Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Were You Off Work for Presidents' Day?

Posted on February 22, 2011
If So, I Hate You. Not really. Plus, no one told the postage meter that the mail-person wasn't coming. Until. Tuesday.

Today's Quote: Somebody Has to Ask the Hard Questions

Posted on February 21, 2011
Okay, this is more than one quote, but these real Courtroom Quotations recorded for prosperity (yay for us, not so much for the lawyers) from Things People Said made me feel better about some of the times I've opened my mouth and inserted my foot: Lawyer: "You were there until the time you left, is that true?" [Not giving up...

Attorney and Paralegal's Valentine's Day Activities Lead to Marijuana Bust

Posted on February 21, 2011
It's been a while since I had to post a story about a paralegal whose alleged activities during the work day do not reflect well on the profession, but news happens, whether I like it or not. An unnamed 49-year old paralegal (I include her age to demonstrate she's old enough to know better) was in the car with a well-known Jacksonville, Florida civil rights attorney when police decided to take a closer look at the vehicle...

City Paralegal Promoted to Risk Manager Position Causes Bruhaha

Posted on February 21, 2011
No one disputes that Susan Barber, a litigation paralegal employed by the City of Taunton, Massachusetts, isn't well-liked or good at her job. But when the City Solicitor Jane Estey and Mayor Charles Crowley  re-organized the legal department following the previous risk manager's retirement last November, and added those duties to Barber's, some City Council members were not pleased...

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NCPA Supports NC Highway Patrol Teddy Bear Drive

Posted on February 20, 2011
The North Carolina Paralegal Association (NCPA) is collecting teddy bears for the North Carolina Highway Patrol's Teddy Bear Drive. The bears will be donated to children staying at battered women's shelters. Teddy bears can be any size, and be new or gently used...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

Posted on February 20, 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 helpful for professional development, or a much needed laugh during a hectic week working for lawyers...

Saturday LOL: Avoid Medical Malpractice, Perform Your Own Gastric Bypass

Posted on February 19, 2011
Recently, Mom-alegal shared one of the downsides of specializing in medical malpractice, which is pretty much fearing all interactions with the medical community and convincing yourself that the worst medical mistakes will happen to you. Let's not even talk about premises liability cases...

TGIF: Donuts Make a Meeting, Even If You Have to Bring Them Yourself

Posted on February 18, 2011
This is for Grumpy over at A Paralegal's Life, who is not a fan o' the meeting. You might also enjoy, "Things To Do in an Office Meeting" - my fave is lapse into a staring coma and drool. But mainly because I've done that before in a meeting... Hope your weekend has donuts and no meetings...

Paralegal Career Dressing: Can You Get Jiggy with Jeggings at Work?

Posted on February 18, 2011
Easy Answer: NO. No way. Nada. Oh, Hells to the NO. A legal assistant wrote The News York Times Fashion & Style column Social Q's with the following scenario: My friend and I work as legal assistants at the same law firm. We both bought jeggings, and wore them to work with long tops...

Paralegal Specialist Re-ups with the Fishes

Posted on February 18, 2011
"This represents a very important milestone in my life and I wanted the ceremony to be unique. What better way to highlight my experience as a soldier living and working on Okinawa than to re-enlist at a depth of 30 feet." ~ Sgt. Juanita Tompkins, Paralegal Specialist with Staff Judge Advocate, 10th Support Group at Torii Station...

Legal Secretary Takes Online Shopping to a Whole New Level

Posted on February 18, 2011
"When I first met Toby I thought, 'Wow!' He is 6ft?5in, dark-haired and blue-eyed with lovely broad muscular shoulders. He looked even better than he did in his photos. We hugged and looked at each other for a while. I was quite overwhelmed and when he kissed me it felt very right...

Paralegal Career Dressing: $10 Buys A Lot of Necklace at Forever 21

Posted on February 17, 2011
So you'd think as a paralegal blogger, I'd be fending off questions about how I find my killer cutting-edge law-related content, "Like, dweeb, what are your top 67 technology sites?" or "Do you know of any blogs that cover trademark infringement, it's my life!" So you'd think...

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

Posted on February 17, 2011
The Paralegal Mentor On Tuesday, March 1, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. EST, my Paralegal Voice co-host, as well as the one and only Paralegal Mentor, Vicki Voisin, and I are teaming up to present a new online CLE course, "10 Ways to Prepare Top Civil Injury Settlement Demands"...

County Offers to Reinstate Paralegal Who Filed Sexual Harassment Suit

Posted on February 16, 2011
Three weeks ago, Theresa Farmer, a former paralegal with the Floyd County Attorney's Office in Charles City, Iowa, filed a lawsuit against the County, alleging she was sexually harassed and wrongfully terminated by former Floyd County Attorney Jesse Marzen...

Paralegal Student Question: How Do I Get an Internship in Labor Law?

Posted on February 16, 2011
Email: I love the new challenge of learning a new field but am getting nervous. I've reached out to several labor and employment law firms in town, thinking they would jump at the chance to have some free help, but I've not heard back from anyone.  Do you have any suggestions to help push this process along or any alternative ideas so that I can stay in the labor and employment law or workers' compensation specialty areas?  My program requires an internship so that I can get my certificate at the end of this term...

