Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Today's Quote: I'm Not Talking to Myself in the Car - I'm Talking to the GPS

Posted on February 10, 2011
"I've never said anything mean to her. Once, I just got a bit annoyed when she told me to turn left ? into a cement wall." ~ Debi Tinsley, a legal secretary and actress/singer from Van Nuys, California, doesn't verbally abuse her GPS even after it tried to kill her...

Today's Quote: Does the Legal Assistant Have Charms to Soothe a Savage Breast?

Posted on February 09, 2011
The responsibility for building a sound working relationship between a woman lawyer and a woman assistant rests mainly with the assistant. The assistant must earn the lawyer's trust, and this requires a keen sensitivity to the lawyer's particular needs and apprehensions...

College of DuPage Paralegal Program Has a Terrific Blog

Posted on February 09, 2011
The ABA-approved College of DuPage (COD) Paralegal Program in Glyn Ellyn, Illinois, has a new blog, Paralegal Blog. At least it's fairly new to me; the blog has been up and running since October 2010. This is the kind of project that I would love to see more paralegal programs take on...

Snowpocalypse 2011: Go to Work or Stay Home with the Kids?

Posted on February 08, 2011
Reading about Indiana legal assistant Eldred Coleman-Jones' weather-generated dilemma last week, i.e. go to work or stay home with her eight children, ages 6 months to 17 years, took me back to the days when I was a single mom and my oldest daughter got the chicken pox...

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Paralegal Profile: Jenna Trojanowski

Posted on February 08, 2011
Job Title: Paralegal Employer: Porter Scott, Sacramento, CA Years of Paralegal Experience: 6 Education/Degrees:  AA in Paralegal Studies from MTI College in Sacramento, CA Specialty Areas: Civil litigation defense Career Highlight: The thing I am most proud of is the level of involvement I have had with my local and state paralegal associations...

Did Her Workplace Personality Cost This Paralegal a Job?

Posted on February 07, 2011
Or, It's Not Me, It's You Margie, a paralegal, wrote career columnists "JT & Dale Talk Jobs" after she complained to HR about a "hostile, rude co-worker." She'd noted what she felt to be a "major lack of courtesy, decorum and professionalism" in the workplace, but was completely surprised when the HR director terminated her a week later, not because of her job performance, but because she wasn't "a good fit" for the firm...

Suspended Lawyer Can Work as a Paralegal - But Not Talk to Clients

Posted on February 07, 2011
During the period of interim suspension, Respondent shall not (a) share in any legal fees arising from clients or cases referred by her to any other lawyer during the period of suspension, or (b) share in any legal fees earned for services by others during such period of suspension...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading this Week

Posted on February 06, 2011
My most recent mental vacation is watching The Office on Netflix straight through from season one. I've discovered I have two sets of friends - the ones who adore the show, and the ones who don't get it don't think it's funny at all. The gags are consistently successful - but never more successful than when Jim is pranking Dwight...

TGIF: Shake it like a Polaroid Picture

Posted on February 04, 2011
Or Like the Toner in that Stupid Copier Outkast Charlie Brown Style to celebrate Friday: See, nothing lasts forever, not even a seemingly interminable work week. I hope your weekend is awesome.

Paralegal Career Dressing 3 under $30 : The Black Pencil Skirt

Posted on February 03, 2011
I love What Not to Wear, and hang on Stacy London's every word, even when her hair reminds me of a sassy skunk, and my husband announces she is the cattiest woman on earth. (Maybe that's why I like her so much. He's also called Clinton the cattiest woman on earth...

Five Career Steps Paralegal Students Should Take on the First Day of School

Posted on February 02, 2011
It takes practice to become a miracle worker. If I could only give one piece of advice to brand new paralegal students on their first day of school, it would be to start preparing for their job search now - and not wait until graduation. Now is the time to start gaining the real-world experience most legal employers want - and to start building that crucial professional network...

