Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Paralegals & Turkey Day

Posted on November 26, 2009
I am so thankful for my wonderful readers: your post comments, ideas, tipoffs, encouragement, feedback, emails, tweets, LinkedIn and Facebook shoutouts, guest posts and profiles. This paralegal blog wouldn't happen without you.But I hope you're not reading this post today...

Man Flips Off Officer - And Gets 50k and a Paralegal Career

Posted on November 24, 2009
When I try to parallel park, I usually just curse under my breath a lot, but when Pittsburgh resident Dave Hackbart got frustrated trying to parallel park in April 2006, he gave "the finger" to one uncooperative driver, and then gave the same finger to another driver who yelled at him not to make that rude gesture in public...

Paralegal Profile: Peter Buckley, Creator of LinkedIn's Paralegal Network Group

Posted on November 24, 2009
Job Title: Paralegal IIEmployer: Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Boston, MAYears of Paralegal Experience: 13Career Highlight: The biggest career highlight was the first time that firms and companies sought me out for my experience. That spoke volumes to me regarding how much I have progressed in my profession and how people took notice...

Internet Quote: Don't Put This on Your Law School Application

Posted on November 23, 2009
Or "Oh, No, You Didn't Just Say That!"I don't know if you're following the hot mess of a romantic entanglement and a legal predicament that is former NRL star Greg Bird and his girlfriend, American paralegal Katie Milligan, but if you're not, you haven't missed much...

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Social Media 101: Facebook Really Isn't Private

Posted on November 23, 2009
Or Not to Beat a Dead Horse...When North Carolina family lawyer and blogger Lee Rosen says, "Realistically, anything you put on Facebook or on Twitter or other social network sites, is going to be discoverable. You have no privacy ultimately." - you can take it to the bank...

Preachin' to the Paralegal Choir

Posted on November 22, 2009
Or Can I Get an "Amen"?I don't know if this Twitterer is a paralegal or not, but I think I might have this cross-stitched to hang over my desk...

Social Media 101: Facebook Can Cost You a Paycheck

Posted on November 22, 2009
Or What Happens in a Chippendales Bar, Stays ThereI tell my kids, my friends, my clients, as well as attendees at my social media presentations for legal professionals, that Facebook is wonderful, but also dangerous if used without some basic common sense...

Legal Secretaries Bearing Brunt of Recession

Posted on November 22, 2009
Robert Half Legal's 2010 Salary Guide is now available, and it's no surprise that legal professional salaries won't experience much growth in 2010.To get your free copy of the guide, click here. If you're doing your homework regarding what you can expect for next year's salary, either as a currently employed paralegal or someone seeking paralegal work, this would be a valuable addition to your information arsenal...

Internet Quote: Do Paralegals Mind Being Called Paramedics?

Posted on November 22, 2009
Or "Oh, No, You Didn't Just Say That!"Like me, Peter Hermann, a reporter for The Baltimore Sun, would love to get picked for jury duty, just once. But the odds are stacked against paralegals and journalists. Hermann shares his experience about not getting picked in a great article, "Chance to hear jury at work evaporates"...

Practical Paralegalism?s Recommended Reading This Week

Posted on November 21, 2009
One of the many reasons that I blog for paralegals is to share information relevant to our profession. There are hundreds of new articles posted every week on the Internet, but once a week I will try to break them down into a half dozen or so ?don?t miss? articles focusing on legal news, practice tips and technology ? and a good laugh or two...

An Argument for LinkedIn Recommendations

Posted on July 09, 2009
?Lawyers Warn Employers Against Giving Glowing Reviews on LinkedIn? is the self-explanatory title for a recent article at Law.com. Management representation pretty much puts the kibosh on giving employees recommendations, but repeats the familiar employer position that it?s okay to regurgitate dates of employment upon request...

Paralegal Posting of the Week: Be a Paralegal Specialist for the Feds

Posted on July 09, 2009
Forbes says the federal government is hiring right now, and helpfully reviewed the highest paid positions currently available, including a highly skilled Paralegal Specialist job with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?s Office of General Counsel Southwest in Long Beach, California...

Department of Justice Paralegal Whistleblower Fired

Posted on July 09, 2009
The Huffington Post is asking, ?As Rove Testifies about Firings, Why did DoJ Fire Whistleblower?? The whistleblower in question is Tamarah Grimes, of Montgomery, Alabama, formerly the ?top in-house paralegal for the prosecution team that won corruption convictions in 2006 against former Alabama Gov...

Georgia Legal Assistant Gets ?Dream Job for a Day?

Posted on July 09, 2009
Susan West is an experienced bankruptcy legal assistant and custom cake baker who dreams of being a pastry chef. While seeking a new job in the legal field due to her employer?s pending retirement, she stumbled upon Atlanta 11 Live TV?s promotion ?What?s Your Dream Job? and filled out the accompanying form ? saying she wants to be the White House Pastry Chef...

A Paralegal Inquires About a Prepaid Funeral Plan

Posted on July 08, 2009
Working as a paralegal in a civil litigation practice is a little like opening a giant box of assorted chocolates; whether you simply show up to work or sample a few mystery candies, you never know what you are going to get.This week I was asked to get a quote for a prepaid burial plan (Medicare/Social Security "spend down" - you don't want to know)...

Utah Legal Assistant Sued by State Bar for Posing as an Attorney

Posted on July 08, 2009
The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Leticia Avila, a legal assistant formerly employed by the Ayres Law Firm in Sandy, has been sued by the Utah State Bar for practicing law without a license and taking money from undocumented immigrants, in the guise of assisting them with their immigration paperwork...

