Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Today's Quotes: Earthquake Tremors or Caffeine Shakes?

Posted on June 24, 2010
On Wednesday, an earthquake that originated on the Ontario-Quebec border shook things up in law offices as far away as Ohio. Legal professionals in Mansfield, Ohio were bewildered and literally shaken by the tremors, as they relayed to the Mansfield News Journal:"I thought I was going crazy," said Karen Carroll, a legal assistant employed by attorney James Wagner...

A Paralegal and Her Dog Go to Boot Camp

Posted on June 22, 2010
Okay, I know how much many of my readers love their dogs (and their cats), and would love the idea of joining an outdoor fitness program where the pooches are welcome, too. So when I saw this Reuters story about a California boot camp for humans and their canine companions, I had to share the excerpt about the paralegal:Shannon Payne, a paralegal, says she always loved running, but her Pomeranian Chihuahua mix, Sammie, was "too wild" when she tried to take him with her...

Kern County Paralegal Association 2009-2010 Member Awards

Posted on June 22, 2010
The Kern County Paralegal Association (KCPA), located in Bakersfield, California, has named Alberta "Lou" Stoker, CLA as its 2009-2010 Paralegal of the Year. Stoker is employed as a legal assistant by Chain/Cohn/Stiles in Bakersfield. She works primarily in the personal injury department...

Professional Profile: Haley Odom, Paralegal & Blogger

Posted on June 22, 2010
Job Title: ParalegalEmployer: Slack & Davis, LLP, Austin, TexasYears of Paralegal Experience: 8Specialty Areas: Commercial Litigation, AviationCareer Highlight: Taking a firm from WordPerfect to Word and then paperless. It was invigorating.Paralegal Practice Tip: Learn Excel...

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Software Review: Redact-It® Desktop

Posted on June 21, 2010
Or, This Paralegal?s New Best FriendOne of the most time-consuming and tedious job duties I frequently perform as a paralegal working on serious injury cases is redacting health insurance and payment information ? by hand - from voluminous medical records and bills...

Another Fictional Paralegal - And This One's a Boy!

Posted on June 21, 2010
You guys know that Practical Paralegalism likes to show the diversity of paralegals working today, including giving equal time to the guys.So, I would be remiss (very, very remiss) not to show you a picture of television's latest fictional paralegal, Jasper Goodwin a/k/a Jaz, as played by Chad Connell in the new Lifetime movie, Double Wedding...

Paralegal Starts New Applicant Screening Service in Illinois

Posted on June 21, 2010
Karen Poole, an AAS-Paralegal and Administrative Assistant employed by the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority (SWIDA) in Collinsville, Illinois, thought employers might need help sorting through the deluge of employment applications they receive for every open position...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

Posted on June 20, 2010
I blog for paralegals - and legal assistants, legal secretaries, legal staffers (and the attorneys who want to get to know us better) - to share information they might find helpful for professional development, or a much needed laugh during a hectic week working for lawyers...

Saturday LOL: That'll Be HONORABLE "Mr. Jack Jack" to You

Posted on June 19, 2010
You know I think every legal professional needs a dog or other four-legged companion to greet us at the door after a stressful day at the office - and to love us unconditionally, even it's only because we have opposable thumbs and smelly shoes.So I really got a kick out of Veterinary Pet Insurance's 2010 list of unusual names for cats and dogs...

Today's Quote: Crazy Is As Crazy Does

Posted on June 19, 2010
"I think the only thing crazy about her was it was crazy that she thought she wasn?t going to get caught." ~ Assistant District Attorney John Walko is seeking at least a three-year prison sentence for Kathleen "Kathy" Foer-Morse, a former paralegal who admitted to stealing over $100,000 from a Norristown law firm...

Legal Assistant Climbs Mt. Shasta to Raise 20k for Breast Cancer Fund

Posted on June 19, 2010
Last Saturday, I ran a little over three miles to help raise funds for cancer research and celebrate cancer survivors, but that seems like a very small feat compared to what Caroline Tice, a Ballwin, Missouri legal assistant, did for cancer research last week...

Town Honors Woman Who Worked as Legal Secretary for 63 Years

Posted on June 19, 2010
The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts actually recently honored Muriel Howard, 104, as its oldest resident. But what I found notable about her life is that Howard worked as a legal secretary for over 60 years - and started her legal career while she was still a teenager...

Dear Future Boss, You Must Be Sane

Posted on June 17, 2010
I got a case of the willies while reading today's Above the Law post, "3L Desperately Seeking Perfect Boss on Craigslist," not only because there's a law student in New York who genuinely thinks this list of personal commandments will lead to a dream boss, but it's like this 3L got inside the head of every law firm employee who ever lived...

Today's Quote: Too Old to Get Hired?

Posted on June 17, 2010
"I am (or was) a legal secretary with several years of experience (30+ years). ? I have applied to jobs that are more than one-half less than what I was earning. I search for a job each and every day. ? Where do people in my age bracket go? Too young not to work but too old to work?" ~ A woman from Warren County, New Jersey wrote to the Senate in an attempt to help get the jobs bill, H...

Jailed Paralegal Admits Theft and Awaits Sentencing

Posted on June 17, 2010
Last year, I blogged about former paralegal, Kathy Foer-Morse, who was terminated from High Swartz in Norristown, Philadelphia, for tardiness and disappearing during the day. But tardiness was the least of her sins. The firm discovered over $100,000 missing after she left, and she was arrested and jailed, unable to pay the $99,000 cash bond...

