 jobs. Lawyers ranked at 82nd. While lawyers rake in an average of $109,207, compared to a paralegal's $46,155, being an attorney comes with enough stress and anxiety to bring the rating down to 82nd place...

D.C. Firm Gets a Name Change

Posted on January 07, 2009
The Washington law firm formerly known as Leventhal Senter & Lerman will now be known as Lerman Senter PLLC.The best part in this economy:[Steven] Lerman, who has been the firm?s manager since 2000, says the rest of Lerman Senter remains intact. ?Our entire legal team is staying - no staff member, no paralegal is leaving - everybody is staying...

Dagger Soldier Earns Honors as Fort Riley Paralegal Soldier of Year

Posted on January 06, 2009
BAGHDAD - A Multi-National Division Soldier from the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team "Dagger", 1st Infantry Division, won 1st place in the annual Fort Riley, Kan., Paralegal Soldier of the Year competition at the 1st Inf. Div. headquarters building via video teleconference from Camp Victory...

Paralegal Turns Bankruptcy Into Cottage Industry

Posted on January 05, 2009
Victoria Ring sits atop the virtual bankruptcy world. For many years, she worked as a paralegal for various local attorneys, eventually landing with several prominent bankruptcy lawyers in Central Ohio. It was during this time Ring realized she could input a debtor?s data into a bankruptcy petition from anywhere in the United States, freeing her from the constant interruptions she endured when working in a law office and letting her work for attorneys outside Columbus and Central Ohio...

License Commission Paralegal Recognized

Posted on January 04, 2009
It's always nice to see a paralegal recognized for doing a good job:The 12 pages listed details about nearly 200 bars, restaurants, package stores and other establishments seeking liquor license renewals from the Springfield License Commission on Monday...

Top 10 Paralegal Stories from 2008

Posted on December 31, 2008
Happy New Year! Here's a look back on the ten stories that generated the most traffic in 2008:RP Salaries Surpass AveragesFlorida Unveils Registered Paralegal ProgramLegal Secretary Talent Becoming ScarceLegal Assistant Today Announces 2007 Salary Survey ResultsParalegal Sued for UPLParalegal Outlook for 2008: We're Not Recession-ProofRoundup: New PACE Exam, New PACE Study Manual, and New Paralegal Magazine Please note that since the publication of that entry, ParalegalGateway...

Paralegal Honored by Utah Attorney General

Posted on December 31, 2008
Roberta Kaneko, a paralegal working in the Utah Attorney General's office, was recognized for her work at a luncheon for the department. Kaneko, a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, was honored for helping a crime victim through her testimony at trial...

Paralegals on the Move

Posted on December 30, 2008
Here is a quick roundup of paralegals "on the move":In Wisconsin, paralegal Marc J. Adesso has moved to DeWitt Ross & Stevens' Brookfield office.Dallas-based Interlegis, Inc. added Brian McHughs, a former paralegal, as the company's new director of client services and operations...

Paralegal Regulation Sorely Needed

Posted on December 30, 2008
Yesterday's news that a paralegal posed as a lawyer to represent a client in court illustrates the need to regulate paralegals. As it stands now, Larissa Sufaru, the paralegal in question, can resume her work as a paralegal without any fines or sanctions...

Atlanta Paralegal Specialist Wins Justice Award

Posted on December 30, 2008
A paralegal specialist from Atlanta received the Director's Award for Superior Performance in a Litigative Support Role.  Kimberly J. Casperson worked on the investigation and prosecution of complex cases, including the Eric Robert Rudolph serial bombing case and the prosecutions of former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell and others for bribery, tax fraud, and related charges...

Paralegals Use Strength, Skills to Raise Autistic Children

Posted on December 29, 2008
After finally learning that it was autism that left her son speechless, Rose Morreale, a paralegal, turned her researching skills and "steely Sicilian determination" to creating a future for her boy. At first, she quit her job to immerse herself in caring for her son, but eight years later, she returned to work...

Censure Urged for Attorney Whose Paralegal Acted as Lawyer in Court

Posted on December 29, 2008
A lawyer who sent his paralegal to court to represent a client is now facing possible censure from the Disciplinary Review Board. Neal Pomper of Highland Park, New Jersey, breached Rules of Professional Conduct 5.5(a)(2), assisting the unauthorized practice of law, and 8...

Paralegal Raises the Bar in Fairbanks DA?s Office

Posted on December 29, 2008
In high school, Marja Hallsten dreamed of being an entertainment director on a cruise ship. She even went to travel school in 1984, but the 1980s intervened.Instead, she worked as an apartment manager, a legal secretary and later as a paralegal for the District Attorney?s Office, where she works today...

Chief Paralegal Promoted to Master Sergeant

Posted on December 27, 2008
Dawn M. Byrnes recently was promoted to master sergeant in the U.S. Army. Byrnes is serving as chief paralegal at Panzer Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command.She has attended advanced and basic noncommissioned officer course, primary leadership development course, air assault school, naval justice court reporting school, staff and faculty instructor developer course, small group instructor course and two senior paralegal conferences...

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24, 2008
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all my readers. Thank you for visiting! A Paralegal's Blog

Faltering Economy Attracts More to Paralegal Careers

Posted on December 22, 2008
As if the news of law firm layoffs isn't enough, the paralegal job market is going to be even tighter as more adults look into paralegal careers.br /br /In Norcross, Georgia, Avaya is closing their plant and call center (and moving the jobs to India and Canada), leaving 120 people unemployed...

LSUC Budget Introduces Fee Increases for 2009

Posted on December 21, 2008
Last month, the governing body of the Law Society of Upper Canada approved its 2009 budget, complete with fee increases of 3% for lawyers and 6.5% for paralegals. The fee for a practicing lawyer will increase $50 from $1,653 to $1,703, and the fee for a licensed paralegal will increase $55 from $845 to $900...

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