You've probably already heard about the Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth (Los Angeles County), CA that occurred on Friday killing 25 people and injuring well over 135 others in the worst train crash in So. California in 50 years.
One of the injured victims was Jeremy Schneider, a 36-year old litigation paralegal who resides in Simi Valley. Schneider was riding in the back...
The Cenus Bureau issued a report in August with astounding, shocking and disappointing Women lawyers made a median of $93,600, a salary that was 77.8 percent of male lawyers’ median salary of $120,400. The fact that women lawyers make less is really not news. We all know or at least suspect that female lawyers lag behind males in the parity department as much as law firms deny...
For those of you who thought that the fax machine would never dramatically affect messenger and delivery services; that the Internet was a trend and could not affect old-line traditions such as encyclopedias; and that no one in their right mind would want to carry a portable phone with them so they can be reached every minute of every day; here's another one for you: the ABA has given a thumbs-up...
It's getting crazy out there. Legal Week, (the British top rag) reports that Fried Frank announced yesterday that it's cutting 73 staffers including paralegals in its New York office and DC offices. That's 10% of its 730 staffer headcount in New York and Washington, D.C. including paralegals, librarians and part-time assistants. A spokesperson told Legal Week that the lay-offs have not come...
Outsourcing paralegal work to India is a big, big business in the U.S. Primarily the choice of BigFirms in Legal Land, the idea is to have lower end work performed by competent paralegals for a lot less money and still receive the same quality as you would if a U.S. paralegal completed the task. Now, the U.K. is on the bandwagon. With over 500,000 paralegals (twice the number in the...
Because the field is so relatively new compared to the practice of law in America - 35 yrs. vs. 225+ years - we rarely look around to see what's going on with paralegal in other countries. Yep. They're out there. Take this fellow Albert Lau, a corruption fighter in Fiji. Here is a guy making a difference in society. Born and bred in Hong Kong, Albert is a retired chief...
For those of you who are not aware of the annual Electronic Discovery Survey, George Socha and Tom Gelbmann have produced this highly valuable ranking of vendors for six years. Now, they have announced that it has become so valuable that clients sometimes choose a vendor based strictly on the survey without regard to doing their due diligence i.e., carefully analyzing the services or products,...
<img src="http://www.blawg.com/claimscript.aspx?userid=estrinlegaled@aol.com&LinksID=2219"> KNOW, The Magazine for Paralegals has published its first issue and names the 9 Most Influential Contributors to the Paralegal Field. This prestigious acknowledgement was based upon contribution over the years to the paralegal community. The receipients are: Tom O'Connor,...
I'm not a smoker and I'm not in favor of people who smoke around me. My lungs don't need it, what with living in L.A. and all. However, this story from law.com raises a couple of legal questions. A paralegal who defied a new policy at work that banned smoking breaks for hourly employees was fired legally, a New York appeals court ruled Thursday. Karen Kridel had worked for a Rochester...
Lord have mercy on us all!! The inevitable has happened. A law firm has actually hired a paralegal in order to attract new international business. Yes. I know. Miracles do happen in Legal Land. A press release today sent by Goff and Wilson, a comprehensive immigration law firm with offices in New Hampshire and France, announced the recent hiring of Christine...