What’s really keeping legal professionals in jobs they hate. And how to break free. By Chere Estrin Let me guess. You wake up, drag yourself out of bed, gulp down that cup of burned office coffee, and dread logging into yet another pointless Zoom meeting run by someone whose idea of leadership is reading PowerPoint slides aloud, badly. But you show up anyway. Every. Single. Day. Why? Because...
My wonderful husband! How to Vacation Without Falling into the Guilt Trap By Chere B. Estrin It was that time again: vacation time. God, what a drag. It meant I had to leave work and go have fun. I don’t have time to have fun. Who scheduled this? Still, my wonderful husband had been dealing with some health issues lately, and stress was clinging to us like a client who found your cell...
By Chere Estrin Not too much shakes me up anymore. OK, someone constantly talking over me is extremely annoying. Why? I feel like I am being run over by a steamroller of ego, wrapped in entitlement, and dusted with a light coating of "I know better than you." And I lose control—of meetings, interviews, or whatnot. I had a colleague who constantly did that until I realized that, lo and behold,...
By Chere B. Estrin I was lightly skipping (OK, doom-scrolling) through some industry articles the other day, looking for a couple of solid stats for my blog: The Estrin Report. You know, the usual “safe and boring” data I like to sprinkle in to show that, yes, I do my homework: Paralegal field projected to grow 1% 82% of paralegals are female Top-paying cities are still the usual suspects:...
By Chere Estrin The other day, I got an email from someone I used to work with years ago. Sweet woman. We hadn’t spoken in a long time. Her message started with, “I’m so glad to know you’re still around.” Still around? Are you kidding me? I wanted to respond with, “Thanks, I didn’t realize I was one step from a commemorative plaque.” If you’ve heard this too, welcome to...
Strategies to Move Your Career Forward Video Presentation by Chere Estrin, CEO of Estrin Legal Staffing Presented to the Orange County Paralegal Association If you’re ready to do more than just keep your head above water in a demanding legal environment—and instead carve a real path toward career advancement, this webinar is for you. The legal world won’t hand you a roadmap. But this...
By Chere B. Estrin Workplaces thrive on diversity, not just in background or experience, but in how people think. One area that’s too often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or mishandled? Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I recently received an email from a paralegal manager, clearly frustrated. One of her employees seemed to be spiraling: ignoring direction, resisting...
Lawfully Employed with Host Chere Estrin Special Guest: Huascar Matos
Episode Description:
In this powerful new episode of Lawfully Employed, host Chere Estrin welcomes a true legal industry leader—Huascar Matos, Director of Paralegals at Foley & Lardner LLP and President of the International Practice Management Association (IPMA). Together, they dive deep into a critical and long-overdue...
When we were kids, very few of us declared, “When I grow up, I want to be a Legal Professional.” That’s like saying, “When I grow up, I want to be an actuary!” Noble, practical, but let’s face it, not exactly playground fantasy material. And yet, here we are: navigating subpoenas, wrangling exhibits, surviving document review, and wondering if our job security is more stable than the...
by Chere Estrin I recently finished a chapter in my upcoming book, Power Plays for Legal Professionals: Strategies to Move Your Career Forward. It was supposed to be about dealing with authority figures in the workplace. You know, the green-eyed monster with a fancy title and a corner office. But somewhere between writing about emotional intelligence and dodging metaphorical daggers, I...
