Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Useful FMLA/ADA Links

Posted on December 08, 2010
As I was downloading to my Dropbox account a PDF copy of the terrific CLE manual (to read later on my iPad) from the North Carolina Advocates for Justice recent 17th Annual Workplace Torts & Workers' Comp seminar, I decided to share some of the useful links provided by my supervising attorney J...

Paralegal Profile: Crystal L. Robinson, NCCP

Posted on December 07, 2010
Job Title: Real Estate ParalegalEmployer: Levine and Stewart, Chapel Hill, NCYears of Paralegal Experience: 13Specialty Areas: Real estate closings, foreclosure workCareer Highlight: In 2006, when I came to my current job, it provides me the ability to learn as much as I can...

Today's Quote: The Daily Effort to Make a Difference in the World

Posted on December 06, 2010
"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious...

The Paralegal Voice: Talking Murder and Mayhem with Sue Ann Jaffarian

Posted on December 06, 2010
The latest edition of The Paralegal Voice, "Talking Murder and Mayhem with Sue Ann Jaffarian: Paralegal & Fiction Writer," co-hosted by Vicki Voisin and me, is now available at Legal Talk Network.In this episode, we welcome Sue Ann Jaffarian, a paralegal for Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, PC in Los Angeles, and author of the best-selling series, The Odelia Grey Mysteries...

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Flying Over the Holidays? Might be Grounds for a Shotgun Wedding...

Posted on December 06, 2010
Maybe this Rocky Horror TSA Parody Will Ease the Invasion of Your Personal SpaceEr, a bit risque and NSFW, but really catchy, especially for those of you, like me, who remember religiously attending Rocky Horror midnight showings - in full costume and with all the props - during your college years in the, er, 80s...

Open Thread: What Do You Prefer for the Firm?s Holiday Party?

Posted on December 05, 2010
There?s an interesting article at the Wisconsin Law Journal Blog, ?Holiday parties can be frugal and festive,? which discusses some ways that law firms might want to deal with the thorny issue of the annual holiday party during tight financial times. Some of the less expensive options suggested include:Nosh on trays of wannabe hors d?oeurvres from Costco, and chase them down with no-name brewskis...

Florida Firm Lays Off Legal Secretaries Three Weeks before Christmas

Posted on December 05, 2010
Practical Paralegalism extends its deepest sympathies to the 16 staff members, mostly legal secretaries, including some with decades of service, abruptly laid off from several of Florida real estate firm Ruden McClosky?s offices last week. Although the firm?s paralegals are safe (for now), and the firm announced less than two weeks ago that it was growing and hiring associates, this pre-Christmas layoff of experienced and valued staffers has got to be a horrific blow to the morale of the remaining employees...

Who Decapitated Frosty?

Posted on December 05, 2010
It's that warm, fuzzy, fa-la-la-la-la-laaaa time of year, for holiday festivities, sugary treats, and joyful Christmas tales. So, imagine my shock last Friday morning, when I opened a box of Krispy Kreme donuts left on our firm's kitchen table and saw THIS:I know...

Legal Secretary Had 50-Year Career and Beautiful Hats

Posted on December 05, 2010
Obituaries offer small glimpses of personal history about many people that I?ll obviously never get to meet ? but often wish I?d known. For example, Mary Farnsworth, of Iowa City, died on December 1, 2010, after living a full and rich life for 91 years...

New Contest: Practical Paralegalism Needs Facebook Friends

Posted on December 05, 2010
This may come as a complete surprise to perhaps three of you, but I was Empress of the Nerds in high school. Captain of the High I.Q. team, editor of the school literary magazine, and wearer of hideous prescription glasses for the nearly blind that made uber-nerd Steve Urkel look like Usher's doppelganger...

And the Winners of Practical Paralegalism's Odelia Grey Mystery Series Contest Are:

Posted on December 05, 2010
Grand Prize Winner of the first five books in the Odelia Grey Mystery Series by paralegal and author Sue Ann Jaffarian: Dennyce Korb1st Runner-Up of a Practical Paralegalism coffee mug of her choice: Alyssa Mozingo2nd Runner-Up of a Practical Paralegalism coffee mug of his choice: Jay Moore (Jay, I know you're not actually a paralegal, but if you don't find a mug you like, I bet you have a few paralegal NALS colleagues who'd be glad to take your winning mug off your hands :)I'll be sending an email to the winners telling them how to collect their prizes...

TGIF: Good News for Peeps with No Health Insurance

Posted on December 03, 2010
I know some of you are without insurance now, so this will come as quite the relief. It's circulating as an email, which is how I got it - so if you know who to credit, please let me know!Enjoy your weekend. Hopefully, Practical Paralegalism's computer issues will be worked out soon, and I'll be back to the regular business of celebrating legal staffers in the blawgosphere - and sharing a few spit-out-yer-coffee moments :)

2010 ABA Journal Blawg 100 Announced

Posted on December 01, 2010
I don't want to give the wrong impression. I just posted the badge as a graphic for this post. Practical Paralegalism was not selected (although one of my supervising attorneys was very sweet and nominated me). No paralegal blogs were selected - but there is always next year...

Run, Possum, I Mean, Paralegal, Run!

Posted on December 01, 2010
As an English major, I'm a bigger fan of the off-color language than I should be, but there are days when only WTF will do. (I'm also over-using Whuck! quite a bit these days. What can I say? The. Holidays. Really. Stress. Me. Out.)But when I saw this post, "22 Awesome WTF! Posters" from Creative Overflow, I felt this one in particular calling to me...

Open Thread: Help a Buddy Out with Notary No-Nos

Posted on December 01, 2010
A couple of days ago I blogged about "How to Abuse a Notary Commission," based on shocking allegations of notary stamp abuse in a foreclosure mill case that has made national news.A reader left the following question at the post:As a notary, I sometimes find myself in a bit of a sticky situation...