Paralegal by Day, Roller Derby Diva by Night

Posted on February 02, 2011
This team doesn't sell Hurl Scout cookies. "Screw you and your grandmother's Chevy Celebrity!" ~ Bliss Cavender, Whip It (2009) I'm fascinated by roller derby, and watch Whip It repeatedly. I also love to roller skate. The closest I've gotten to real roller derby is being knocked over by second graders during school-sponsored family skate nights...

Paralegal Profile: Linda McGrath Cruz, ACP, FRP

Posted on February 01, 2011
Job Title: Paralegal Employer: Arnstein & Lehr, LLP, Miami, Florida Years of Paralegal Experience: 14 Education/Degrees: AA and BS in Paralegal Studies, ACP through NALA Specialty Areas: Litigation Career Highlight: Being asked to vice-chair the DCBA's brand new FRP committee...

Today's Quote: New Paralegal Graduates Should Migrate to Colder Climes

Posted on February 01, 2011
Q: I became certified as a paralegal, but my city seems to be awash in paralegals. I thought that paralegals were in great demand. Did I get that wrong? ? K.K. A: There?s no guarantee that because an occupation is in demand, it?s in demand where you live...

The Paralegal Voice ~ Management Careers for Paralegals: Spotlighting IPMA

Posted on January 31, 2011
The latest edition of The Paralegal Voice, "Management Careers for Paralegals: Spotlighting IPMA," co-hosted by Vicki Voisin and me, is now available at Legal Talk Network. In this episode, we welcome Karen Tuschak, President of the International Paralegal Management Association, Stacie McLean, IPMA President-Elect, and Sylvia Naim, IPMA Secretary-Treasurer, to take an in-depth look at IPMA, and discuss IPMA's mission, the job market for paralegals, what they look for when hiring, and key traits needed to make a successful paralegal...

Legal Assistant's Marriage Proposal Included in Sundance Film

Posted on January 31, 2011
Canadian legal assistant Theresa McGinnis' Las Vegas proposal video has it all, genuine fumbling, a supportive narrator, happy tears, and an "effing gorgeous" stone. Even I shed some happy tears. As of the date of this post, only a couple thousand viewers have seen it on YouTube, but a clip from the video will reach a much wider audience with its inclusion in a new Kevin Mcdonald/Ridley Scott movie, Life in a Day, scheduled to be screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival...

Today's Quote: More Than Just a Bad Girl Holding a Sign

Posted on January 31, 2011
?The thing is, I?m a smart girl, and I?m a legal secretary. I?ve gone to college and studied law. I?m very business savvy and I?m not just a girl that looks pretty in front of a camera; I work hard at what I do." ~ Idaho native Nicole Craner, currently a ring card girl for Shark Fights, a promotor of mixed martial arts fighting competitions, explains she's not a stereotypical beautiful bad girl...

Former Paralegal Files Sexual Harassment Suit Against Floyd County

Posted on January 30, 2011
Theresa Farmer, a former paralegal with the Floyd County Attorney's Office in Charles City, Iowa, filed a complaint against her former employer in Floyd County Court last week, containing serious allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace that no employee should have to experience, or tolerate after placing an employer on notice of the conduct...

Today's Quote: No Legal Experience Biggest Hurdle for Paralegal Graduates

Posted on January 30, 2011
"Nine times out of 10, they just said, 'You interviewed well, we liked your credentials, but we found someone that has more experience than you.' It's a double-edged sword because if I can't get a job and get experience, then I can't get a job that needs experience...

Saturday LOL: Goodbye, Kitty

Posted on January 29, 2011
Today's post is for all my readers who specialize in family law, have ever been married, or are planning to get married...or who just love Hello Kitty. A. Lot. I'm going to put it all on the table, and say I believe it takes a special kind of crazy to wear this dress on the biggest day of your life, and that any groom with an ounce of self-preservation in his soul, should abandon all hope ship if he sees this dress heading down the aisle toward him, especially if it's a surprise, both in design and commitment to Hello Kitty...