Paralegal News Clips

Posted on July 08, 2009
?Florida paralegal Dana Welcker is the July 2009 Paralegal Gateway Superstar. She is employed by Wicker Smith in Jacksonville.?Cathleen Cummings, a Florida Registered Paralegal since 2008, has been hired as a paralegal for High Stack Gordon Law Group in Melbourne...

The Paralegal Voice: ?New Hiring Trends in the Paralegal World?

Posted on July 07, 2009
The first episode of The Paralegal Voice, ?New Hiring Trends in the Paralegal World?, co-hosted by Vicki Voisin and me, is now available at LegalTalkNetwork and at iTUNES. This episode, featuring Robert Half Legal Executive Director, Charles ?Chad? Volkert, as the expert guest, explores current hiring trends for paralegals and provides insight as to how paralegals can prepare for current and future hot jobs...

California Attorney Suspended for Employing Disbarred Lawyer as a Paralegal

Posted on July 06, 2009
I recently blogged about a disbarred Ohio attorney that was hired as a paralegal and is now accused of stealing funds from his employer. In another illustrative case, the July 2009 California Bar Journal lists the suspension of San Diego attorney Patrick Passenheim for failing to notify the State Bar that he hired a disbarred attorney to work as a paralegal...

How Do You Feel about the "N-word?"

Posted on July 06, 2009
I was intrigued by Nancy Byerly Jones? recent blog post at LawBusinessTips, ?My Personal Crusade to Cease All Use of the Word ?Non-Lawyer!?? And maybe I was a little embarrassed because I?ve thrown the ?N-word? around quite a bit in over 20 years of working as a paralegal without thinking about it much (or at all)...

Paralegal Posting of the Week: Free Breakfast and Lunch at Subway

Posted on July 05, 2009
Subway is looking for a paralegal to join its Headquarters Team in Milford, Connecticut. With over 31,000 restaurants in 90 countries, Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world. This bodes well for both healthy eating and job security...

The Paralegal Picture: Best Internet Quotes for the Week Ending 07/05/09

Posted on July 05, 2009
The economy may be showing signs of revival, but many paralegals are still experiencing employer budget cuts.?I?m very lucky to still have a job, but it?s a huge impact on my family. You think about it when you shop, what you buy. You think about clothes shopping and what my kids might want...

Paralegal News Clips

Posted on July 05, 2009
?California legal assistant Erica Breder accepted the marriage proposal she received from her boyfriend Andrew Weisinger at the top of the newly reopened Statue of Liberty during the July 4th weekend. (NY Daily News)?SMITH, FEDDELER, SMITH & MILES, P...

Reader Email: I?m Thinking about a Paralegal Career

Posted on July 04, 2009
Recently I received two similar emails from Annie and Bruce, both with established careers but with a strong interest in pursuing a paralegal career. I thought other readers might be interested in my responses to them, which Annie and Bruce kindly gave me permission to share...

Philly Paralegal Leads Pack in Weight Loss Challenge

Posted on July 02, 2009
?Be a 10 in 10 Weeks? is the name of NBC Philadelphia?s weight loss challenge issued to four non-stop careerists, including paralegal (by day) and celebrity blogger (by night) Hughe Dillon, who?s lost 10 pounds in three weeks by working with a trainer about five times a week...

The Paralegal Voice, a New Monthly Podcast at LegalTalkNetwork

Posted on July 01, 2009
Vicki Voisin, The Paralegal Mentor, and I are very pleased to be a part of The Paralegal Voice, a new monthly podcast for paralegals at LegalTalkNetwork. The show will focus on key issues for the paralegal profession. We know that many paralegals and paralegal students are concerned about the economy and its effect on job security and hiring, so we?re excited about the first podcast, ?Hot Specialty Areas for Paralegals?...

Every Now and Then, a Paralegal Has to Buy Herself Some Flowers

Posted on July 01, 2009
I?m a middle-aged Southern female, born and bred not to ask a man out on a date, and to daintily squeal with delight when a fellow brings me a bouquet. But I?m also a big disappointment to my mama.I buy my own flowers, albeit in the produce section of the grocery store on clearance...

How I Landed My First Paralegal Job

Posted on July 01, 2009
by Ana VazquezI decided to enter the legal profession nearly a year ago. I was in my car listening to the radio, and an advertisement came on for a paralegal program at the University of Miami that offers an intensive certificate course in four short months...

NCAJ gives legal assistants a vote on board

Posted on June 30, 2009
By Guy Loranger, Staff Writer, North Carolina Lawyers WeeklyThe N.C. Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) has voted to give its legal assistants division a vote on its board of governors.During the NCAJ's annual convention last week at Sunset Beach, members voted overwhelmingly to also allow legal assistants to join the organization with "verification" from an NCAJ member attorney, rather than "sponsorship," and to allow LAD members to hold non-executive committee chairs in other divisions...

Paralegal in U.S. Attorney?s Office suspended

Posted on June 30, 2009
Michigan paralegal Wendolyn Greene (formerly Johnson), an employee in the special prosecutions unit of the U.S. Attorney?s Office, Eastern District of Michigan, has been suspended. The Detroit News is reporting that she is suspected of leaking information to Detroit political consultant Sam Riddle, when he became embroiled in the Synagro Technologies Inc...

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