Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Caldwell Community College Student Wins 1st Place in NCPA Essay Contest

Posted on March 20, 2011
Way to go, Tammy! Congratulations to Tammy Pyles, a paralegal student at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, which has campuses in both Hudson and Boone, North Carolina. She won first place in the 2011 N.C. Paralegal Association Scholarship Essay Contest...

New Bill Addresses Serious Employment Obstacle for Many: Must Be Currently Employed

Posted on March 19, 2011
Last week a new bill, The Fair Employment Act of 2011 (H.R. 1113), was introduced before the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill was introduced to protect unemployed people from discrimination. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Henry "Hank" Johnson (D-Ga...

Legal Secretary Takes On Supermodel's Bum

Posted on March 19, 2011
Legal professionals sit at desks for long periods of time. Some of us eat for entertainment (not namin' names, okay, me). None of this is good for the ol' keister, and I sure wouldn't want mine compared to that of a supermodel, say, Kate Moss. But English legal secretary Tannita Davies said bring it on when asked to compare her bum to Kate's...

British Legal Assistant's Lawsuit Blaming Law College for Failing Bar Exams Thrown Out

Posted on March 19, 2011
Call me strange if you like, but if I were a successful legal professional at a well-established law firm, I would not want all of my colleagues - and the world - to know that I failed crucial law exams needed to become a solicitor in England and America...

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Aging Legal Team Creates Job Opportunities in Alaska's Law Department

Posted on March 19, 2011
With all the discouraging news about recent mass layoffs in the legal field, and the extremely competitive job market for paralegals, would you move to Alaska for a paralegal or related job? The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that one-quarter of the Alaska Department of Law's attorney and paralegal staffers are currently eligible to retire...

Law Society of Upper Canada Offers New Video about the Benefits of Hiring Paralegals

Posted on March 19, 2011
The Law Society of Upper Canada has its own YouTube Channel, "Your Law Series Channel," which provides information to the public, including a new video about the benefits of hiring paralegals in Ontario. The range of representation that licensed paralegals can undertake, including small claims, traffic and minor criminal matters, is especially intriguing to American paralegals, who can only appear on behalf of clients in a few venues, such as before the Social Security Administration...

Kiss a Leprechaun - or a Paralegal

Posted on March 17, 2011
This is a re-print of last year's St. Paddy's Day post, but I feel like I was born to spread the word about our secret day. ________________________________ I feel like such a fool. Here I am, descended from a long line of red-headed Irish Catholics (lapsed), running around in my green dress all day (which really complements my Red-Straight-from-a-Bottle-Because-I-Got-Cheated-in-the-Genetic-Lottery hair) - and not afraid to use my big old black metal Bates stapler in case someone tries to pinch me...

700-Plus Employees Get WARN Notice Letters from Howrey

Posted on March 16, 2011
This is a tough week to be employed by Howrey, a law firm with multiple offices in North America and Europe, and a focus in three highly specialized areas: antitrust, global litigation, and intellectual property. LawCareers.Net is reporting that in the wake of the company's decision to dissolve, over 700 associates, secretaries, paralegals and support staff will be receiving WARN notices via overnight mail, including 480 employees in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC offices...

Paralegal Profile: Brandi Racz

Posted on March 16, 2011
Job Title:  Probate Paralegal Employer:  Kirk & Huth, P.C., Clinton Township, MI Years of Paralegal Experience:  14 Education/Degrees:  A.A.S. Paralegal Studies, Ferris State University Specialty Areas:  Decedents' Estates, Guardianships, Conservatorships Career Highlight:  It's all been very interesting...

10 Ways for Paralegals to Nurture Themselves

Posted on March 15, 2011
This is an aptly named Butt Station Blue Assistant. I'll admit to being the most stressed I've been in a long time. Our legal team's wonderful administrative assistant has been out of work for several months, and it's challenging trying to wear both hats...

Lindsay's Back on the Courtwalk

Posted on March 15, 2011
So Lindsay was in court again last week. Pretend that she listened to you, her criminal lawyer's indispensable paralegal, when deciding what to wear on the courtwalk. Plain ol' beige. Check. Black tights and vintage heels a spinster librarian would approve of...

Use ProfileGen.com to Create a Cool Facebook Banner

Posted on March 15, 2011
I know I can talk until I'm blue in the face about Twitter and convince maybe 1% of you to join, and then actually use it once you join, but I also know that many more of you are enthusiastic Facebook users. If you're like me, you're still getting used to the new Facebook profile, and wondering why that irksome new banner at the top of your profile page seems to cruelly arbitrarily latch onto the worst of your pictures...

How to Wear Your Monkey to Court

Posted on March 14, 2011
Metal detectors don't detect unarmed monkeys. A few weeks ago I asked you to pretend you worked for Lindsay Lohan's criminal attorney and had to give her some tips on dressing for court. But we didn't cover what to say when a client asks if she can bring her preemie daughter to court...

High Brow Insults for the Workplace

Posted on March 14, 2011
Let's be honest. Working in the legal field is stressful. Highly. Stressful. And sometimes people aren't nice to you each other. So occasionally you'll want to vent and let loose with a really good insult about those inconsiderate clods people, including your boss, the bonehead on the other end of the phone line, that guy who designed the new postage meter, and whoever stole those colored Post-It flags you were saving for a special occasion...

Paralegal Career Dressing: The Essential Boyfriend Blazer

Posted on March 13, 2011
I don't think that every working woman necessarily needs a boyfriend, but she can always use a boyfriend blazer to add polish to dresses, skirts, and slacks. Kohl's has a versatile twill boyfriend blazer by Apt. 9 on sale for $34.99 (originally $60), available in black or sand: Removable chiffon-rosette brooch is a nice bonus...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

Posted on March 13, 2011
I blog for paralegals, legal assistants, legal secretaries, legal staffers, paralegal students and instructors - and the attorneys who want to get to know us better. I try to share information they might helpful for professional development, or a much needed laugh during a hectic week working for lawyers...