Paralegal Student Leads Petition to Close Kaplan University

Posted on January 28, 2011
For the record, I don?t have a beef against Kaplan University?s paralegal program. I?ve connected online with its students, some of its graduates, and even a few of its instructors. I?ve heard good and bad reviews of the online program. I?d really like to hear from more of its paralegal graduates...

Just Another Day in the Life of Your Average Paralegal

Posted on January 28, 2011
I get the impression that a lot of people stereotype paralegals as being kinda boring, more like seasonal tax preparers for H&R Block, or Pam from The Office ? and less like Merilee Gerth, widely reported in those gossipy media outlets that we all love to make fun of while we avidly peruse the latest celebrity dirt, as being an ex-mistress (okay, number five, but who?s counting) of that play-uh and Sandra Bullock ex-husband Jesse James...

Paralegal Career Dressing 5 under $20: The Boyfriend Sweater

Posted on January 27, 2011
I hate to pay anywhere near retail prices on clothes for work. I love an end-of-season clearance rack and a solid fashion blog geared toward the poor penny-pinching sandwich-bag toting budget-conscious female professional. I also give major props to real working women and fashion bloggers that are brave enough to take a picture of what they are wearing every day and post it on the Internet...

ParalegaliPad: A Paralegal Teaches My iPad New Tricks

Posted on January 26, 2011
The dog is especially cuddly ergonomic. If I could give Nebraska paralegal Christina Koch a standing ovation for her recent post at Paralegal Gateway, "iPad as a Legal Tool," I would. (Well, I just did. But it was kinda wasted on the pillow pet I'm sitting on to make my home office work station more ergonomic...

The Role of the California Family Law Paralegal

Posted on January 26, 2011
By Dianna L. Noyes, RP®, M.S. Click here to order. Family law is probably the most diverse of all practice areas. It is one of the most emotional, personal and volatile areas of law. It requires a basic knowledge of many other areas of law such as real estate, bankruptcy, personal injury, taxes, business, and probate...

NE Ex-Prosecutor and Legal Assistant Spouse Charged with Theft

Posted on January 25, 2011
Or, How in the Sam Hill Can You Spend $4,000 on Trapshooting? I have to admit I'm having a little trouble processing the Lincoln Journal Star's article about an ex-prosecutor, Blake Edwards, and his legal assistant wife, Shirley Edwards. The Nebraska State Patrol has charged them with multiple counts of felony theft during the time they worked for the Keith County Attorney's office...

From Legal Secretary to Victorian Lady

Posted on January 25, 2011
I admit I spent a very enjoyable ten minutes perusing the turn of the century costumes available at California legal secretary Kathy Loyd's vintage costume shop, Lottie Ballou, http://www.lottieballou.com/. The Benicia Patch featured Loyd and her unique business in its latest "Who's Who in Benicia"...

Paralegal Educator Profile: Dianna L. Noyes, RP®, M.S.

Posted on January 25, 2011
Job Title: Educator       Employer: Various ? Currently teaching for Kaplan University (on-line) in a variety of courses, MTI College (Sacramento) ? Family Law (on-line) and California University Pennsylvania ? Estates and Trusts or Elder Law, and continuing education courses for Duke University Years of Paralegal Experience: 19+ Education/Degrees: BA ? Criminal Justice from CSU, Sacramento; Paralegal Certificate from UC Davis;  Master of Science in Legal Studies and Public Policy from California University, PA...

Use MyMedicare.com to Get Lien Information Fast

Posted on January 24, 2011
By fast, I mean faster than the five years (or longer) you might have to wait if you rely solely on snail mail to correspond with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) regarding the amount of its lien interest against your client?s civil injury recovery...

Baltimore Law Firm Makes City's 2011 Best Places to Work

Posted on January 24, 2011
Congratulations to Maryland law firm Hodes, Pessin & Katz, P.A. which recently made Baltimore Magazine's 2011 Best Places to Work - in part because the firm has an actual Fun Committee, and in part because the firm offers a full benefit package; is growing, not downsizing; offers tuition reimbursement; and promotes its paralegals to attorneys once they pass the bar...

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