Working Girl Wednesday: I Run a Whole Three Miles & Some Change

Posted on June 16, 2010
Without Medical Assistance.So I ran in my first 5k race ever for the 2010 Komen NC Triangle Race for the Cure on Saturday, June 12. And this is kind of a big deal, because I am a lot closer to 50 than to 40, and my knees are actually 80.Beep-BeepReal running...

And the Winner of the Connecticut Paralegal of the Year Award Is...

Posted on June 16, 2010
...Patricia "Pattie" Chouinard, employed by Shipman & Goodwin, which has offices in Hartford, Stamford, Greenwich and Lakeville, Connecticut, as well as Washington, DC. According to the firm's website, Chouinard works in the firm's corporate department...

Reader Questions: Is Blogging Worth It?

Posted on June 15, 2010
I occasionally get emails from readers, both legal support staffers and students, asking for advice about starting their own blogs. One reader asked me, "Is it worth it?"Easy AnswerIt is if you have a passion for it.Otherwise, it would be (for most) an unpaid endeavor that will take a great deal of your time...

Disbarred Lawyer Convicted of Theft Blames Legal Secretary

Posted on June 15, 2010
It's always depressing to see stories about lawyers convicted of stealing client funds. There are so many lawyers doing great work and helping people. Yet a few bad apples tarnish the public's view of the legal profession.But it's even more disturbing to see a lawyer blame missing client funds on a staff member...

Professional Profile: Oliva K. Burgess, Paralegal & Super Woman

Posted on June 15, 2010
Job Title: ParalegalEmployer: Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, P.A., Jackson, MississippiYears of Paralegal Experience: Three, in addition to about seven years as a legal secretarySpecialty Areas: Previously corporate transactional and mass tort litigation, but I have recently moved into a new area for me ? construction litigation...

Today's Quote: Tell Us What You Really Think

Posted on June 14, 2010
Perfect 10 does not have the employees or attributes of a legitimate business. Today, Perfect 10 is essentially a paralegal service masquerading as a porn company. ~ Excerpt from Rapidshare's countersuit against Perfect 10 for alleged unfair business practices...

Now I'm Really Drooling Over the iPad

Posted on June 14, 2010
You guys know I've been fixated on the iPad for a while.Not that an iPad is in this paralegal's budget. I have wallet vampires, I mean, teens.But now my iPad envy has reached a whole new level.Chocolate-covered.Oh. My. Stars.There's a real working iPad underneath that delicious chocolate exterior...

City Legal Staff Gets Bonuses When Other Employees Do Not

Posted on June 13, 2010
In the last two years, many Americans have not received their usual raises and bonuses, and many have lost their jobs. Those that have been laid off would likely have been happy to forego raises and bonuses in order to continue to get regular paychecks...

Legal Assistant Helps Bust Bumbling Burglars on Tape

Posted on June 13, 2010
Tom Nelson, a legal assistant with the Law Offices of Mark S. Nelson, in Modesto, California, may get employee of the year for helping local police track down several people suspected of breaking into the law firm not once, but twice.Of course, the suspects' own ineptitude also contributed greatly to their identification...

Saturday LOL: Hide Your Children

Posted on June 12, 2010
In a September 2009 Practical Paralegalism post, "Stuff They Never Told Us We'd Have to Do in Paralegal School," a few of you mentioned childcare (for minors and grown-ups) as an unanticipated job duty.You'll never look at Mary Poppins quite the same way again...

The Glamorous Life of a Paralegal

Posted on June 10, 2010
We flying in first classUp in the skyOn a jet planeLivin' the lifeIn the fast laneI wont changeBy the glamorous, oh the flouncy flouncy~ Fergie, "Glamorous" I taught paralegal students in a variety of courses ranging from the introductory course to family law theory...

Today's Quote: You Can't Read This Unless You Know the Secret Code

Posted on June 10, 2010
"You can leave stuff written in shorthand on your desk at work -- anywhere -- with the assurance no one can read it." ~ Teresa Alvarez, a courtroom clerk employed by the Yuma County Superior Court in Yuma, Arizona, discusses the personal advantage of knowing shorthand...

Paralegal Runs Great Wall Marathon

Posted on June 10, 2010
Atlanta paralegal Lori Rusinski's husband, Gerry, says it best about his wife's participation in a half-marathon in China:"You hear people say, "I ran the Boston Marathon' or 'I ran the New York Marathon.' But when you say, "I ran the Great Wall marathon,' they are like, 'Whoa,'" he said...

If You Can't Read Shorthand, Who You Gonna Call?

Posted on June 09, 2010
Recently, I blogged about the old days in the legal profession, when an otherwise talented staffer might have to fake shorthand. (Not that I know anything about that.)I took it for granted that modern technology had killed shorthand. I did not take into consideration that there might be times when you still need to read shorthand, but according to The Wall Street Journal, there are occasions when that skill comes in handy...

Secret Service Charges Paralegal with Theft of $2M

Posted on June 09, 2010
That's right, $2 million dollars, no mistake in the number of zeros involved.Several media sources are reporting that Elizabeth Sichler of Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania, a paralegal by training and former title search company owner, has been charged by the U...

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