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Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

: Practical Paralegalism

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

By Lynne DeVenny

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I blog for paralegals, legal assistants, legal secretaries, legal staffers - and the attorneys who want to get to know us better - to contribute to our virtual community and share information they might find helpful for professional development, or a much needed laugh during a hectic week working for lawyers. Once a week, I share links to a half dozen or so articles focusing on legal news and humor, practice tips and technology.

Here's this week's list:

"Results are In! I'm a Happy Girl!" (A Paralegal's Journey to Lawyerhood) ~ Someone is understandably excited about her LSAT score. I recently added this blog to Practical Paralegalism's blog roll, and am looking forward to following this anonymous legal assistant's (a/k/a "lawschooldreamer") journey to law school.

"PACE Examination" (Paralegal Pie) ~ Kim's studying for NFPA's PACE certification, and she's going to share what she learns as she studies, so we don't have to! Or something like that...

"Jones Day Lays Off More Staffers, But Is 'Poised for Additional Growth'" (ABA Journal) ~ The news here isn't the layoffs, a common event for many firms over the last few years, but the reason officially stated by the firm:

"Universal adoption of smart phones, voice mail and e-mail enables (and requires) lawyers to be more self-sufficient? and reduces the need for support staff, the law firm said.

This story has generated discussion in other paralegal blogs, listservs and online groups. Technology is changing the way that law is practiced, and the role of legal staffers is changing with it. Make sure you're ready.

"Avoiding ethical pitfalls with electronic documents: Part 1 - Metadata" (State Bar of Wisconsin's Inside Track) ~ This is an essential read for all legal professionals. The authors share great tips for removing metadata. I'm looking forward to Part 2 about redaction.

"Illiterate Library" (Apostrophe Catastrophes) ~ You should see my face when I hear someone say "childerns" - much less write it.

"Advice to Boss on How to Enhance Our Working Relationship" (Paralegal Hell) ~ Another anonymous paralegal blogger shares tales from the front. I follow along, gasp sometimes at the disclosures and the, er, language - and if she's a real paralegal, hope the hell she doesn't get caught.

"BigLaw: The Five Jerks You Meet in Law Firms" (TechnoLawyer Blog) ~ Laugh at the associate and partner jerks all you want, but even the staff is included here under "The Indignant Admin," who sends firm-wide emails demanding the return of her scissors and complains about holiday gifts. Oh. Snap. I sent a firm-wide email demanding the return of my stapler once - and I am unbearable if I miss lunch, even if it's a cold Pop Tart on the fly.

Favorite Practical Paraleglism post from this time last year: "Cyber Graves": Give Your Executor Your Facebook Password

Related Guest Post by Beverly Michaelis, J.D.: Metadata 101: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on June 27, 2010 (boomark / email).