Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

ParalegaliPad: The iPad 2 Will Literally Make You Crap Your Pants

Posted on March 07, 2011
According to this most excellent iPad 2 parody, we will buy iCrap if Apple makes it. Yup. I don't even know why I salivate over iPad 2 commercials, reviews and blog posts, except that Apple has conditioned me to do so. I love my plain ol' but I guess now obsolete iPad, and have assured it repeatedly that I have no plans to trade up (even though I read every single word of Mashable's post about how to get rid of a lame yesterday's iPad...

Patent Paralegal's Paintings Pack 3-D Punch

Posted on March 07, 2011
Karlin Meehan creates lively, engaging acrylic paintings that pack an extra punch when the viewer dons the 3-D glasses conveniently hanging next to some of her works.  "It's a great trick to get people to really engage with the art who aren't necessarily art-oriented," said the Newport Beach resident, who is a patent paralegal by day and an aspiring artist by night...

Paralegal Career Dressing: Pretty Little Flash Drives

Posted on March 07, 2011
I guess this is the night I confess all my deep dark secrets, and either y'all laugh and delete me from your RSS feed reader - or tell me yours. Okay, here goes, I'm going to say it really fast and get it over with, "onmondaynightmeandTheTeenbondoverABCFamily'sPrettyLittleLiars...

Today's Quote: A Time-Saving Domestic Tip

Posted on March 07, 2011
...Also, yes, I still have my Christmas tree up, because if I take it down before April the Christmas tree wins. Also, I?ve been using it to throw clothes on when they come out of the dryer because that way you get less wrinkles on them.  It?s like using hangers, but easier and more festive...

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TGIF: Charlie Sheen Primal Scream

Posted on March 04, 2011
You know how sometimes just getting everything off your chest in one violent primal screaming rant (preferably alone in your car or in the middle of a state park after hours, and not in the office) relieves your stress? And how sometimes saying any crazy thing that happens to spill out of your mouth, no matter how irrational, feels cathartic? If that's the case, Charlie Sheen must feel really good by now...

Paralegal License Denied Due to Lack of Good Character

Posted on March 04, 2011
"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world." ~ Manly HallRobert Mongue of The Empowered Paralegal blog does a much better job than I do of covering paralegal careers in other countries, including Canada. But when I read that the Law Society of Upper Canada denied Maureen Boldt, of North Bay, Ontario, a paralegal license because "she conducted herself in such a manner that she posed a risk to the public and the administration of justice," I wondered if Ontario might be on to something good in its regulation of the paralegal profession...

5 Geeky Things to Do Before I Kick the Bucket

Posted on March 03, 2011
I didn't even look this good in my high school year book pic. Here's my advice for paralegals desiring to impress their bosses with their technology know-how. Don't. Seriously, just because I subscribe to a few technology blogs and blathered about The Cloud and mobile security a few times, now my boss punts every technology question he has in my direction...

Paralegal & Blogger Profile: Karen Jessop

Posted on March 03, 2011
Karen hates her hair. I'm just plain jealous of it. Job Title:  Senior Paralegal Employer: Electronic Arts Inc., Redwood City, CA Years of Paralegal Experience: 18 Education/Degrees: B.A. History (Cal State East Bay); Paralegal Certificate (Cal State East Bay Extension) Specialty Areas: Intellectual Property Career Highlight: Working at EA...

Do You Need a Degree to Get a Job as a Legal Secretary?

Posted on March 02, 2011
Philadelphia legal secretary Jane Merryless has more than 20 years of legal experience. She has terrific communication and organizational skills, and she knows the state and federal rules of civil procedure very well.  She's taken recent courses in Microsoft Office programs, even though she was proficient in the software before the classes...

Paralegal Career Dressing: Yes, I Want the Dress!