Ethics Corner: Do You Know Where Your Mobile Devices Are Right Now?

Posted on November 29, 2010
If you?re using handheld or mobile electronic devices including (but not limited to) laptops, netbooks, tablets, MP3 players, USB drives and/or smart phones for work, consider whether you have adequately secured these devices from possible confidentiality breaches...

Welcome to Monday!

Posted on November 28, 2010
I hate people that are all chirpy on Monday morning, especially after a delightful long holiday weekend filled with turkey leftovers, long naps, and no one asking where those past due answers to interrogatories are.Raise your hand if you looked a little like this getting to your desk this morning:Happy Monday! (Anyhoo...

How to Abuse a Notary Commission

Posted on November 28, 2010
How many of my readers are commissioned notary publics, i.e. effectively officers of the state they live in? While the public may view the business of notarizing signatures as the simple wielding of a rubber stamp, those who have earned their notary commissions know the standards are much higher...

Paralegal Volunteers for School on Wheels

Posted on November 28, 2010
There are all kinds of opportunities for legal professionals to volunteer in their communities, but School on Wheels (http://www.schoolonwheels.org/), a non-profit organization in Glendale, California offers Roberta Lara, a paralegal employed by Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, the chance to tutor children staying at PATH Achieve, a local homeless shelter, helping them achieve academic success, despite hard times and the stigma of homelessness...

TGIF: For Everyone Working on Papers for Paralegal Classes over the Holidays

Posted on November 26, 2010
I just discovered the VeryMaryKate channel on Youtube, and may be watching it for the remainder of the day in my pjs, while eating ginormous turkey sandwiches and chocolate cake. As a student for many years (two-year paralegal technology program and four-year bachelor degree earned in bits and pieces at three different universities) I had classmates like Very Mary Kate...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading this Week

Posted on November 21, 2010
I blog for paralegals, legal assistants, legal secretaries, paralegal students, paralegal educators, and all of the other legal professionals essential to the practice of law - as well as the attorneys who want to get to know us better. Once a week (or every other-other week when I get behind), I share links to a half dozen or so articles focusing on legal news and humor, practice tips and technology...

Saturday LOL: I Am Your Only Client

Posted on November 20, 2010
All rightee then, this hilarious video is full o' off-color language and rated NSFW (NOT suitable/safe for work, but those are always the best). Saturday before a short holiday week seems like a pretty good day to post it. Even though this video is about a poor down-on-her-luck "mother" (these quotation marks are necessary) seeking a family lawyer to reunite her with her children, anybody who has ever worked in a law firm will be able to relate to the wannabe client's demands...

TGIF: Litigation would be a nicer place if everyone brought their dog to work.

Posted on November 18, 2010
You can get that on a Practical Paralegalism coffee mug. But now what I really want on a coffee mug is my new hero, Simple Dog.This is a picture of Simple Dog, but you should read "Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving" at Hyperbole and a Half, and laugh your, er, tushie off for a minute...

Paralegal Cautionary Tales, Or, Oh, No, They Di'INT

Posted on November 18, 2010
Here's the latest round of stuff that we wish hadn't happened in the paralegal world - but allegedly did. (I used The Corginator's pic with this post, because her oh-no-I-di'INT face is pretty good.)Embezzling $100k Gets You a Destination Prison StintSometimes I wonder what legal staffers convicted of theft from their employers did with the money...

Fighting Insurance Fraud - Paralegal Style

Posted on November 18, 2010
By Jennifer GuppyRecently the Seattle Post Intelligencer ran a story about a woman who pled guilty to three insurance fraud charges stemming from a minor accident in a parking lot in November 2004. She filed suit against the party that hit her, alleging serious back injuries, and ultimately settled her claim directly with the couple for $800,000...

Legal Secretary Files Discrimination Lawsuit against Jones Day

Posted on November 17, 2010
A legal secretary?s civil complaint against her former employer that includes allegations that associates treat legal staffers like servants might not raise any eyebrows ? at least among legal staffers ? but one alleging attorneys and management used racial slurs and the workplace is a hotbed of sexual scandal certainly is...

My Office Door Is "Closed" to You

Posted on November 17, 2010
Oh, Wait, My Cubicle Doesn't Have OneBut if it did, it would so be closed.You guys know I strongly encourage paralegals to add some grammar police blog subscriptions to their RSS feed readers. Not only are they educational, but they're great sources of belly laughs, at least for the grammar geeks amongst us...

Paralegal Profile: Lanice V. Heidbrink

Posted on November 17, 2010
Job Title: Assistant to Alice Mine, Assistant Executive Director, North Carolina State BarEmployer: North Carolina State Bar, Raleigh, NCYears of Paralegal Experience: 5Education/Degrees: Bachelors in Business Administration - Columbia College, Columbia, MO; Paralegal Certificate from Meredith College, Raleigh, NCSpecialty Areas: AdministrationCareer Highlight: Being the Raleigh-Wake Paralegal Association's Student Chair for two years always makes me proud...

Good Things: Law Technology News and iPads

Posted on November 15, 2010
You guys know you can get Law Technology News (LTN), which is free, digitally delivered (save the trees!) to you each month, right? If you're not currently subscribed, click here.The November issue has an especially interesting article by Wisconsin attorney Ross Kodner, ?Independence Daze: The iPad is changing the terrain of remote practice...

There's a Vicious Rumor Going 'round...

Posted on November 15, 2010
...that It's National Clean Out Your Fridge DayThis is the last thing that any bona fide paralegal wants to learn at the end of a Monday spent answering The Interrogatories That Wouldn't Quit (like the drafter thought there was going to be some kind of prize given for most subparts ever...

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