By Chere B. Estrin
As I strolled towards the cafe, I couldn’t shake the feeling of excitement. Finally, I was about to meet Joseph, one of my elusive students, from Boston U’s Paralegal Program. Despite the geographical gymnastics, he was now gracing my city with his presence. Our meeting promised to be a symphony of caffeine and career aspirations, with a sprinkle of wisdom on top.
Little did I know, fate had a twisted sense of humor that day. As I approached the cafe, I witnessed a spectacle that would’ve fit perfectly in a Marx Brothers movie. A man, tethered to his leash-wielding pit bull, strutted towards the coffee counter with an air of nonchalance. But the real star of the show was the dog, dragging its human counterpart like a contestant in the world’s weirdest tug-of-war.
Then, like a canine commando on a mission, the pit bull suddenly veered towards me, its eyes fixed on me like I was a mailman with a bone-shaped package! My heart did a triple axel in my chest as the dog’s snout came dangerously close to a neck-level investigation. I let out a shriek that could have shattered glass, flailing my arms like a wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube woman.
Meanwhile, the owner, completely aware of the chaos unfolding, offered a feeble excuse: “The dog was just trying to protect me.” Protect him from what? The existential dread of overpriced coffee? I could feel the incredulous laughter and anger bubbling up inside me as I mustered the courage to inform Mr. Pit Bull Puppeteer that he needed a crash course in doggy diplomacy. (Ok, I used a few expletives, something that would make my mother mad.)
After narrowly avoiding a close encounter of the canine kind, I finally sat down with Joseph, who thankfully resembled a human more than a four-legged fur missile. Hailing from China, he regaled us with tales of his journey to the promised land of career opportunities, temporarily distracting me from the absurdity of the situation.
And so, amidst the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the lingering memory of a near-death experience, our meeting unfolded like a comedy of errors—a testament to the unpredictable nature of life and the strange encounters it brings. Ah, the joys of networking, where every cup of coffee is hours of peacefulness laced with moments of stark terror.
About the Author
Chere Estrin has over 20 years of experience in the staffing arena, including executive positions in law firms, litigation support companies, and the legal staffing divisions of a $5billion publicly held corporation. She is CEO of Estrin Legal Staffing, a nationwide staffing organization. Ms. Estrin was founder of the Paralegal Knowledge Institute, an online CLE organization. She publishes the prestigious digital magazine, KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals, and is the former Editor-in-Chief of Sue, the Magazine for Women Litigators. She is also the author of 10 books about legal careers for attorneys and legal professionals.
Ms. Estrin’s contributions to the legal industry have been significant, and she continues to play an active role in shaping the future of legal staffing and training. She writes the popular,
award-winning blog, The Estrin Report, and has been interviewed by CBS News along with many top publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, Forbes.com, Los Angeles Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Journal, ABA Journal, Above the Law, ALM, Law360 and many others. She has also been a speaker for many prestigious organizations and written hundreds of articles.
As the Co-Founding Member and President of the Organization of Legal Professionals (OLP), Ms. Estrin has guided the association’s development and implementation of the eDiscovery and Litigation Support certification exams (first in the country) along with Pearson Publications, a $7 billion corporation specializing in certification exams and educational publishing. She was also the Education Director designing, creating and executing online, live training programs with an on-call roster of over 500 instructors throughout the world. Currently, she provides webinars on legal career matters for LawPractice and Lawline, two of the largest attorney CLE online training organizations.
Ms. Estrin is a co-founding member of the International Practice Management Association (IPMA) and the Organization of Legal Professionals, composed of a prestigious Board of Governors inclusive of judges, an ABA President, and well-known attorneys. She is the recipient of the Los Angeles/Century City “Women of Achievement” award and recognized as One of the Top 50 Women in Los Angeles. Ms. Estrin has been writing The Estrin Report since 2005 and most recently launched her podcast, “Lawfully Employed”.
Reach out at: chere@estrinlegalstaffing.com or visit her website at www.EstrinLegalStaffing.com.