Delaware Paralegal Association to Host an Evening with Erin Brockovich

Posted on March 13, 2011
The Delaware Paralegal Association (DPA) has scored the most well known paralegal in the world for "An Evening with Erin Brockovich!"  The event will take place on Friday, April 29, 2011, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware...

Online CLE: 10 Ways to Prepare Top Civil Injury Settlement Demands

Posted on March 13, 2011
If you think you missed this new webinar offered through The Paralegal Mentor, you're in luck. The course was postponed due to scheduling issues. The new date is Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. EST, and you can register at http://settlementdemands...

Attention Paralegal Students: 2011 NFPA/Thomson Reuters Scholarship Available

Posted on March 13, 2011
The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA)  is accepting applications for two large scholarships sponsored by Thomson Reuters, available in the amounts of $3,000 and $2,000. The deadline to submit your application is July 1, 2011, and the PDF application is here...

Robert Half Legal Survey Forecasts Increased Legal Hiring

Posted on March 13, 2011
A new survey by Robert Half Legal for its quarterly Legal Hiring Index indicates that 29% of the 200 lawyers interviewed plan to hire additional legal personnel during the second quarter of 2011. The fastest-growing specialty areas are litigation, general business/commercial, and bankruptcy/foreclosure law...

TGIF: Have You Seen Jen's New Sex Tape?

Posted on March 11, 2011
I asked my kids that at dinner last night, and they're all, "WUT!!!! Jennifer Aniston made a sex tape?!?!?!" And I waited about 30 seconds before I said,  "No." But she did make a very funny video that explains what an Internet meme is. Go, Team Jen! This video reminds me, I need to schedule a haircut...

Oh Yes She Did: Paralegal Steals Client's Home Equity

Posted on March 11, 2011
There's not a whole lot to this story, besides the "what the hell?" angle. Earlier this week, a Connecticut paralegal entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court to an embezzlement charge. Stacey Williams admitted that when a client changed his mind about taking out a home equity loan, she went ahead and borrowed over $123,000 against his house anyway...

Welcome Paralegal Support 101 Blog!

Posted on March 10, 2011
Welcome to the blawgosphere, Kris! Sometimes I miss the new paralegal bloggers. And sometimes I don't miss them, but I wait a few months to see if they're just a one post wonder, or if they've caught the blogging bug. But in the case of freelance paralegal blogger Kris L...

If You Ask Me One More Time What's for Dinner, I Will Eat You

Posted on March 10, 2011
The most stressful part of this paralegal's day is wondering what to fix the fam for dinner. 'Cause I'd be happy with beer, popcorn, or dry cereal. For some reason, they are not. Little ingrates. The other essential part of connecting with my kids, other than over baggies of dry cereal at the dinner table, is texting...

Today's Quote: Is the Jury Out on Paralegal Schools?

Posted on March 09, 2011
Even for those lucky enough to find a job in their desired field, there?s still no guarantee that it will pay well enough. Paralegal Today, an independent magazine about the paralegal profession, noted that lawyers, legal assistants, paralegals and others employed in the legal industry have been "required to take a hack in their earnings, renounce their bonuses or were just laid off because of funding cuts and a low order for work...

Paralegal Profile: Rachelle Johnson

Posted on March 09, 2011
Job Title: Legal Assistant Employer: Bryce Law Firm, PLLC, Tulsa, OK Years of Paralegal Experience: 8 Education/Degrees: Currently attending University of Phoenix, expected graduation 2012, B.A. in business management. Took LSAT in December 2010, intend to attend University of Tulsa Law School, beginning 2013 Specialty Areas: Elder and Family Law Career Highlight:  Assisting the attorneys at the Bryce Law Firm with guardianship cases involving eating disorder patients...

Holy Shopping Spree! Entire Legal Staff Gets $500 to Spend at Ann Taylor

Posted on March 09, 2011
Stacy's wearing my fashion weakness: chain necklaces. SHUT. UP. Seriously, can you just hear Stacy London's response if I told her a law firm gave its entire staff, lawyers and legal support members, a $500 shopping spree at Ann Taylor? I love Ann Taylor, and already suffered severe Ann Taylor envy once this week when one of our fabulously stylish associates wore a beautiful black pencil skirt she scored from a clearance sale, with a beautiful black ruffled jacket snagged from a Kohl's clearance rack...

How a Paralegal Can Help Market a Small Law Firm

Posted on March 08, 2011
An Oklahoma reader recently emailed me with a law firm marketing question: First off, I am an avid fan of your blog! [No, I am not making this up to make myself look good.] I really admire how you market your blog and Facebook page. I work for a small firm that has decided to really market itself this year...

The Paralegal Voice: Revitalizing Your Career with Continuing Education

Posted on March 08, 2011
Looking for new opportunities in the paralegal world? In February's episode of The Paralegal Voice, we welcome Karen G. McGee, ACP, President of NALA, and Christine E. Porter, ACP, Chair of NALA's Continuing Education Council, to talk about opportunities through NALA and how you can revitalize your career with continuing education...

Fired Paralegal Sued by Former Boss for Citysearch Review

Posted on March 07, 2011
The Ultimate Bellaire is reporting that a Texas paralegal and (I'm assuming) her husband are being sued in Harris County District Court by her former supervising attorney, Michael Weston of Weston & Associates, PLLC, a bankruptcy firm, for allegedly posting a highly negative review of Weston on Citysearch...

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