Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Paralegal Weighs In on the Lighter Side of Murder

Posted on April 29, 2010
I even got my own attention with this headline.But seriously, for those of you who live in Los Angeles and are fans of corporate paralegal and mystery writer, Sue Ann Jaffarian, she's going to be at the Grant Brimhall/Thousand Oaks Library on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 2 p...

Today's Quote: Here's Why Paralegals Have Trouble Making Friends on Facebook

Posted on April 29, 2010
"Then, I noticed that Facebook was suggesting people for me to 'friend'. People like my divorce lawyer's paralegal... and my plumber. I couldn't figure out where it was getting these people from, until I realized that Facebook had gone into my contact list in my email account...

So You're Thinking About Starting a Blog for Paralegals?

Posted on April 27, 2010
My friend, Harold Weaver, who wrote a great guest post for Practical Paralegalism about landing his first paralegal job, is going to be speaking with Jeannie Johnston of ParalegalGateway.com at the Georgia Association of Paralegals (GAP) Paralegal Career Workshop on Saturday, May 15, 2010...

Today's Quote: When Scarlett Johansonn Plays a Paralegal, We've Made the Big Time

Posted on April 27, 2010
"Proceedings kick off on a slashing note, with the introduction of some great new characters (including Mickey Rourke as a rogue Russian physicist and Scarlett Johansson as a butt-kicking paralegal) culminating in a spectacular extended stunt sequence staged during the Monaco Grand Prix...

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Paralegal for Sheriff's Office Charged with Grand Theft

Posted on April 26, 2010
A sheriff's office is probably the last place you'd think someone would steal from - but that's what Florida paralegal Pamela Foxx, a long-time employee of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) in Lake City has been accused of - stealing $100,000 from her employer over a three-year period...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

Posted on April 25, 2010
I blog for paralegals to share information they might find helpful for professional development - or a much needed laugh during a hectic week working with lawyers. Once a week I share links to a half dozen or so articles focusing on legal news and humor, practice tips and technology...

Paralegal Association Hosts Wine Tasting & Silent Auction

Posted on April 25, 2010
For those of you who live near Ventura, California, the Ventura County Paralegal Association (VCPA), an affiliate of the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations (CAPA) and the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), is hosting what sounds like a really lovely evening event to raise money for good causes, its Fourteenth Annual Wine Tasting/Silent Auction on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel at the Ventura Harbor...

Legal Assistant Helps Couple Find a New Home

Posted on April 25, 2010
This is a wonderful story about Jack Sharp, 77, and his wife, Fran, 64 and wheelchair bound - and the legal assistant who helped them find a new home.A columnist for The Oregonian, Steve Duin, initially shared the Sharps' story of pending homelessness in his April 10, 2010 column...

Today's Quote: If I Can't Be a Mascot, I'll Settle for Being a Paralegal or a Lawyer

Posted on April 24, 2010
?If that doesn?t work out, I will continue to look out for other mascot jobs while pursuing a job as a paralegal, or maybe go on to law school." ~ Jerrod Leftwich, Sam Houston State University's mascot Sammy Bearkat - and a graduating senior. Leftwich recently won first place in the National Cheerleading Association's Mascot Nationals competition in Florida and has his eye on the St...

Saturday Laugh Out Loud: Even a Corgi Can Use an iPad

Posted on April 24, 2010
I love this encounter between dog and "Devil Machine", and not just because it features a Corgi named Chloe who looks and acts a lot like my personal assistant, Phoebe.I'm jealous of Chloe. Darn skippy I want to touch it and play Words With Friends.Related Posts: Introducing the Staff of Practical Paralegalism; Why Every Legal Professional Needs a Dog

U.S. Attorney's Office Participates in Take Children to Work Day

Posted on April 22, 2010
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia participated in "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day" in a big way: Acting United States Attorney Betsy C. Jividen announced that the United States Attorney's Office will once again participate in this event...