Today's Quote: Maybe We Shouldn't Fight Our Inner Werewolves

Posted on February 16, 2011
According to the lunar calendar, a full moon is scheduled to rise on Feb. 18. The legal assistants who answer the State Bar?s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) phones don?t need to consult a calendar to find out when a full moon is approaching...

Legal Secretary Extraordinaire Leaves Generous Legacy

Posted on February 16, 2011
Evelyn A. Sanguinetti (1905 - 2009) In August 2009, Evelyn A. Sanguinetti of Stockton, California, died at 104 years of age, after spending 79 years of her life working as a legal secretary with an encyclopedic knowledge of probate matters. Always generous with her knowledge, she was even more generous with her estate, leaving $250,000 to St...

What IS Jefferson Parish's Required Certification To Do Paralegal Work?

Posted on February 16, 2011
I have a question for my readers who live in New Orleans, because frankly, I'm making myself a little more nuts than usual trying to google the answer.  I've followed and covered the situation in the Jefferson Parish Attorney's Office, where last year several paralegals, including a paralegal supervisor, were terminated due to lack of certification required for the position...

World's Tallest Model Keeps Legal Career as a Plan B

Posted on February 16, 2011
It wasn't easy to find a SFW image. The last time I blogged about Amazon Eve she was kicking butt. Really. As a dominatrix. Or a wrestler. Or something bad ass. No, I don't know her real name. She says that's taken. But now she's ascending to loftier heights...

Legal Secretary Saved from Choking - and Jury Duty

Posted on February 16, 2011
The "Best. Valentine's Day Gift. Ever. Bronx woman saved from choking by boyfriend's Heimlich maneuver" article in yesterday's New York Daily News has all the requisites for coverage at Practical Paralegalism: A romantic man with mad life-saving skills...

This Paralegal's Boss Liked Her, But Still Fired Her

Posted on February 15, 2011
Last week I wrote about a paralegal whose prickly office interactions, and possibly less-than-winning personality, may have cost her a job. This week's career dilemma comes from a paralegal whose boss seemed to like her a lot - but still let her go. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune published the paralegal's career question in "Liked by boss, and yet fired without warning"...

Paralegal Profile: Debbie Oaks

Posted on February 15, 2011
Job Title:  Paralegal Employer: NGP Energy Capital Management, LLC, Irving, Texas Years of Paralegal Experience: 20 Education/Degrees: Attended North Central Texas College and University of North Texas Specialty Areas:  Corporate/Transactional Career Highlights:  I have two:  June 26, 2009, the day I was honored with the Paralegal Division's Award of Excellence, and June 11, 2010, the day I was sworn in as the President of the Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas...

A Valentine's Day How To

Posted on February 14, 2011
I'm not single, but I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day. As much as I like chocolate, that seems strange even to me. But for those of you who don't want to hear another co-worker shrieking with joy over the third vase of roses delivered to her desk (there's always that one fool who goes over the top and ruins it for everybody else), this video is for you: I've got the "You will need a box of chocolates" part down pat...

Legal Assistant Publicizes Train Station Snow Shoveler's Chivalry

Posted on February 14, 2011
A blizzard for the record books doesn't stop true love. How many of you feel well-loved when your significant other shovels the path to your front door or scrapes the ice off your car in bad weather? To me, that's better than breakfast in bed. But think how well-loved Sylvia Tookes of Markham, Illnois, must feel when she found out her fiance, Charles Pryor, had shoveled the sidewalk in front of Chicago's Harvey Metra train station so that she would have a clear path after work...

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

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

Paralegal Do-Over: What Would You Tell Lindsay to Wear to Court?

Posted on February 12, 2011
I'm psyched that I get to get my celebrity blog on (just a little) and link to TMZ. Booyah! So here's the scenario. You're the indispensable paralegal working for Lindsay Lohan's criminal lawyer, and in the fantasy world of woulda-coulda-shoulda do-overs, Lindsay calls you the day before her court appearance to face a charge of felony grand theft, and asks you what she should wear...

Truths for Mature Paralegals

Posted on February 12, 2011
When I stumbled upon "Truths For Mature Humans" at FunLOL.com, I thought the author had to be a paralegal - or married to one. Here are the five truths that most hit home with me (and make me think whoever created this list is stalking me or sitting in my driveway stealing my WiFi...

TGIF: Save the Deer

Posted on February 11, 2011
It's been awhile since I posted a Twitter parody, and this one has it all. Bambees. Vampires. Crab apples. Yup. Drive safely, and keep your celebrities straight.

Paralegal Career Dressing: Not Your Kids' Crocs

Posted on February 11, 2011
I enjoy the blog for "modern working women," Jane Has a Job, but my mouth dropped open when I saw the shoes featured in "Wear to Work: Crocs?" See for yourself. Those pumps are pretty. Pretty orange. Seriously, the design is lovely, but what do you think would happen if you wore bright orange pumps to the ol' law firm...

SPENT Makes You Walk in Your Poor Clients' Shoes

Posted on February 10, 2011
Urban Ministries of Durham, North Carolina, has created an online game, SPENT, http://playspent.org/, that forces players to make the same hard choices that the working poor and the homeless have to make every day. It's not as much a game as it is a simulation exercise in poverty that every legal professional who represents the working poor, as well as those who are underemployed and unemployed should try...

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