No one goes through childhood saying, “What I want to be when I grow up is a mentor.” That’s like saying, “When I grow up, I want to be an actuary.” It just doesn’t happen that way. When given a chance, believe it or not, not everyone wants the awesome responsibility of carrying someone’s future career in their hands. That is, of course, if you take being a mentor seriously.
I first...
Recently, I was a speaker at the Los Angeles Paralegal Association's 19th Annual Spring Conference. The theme was the Paralegal Career - What's happening today; alternative careers and the ever-talked about licensing, registration and regulation. What can I say? It was informative, lively and eye-opening.
I was invited to be on the alternative careers panel. Oh, boy. Having taken one of...
Just about every week, the question of whether to license paralegals comes up. What never comes up is the real "why". Oh sure, you'll hear ramblings on and on as to the pros and the cons. The reasoning includes how paralegals are supposed to come under the supervision of attorneys anyway (as though this relieves them somehow of major responsibility); whether it should...
I got all excited. The NALA salary survey was out. Time to find out what paralegals around the country were making.
And then the other shoe dropped.
I'm not a statistics expert. I don't claim to be. However, I am an advocate of higher salaries. Frankly, I don't know of advocates for lower salaries. I started to read the "small print" in the salary survey and all I can...
Our guest blogger, Jamie Collins, sure does take chances. Burn bridges? Maybe. Comic relief? Oh, definitely. Here's her latest escapade:
Today I'm here to tell you about one of the most powerful days in my life. It was transforming. Awe-inspiring. A day filled with tremendous personal freedom. It was the day I quit. I'm pretty sure you're prepared to read some humdrum piece about...
Show me an employee who says the money doesn't matter and I'll show you someone whose nose is growing.
Paralegals are now facing a tremendous game changer - the advent of technology plays a significant factor in whether or not you make good money. Statistics show that paralegals without technology know-how earn fewer dollars than those that have the skills. That doesn't mean...
Sometimes it’s hard to fathom that a paralegal can get promoted. Law firms generally offer a horizontal career path for paralegals rather than vertical. In other words, your assignments get more sophisticated by moving outward, not upward. But let’s face it: you are not exactly going to move up to partner.
There’s a lot of new movement going on these days that can allow you to move up....
It's a sure-footed, absolute and positive, no mistakin' it gamble. Switching specialties, that is. Bored with what you're doing? Fed up with a paltry salary? Peeking over the fence to see who makes more money? Seeking that enigma: better challenge?
Tonya Pierce addresses the topic today. She's making some good points. The main one being: THINK before you leap (and other relevant...
Cover letters are usually boring. About 98% of the time it’s entirely possible that your cover letter is just like the last one that the employer read. In fact, while not word-for-word, I'll bet it goes something like:
To whom it may concern: “I noticed your ad for a litigation paralegal. I am an experienced paralegal with 10 years of experience. I have attached my resume...
Oh, for heaven's sake! First we read for years how the major firms are going to go under, disband or simply disappear and now we're reading out go the midsize firms. What's going to be left? Teeny, tiny little firms or solos? What does this mean for the paralegal?Probably a lot. Already, a new trend is sweeping the country: the combining of the paralegal with the legal secretarial...