5 Ways to Talk to the Bully at the WorkPlace

Our guest blogger today is Mark Gorkin, The Stress Doc. How to Talk to the Bully:  Five Strategic Tools, Techniques, and Tips  Now that we have a definition of bullying and some key psychosocial conditions that encourage this often demeaning, ego- or power-driven, and manipulative process, let's continue with the final segment...How to engage and set limits on the bully and...

My Toughest Assignment – Ever

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...

Thinking of leaving the field? Try this instead.

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...

The Salary Survey That Can Ruin Your Career

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...

I Quit – In Stilettos. (It was epic)

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...

Where the Big Bucks are for Paralegals – and it can make you leave the field.

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...

The Number One Secret Strategy to Get Promoted

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....