Paralegal is United Way Volunteer of the Day

Posted on April 22, 2010
There are so many national events going on this week that I'm starting to get a bit addled, including (but quite possibly not limited to): Administrative Professionals Week, Take Your Child to Work Day, Earth Day and National Volunteer Week. But I couldn't let one paralegal's recognition go unrecognized here, even while wondering if her office is filled with balloons and flowers from The United Way and her appreciative boss...

Another Earth Day Post - Except This One Has an Attitude

Posted on April 22, 2010
"Take Your Child to Work Day 2010 is an invaluable opportunity for your child or children to see you in action. When I was a paralegal, I brought my almost two-year old son to Take Your Child To Work Day. A childless female attorney with little patience copped an attitude and he told her off...

The Grass Is Greener in a Green Law Firm

Posted on April 22, 2010
Inspired by Google's beautiful Earth Day logo today, I'm sharing some links for ways that your law firm can go green and leave a smaller - but better - footprint.You can save money, reduce trash and help our planet by:Turning off your PC and printer at night - and setting them to enter standby mode when not in useTurning off the lights when you leaveReplacing CRT monitors with LCD monitorsAvoiding printing when possible - save documents electronicallyIf you have to print, previewing your documents to avoid mistakesAdopting a double-sided printing policy when you do printReducing photocopying by scanning documentsRecycling paper - and using recycled paper products when necessaryUsing a real coffee mug instead of a disposable one...

Is Administrative Professionals Day an Urban Myth at Your Firm?

Posted on April 21, 2010
I heard from a few of my readers that Administrative Professionals Day is an urban myth in their firms. And then I heard from a few more who reiterated their desire not to be acknowledged on what some people still refer to as "National Secretaries Day"...

Today's Quote: Get Your Writing Out of the Closet

Posted on April 21, 2010
?If you write in a closet, it may be clear to you but you have no idea how it?s going to be perceived when you read it to 20 people. Getting together with other poets helps you edit and understand your voice. The feedback aspect is priceless.? ~ Eileen D'Angelo, "a paralegal by day and a mad poet by night" and the director of the Mad Poets Society in Media, Pennsylvania...

Bar Finds "Aspiring Lawyer" Exceeded Reach - and Then Some

Posted on April 21, 2010
On April 12, 2010, I blogged about North Carolina self-described legal assistant and "aspiring lawyer" Darius Little, one week newly appointed to the Durham Planning Commission, and then the next week scheduled for scrutiny for alleged unauthorized practice of law (UPL) by the N...

How Professional Association Membership Will Advance Your Paralegal Career

Posted on April 21, 2010
The latest episode of The Paralegal Voice, ?How Professional Association Membership Will Advance Your Paralegal Career?, co-hosted by Lynne DeVenny and Vicki Voisin , is now available at Legal Talk Network.Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS, President of NALS, the Association for Legal Professionals, and Kathleen R...

Are We Happy Administrative Professionals?

Posted on April 20, 2010
Most of you likely know this is Administrative Professionals Week (even if your boss does not). Elie Mystal blogged about it at Above the Law on Monday. It's a pretty good post to send to your boss if you think he still doesn't have a clue and time is running out (the official day this year is Wednesday, April 21, 2010)...

Paralegal Gateway Is BACK!

Posted on April 20, 2010
I was very pleased to receive Paralegal Gateway's April 20, 2010 press release, announcing that the long-awaited new website at http://www.paralegalgateway.com/ is up and running, after a brief hiatus. Founded in 2001 by Jeannie S. Johnston, ParalegalGateway and its sister site, MyParalegalSpace, offer a large and lively virtual community for paralegals, with a strong presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo! Groups...

NWFPA Supports Paralegals & Community Service in a Big Way

Posted on April 19, 2010
by Judy WilliamsonThe Northwest Florida Paralegal Association is a group of Escambia and Santa Rosa County professional paralegals who meet monthly on the last Tuesday of each month. Our organization provides continuing legal education and support for our members, and conducts many community charity events...