Posted on March 02, 2011
The New Professional is celebrating her first blogiversary with a dress giveaway from Shabby Apple's new South Pacific Collection.  I'm in love with the prize, the Bali Ha 'i' sheath dress shown at the post, but found myself coveting other career dresses, like this one: The Glacier is machine-washable, line dry - my kind of low maintenance dress...

Paralegal Career Dressing: The Limited's $100 Off a Suit Sale

Posted on March 02, 2011
Even if your job doesn't involve much in the way of court-related activities, most paralegals, legal assistants and legal support staffers need a suit at some point, for job interviews, presentations, more formal events, or important meetings. A suit can also take the angst out of deciding what to wear in the morning, and suit separates can be re-mixed with other items in your wardrobe...

A Snarl of Computer Cables Goes High Fashion

Posted on March 01, 2011
Who hasn't dealt with a snarl of computer cables? But did you think of making them into a dress? No? Fashion photographer Ted Sebarese did a series of photos called "Office Wear," including this dress made of cables: Don't you just hate it when you have a thread hanging? Guys, there's office supply fashion for you here, too, including some dangerous looking pants made out of staple removers...

Paralegal Ethics Question: What If Your Supervising Attorney Asks You to Draft an Unethical Bequest?

Posted on March 01, 2011
My curiosity was piqued when I read this brief summary in TampaBay.com's listing of seven lawyers disciplined by the Florida State Bar in January: Stephen G. Watts of Clearwater was reprimanded after he allowed [emphasis added] his legal assistant to prepare a trust document for a client who insisted on making bequests to him and his wife...

Today's Quote: This Fictional Legal Assistant Is Billed as a 'Savant'

Posted on March 01, 2011
...For viewers nostalgic for the old Kelley world, Harriet's new law office is a defunct shoe store, whose owners left behind scads of Blahniks, Choos, and Louboutins; Harry's legal assistant, played by Brittany Snow, fetchingly models them for prospective buyers...

Paralegal Graduate from ABA Approved Program Still Seeking Work

Posted on February 28, 2011
Even earning a degree from an ABA approved paralegal program is no guarantee there will be a legal job waiting upon graduation. Joan Freeman, a December 2010 graduate of Phoenix College's Paralegal Studies Program, approved by the ABA since 1989, has submitted 100 applications without success...

You Say, Is One Paralegal Gonna Be Enough?

Posted on February 28, 2011
I know it's not Friday, but you probably need a good laugh more on Monday morning than you do on Friday afternoon, when you're happily turning off your computer for the weekend, and maybe singing the refrain to this song (quietly under your breath). And paralegal students, isn't there always that one classmate who goes way overboard with the flash cards? P...

Full-time Paralegal Is Also a Successful Screenwriter

Posted on February 28, 2011
The first question most people ask me is, "How do you find time to work full-time and blog?" But blogging is small potatoes compared to the writing that Pennsylvania paralegal, Rick Hansberry, employed full-time by CGA Law Firm in York, does in his spare time...

Today's Quote: That Bottle of Dom Perignon from the Court Reporter Is Taxable, Dude

Posted on February 28, 2011
As a marketing ploy, some court reporting firms give staff of law firms $25, $50 and even $200 if you set a deposition with that firm. There are "gifts" of trips, Dom Perignon, and one firm I know of gives $50 to any paralegal, legal secretary, assistant who takes a deposition off of one court reporting firm's calendar to put it on their own...

Legal Assistant and Blogger Is a Thorn in Mayor's Side

Posted on February 28, 2011
Like me, Florida legal assistant Stephanie Kienzle is a passionate blogger, only her specialty is local politics. Since August 2010, she has bluntly voiced her opinions about North Miami Beach politics at VotersOpinion.com. Her LinkedIn profile states her interests are "helping to shape the political landscape by actively campaigning for candidates I feel are best suited for the job and closely monitoring those currently in office...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

Posted on February 27, 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 find useful for professional development, or a much needed laugh during a hectic week working for lawyers...

TGIF: Who Can't Relate to Kibble Dancing?

Posted on February 25, 2011
Laugh all you want, but I do this same dance inside when I really like what we're having for dinner. I'm owned and bossed around by a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Hope ya'll get some great kibble this weekend ;)

Paralegal Graduate Joins Lawsuit Against Daymar College

Posted on February 25, 2011
What are your options if you choose a paralegal program because you're assured your course credits will be accepted by other institutions and you'll receive assistance to find a job - and you find out neither representation is true? Norma Coan, who received her paralegal degree from Daymar College in Louisville, Kentucky (the school has multiple campuses in several states) feels her only option is to join a lawsuit against the school - together with almost 170 other students from the Paduca and Louisville campuses...

10 Email Etiquette Tips for Paralegals

Posted on February 24, 2011
I figure what's good for the large firm lawyer is good for the any-size firm paralegal, too. Plus, I'm pretty sure I send more email during the day than anybody on my team, in no small part because I hate to talk on the phone, voice mail message systems with more than two numerical choices make me crazy, and I like to have evidence for future motions documentation of my communications...

How Do You Feel About Miracle Whip?

Posted on February 24, 2011
This question is so too related to paralegals, legal assistants, and legal support staff in general. We eat a lot of sandwiches at our desk.  Plus, it's been a long week, and I figure Pauly D's hair is good for a belly laugh. For the record, I loathe, loathe, loathe Miracle Whip, and have thrown sandwiches in the trash upon tasting Miracle Whip...

Paralegal Do-Over: Is It Date Night, Or Just Another Court Date for Lindsay?

Posted on February 24, 2011
I really wanted this post title to read, "Lindsay Wears Cleavage to Court," but it was already taken by the Huffington Post. Last time Lindsay went to court, I asked you to pretend you're the indispensable paralegal working for her criminal lawyer, and that she asked you what to wear to court before she did her strange impression of Pure As The Driven Snow...

Wednesday Whine, Or Stuff to Try Saying Instead of Spectacularly Burning Your Bridges

Posted on February 23, 2011
Thank God you don't need a prescription for these. Yes, you read that right. I'm formally whining. I admit it, I've got nothin' left at the end of this day. We've had a series of both fortunate and unfortunate events at work, resulting in our little law firm being over-litigated and under-staffed...

Northeast Florida Paralegal Association Learns They Have Zero Privacy

Posted on February 22, 2011
I wish I'd gotten to hear private investigator and former New York City Investigative Sergeant Sean Mulholland, owner of Mulholland Forensics, speak to the Northeast Florida Paralegal Association earlier this month. Even though Mulholland's presentation might have exacerbated paranoia in anyone already prone to it, he was honest about the lack of privacy we have in today's electronic and virtual society, and how easy it is for private investigators to observe our activities...

5 Ways Paralegals Can Network Online Using Social Media

Posted on February 22, 2011
by Charles Sipe Building an extensive and diverse network can be very beneficial in terms of career growth and finding the ideal job position with a law firm, company, or the government. Since there is a large ?shadow? job market of open positions that are not published online, knowing the right people can help you learn about these unadvertised positions...

Paralegal Profile: Tina Johnson

Posted on February 22, 2011
Job Title: Paralegal Employer: Gray Plant Mooty Mooty & Bennett, P.A., Minneapolis, MN Years of Paralegal Experience: 11 Education/Degrees: 1) Bachelor of Science in Sociology at Minnesota State University - Mankato, 1995; 2) Associate of Applied Science Degree - Legal Administrative Assistant at South Central Technical College/Minnesota State University, 1999; and 3) Associate of Science Degree - Paralegal (ABA-approved program) at Inver Hills Community College, 2002...

Today's Quote: How Dirty Is This Paralegal Willing to Get?

Posted on February 22, 2011
Producers have hired Guillermo Diaz to play one of the principal supporting characters. He'll play a paralegal working in the main character's firm that doubles as an expect hacker. He's fiercely loyal and willing to get his hands dirty whenever his boss asks...

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