I Smell a Rat

Posted on April 18, 2010
"Mr. Speaker, I smell a rat; I see him forming in the air and darkening the sky; but I will nip him in the bud." ~ Boyle Roche (1736-1807), Irish politician It's not every day that I see two different paralegals featured in news stories involving millions of dollars - unfortunately not for assisting in jury trials resulting in significant verdicts...

Paralegal to Swim Longest Open-Water Race in America

Posted on April 16, 2010
"The Big 5-0" is a milestone for anybody, but this weekend, Philadelphia paralegal Jacqueline Eastridge, who specializes in corporate and securities law at Pepper Hamilton LLP, is celebrating hers by swimming - for 12 hours straight.Eastridge normally runs in endurance races but has decided to "rest her feet" and instead swim in the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, "the longest sanctioned open-water race in America...

San Francisco Public Defender's Office May Have a Paralegal Opening Soon

Posted on April 16, 2010
I've blogged about San Francisco public defender Jeff Adachi's requests for additional legal staffers before, but this time his request to add a paralegal and a senior legal processing clerk is being taken very seriously by the mayor's office.The Associated Press is reporting that Adachi has requested the new legal staffers "to help review an estimated 30,000 cases dating back to 2005 possibly tainted by former lab technician Deborah Madden...

Paralegal Named All-Army Coach

Posted on April 15, 2010
Paralegals are patient, as evidenced by Army paralegal Sgt. Corey Shaffer, who works with the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He has waited nine years to participate in All-Army volleyball, "but because of training and other assignments, he wasn't able to...

5 Ways to Tame an Out-of-Control Office

Posted on April 14, 2010
by Judd Kessler, Esq.The paralegal?s role requires you to be extremely organized, allocate your time wisely, plan ahead, and pay attention to details. Are you scheduling calendar dates by counting on your fingers? Updating multiple calendars for everyone in the office? Drafting documents by re-using previously created ones? If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, you're risking errors and losing valuable time...

Today's Quote: A Paralegal After My Own Heart

Posted on April 13, 2010
Mamma Nell was a paralegal who could spot a misspelled word or a punctuation error 10 miles away. It?s questionable whether this innate talent was passed along to her singular sons. ~ Dwight Dana, reporting for South Carolina Now.You guys, I love a good obituary, and I don't think that you can say anything nicer about a person than that she can zero in on a grammatical error in a different zip code...

Legal Assistant to Face NC State Bar for Alleged UPL

Posted on April 12, 2010
The Herald-Sun is reporting that complaints alleging the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) by self-described legal assistant and business consultant, Darius Little, will be reviewed by the N.C. State Bar's Authorized Practice Committee this week.The article discusses in detail Little's alleged UPL activities, some of which I'm listing here as examples of things not to do - if you are a self-employed legal professional who is not licensed to practice law or provide these services in your state:Negotiate a contract agreementAdvise an individual on options for pursuing a restraining orderList an affiliation with a non-existent law firmPursue a malpractice claim against a hospital, including preparing settlement documentsOf note, the article says that Little's LinkedIn profile is part of the bar investigative file, which he addressed in his responses to the complaints:He also said most of his friends on the LinkedIn networking site know he's not an attorney, and that he's used the site to signal that he's "always in the market, as an aspiring attorney, to be in a law office helping out and learning as much as possible...

Deceased Legal Assistant Had a Zest for Life

Posted on April 11, 2010
I want to share an excerpt from this short, but wonderful and warm obituary for Florida legal assistant Brooke Robertson, who died suddenly on March 31, 2010:Tiring of the cold winters, she moved to Miami eight years ago.At the time of her death, Brooke was a legal assistant with the law firm of Broad and Cassel...

Today's Quote: Senior Paralegals May Beg to Differ

Posted on April 11, 2010
Meet the Omega Male, a man in masculinity crisis, a product of our generation as he fears to compete with power women. The Omega Male has been misinformed his entire life. His mother always told him he would do great in the future. However, now that the future is here, he finds himself a failure...

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