“Promoting Pro Bono”

This use of attorney time is good: "Just admitted to the Ohio Bar last summer, Chad Sizemore, an attorney with Jenks, Piper & Oxley Co. LPA, began looking for opportunities to volunteer his time. He soon came across the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project, an organization that helps connect lawyers interested in volunteering their services with those who need -- but can't afford --...

“Land rescued”

Good work by paralegals in Uganda! "Paralegals have recovered over 10 acres of land that clan leaders grabbed from widows in Kaserem and Kawowo sub-counties. An area supervisor Burhani Kitiyo said this followed meetings the paralegals held with clan leaders, to sensitise them on the laws of inheritance. He said the clan leaders had grabbed the land due to ignorance of inheritance laws."

“Error left man with label of ‘molester'”

That such a bad thing could happen because of an error! "Nobody listened to Longino Acero as he insisted over and over that he never had molested a child. "Instead, one public defender after another told Acero he had no defense for failing to register as a sex offender and no choice but to plead guilty. "Acero was the victim of a simple, but critical, clerical error that occurred...

“Call for paralegals to be appointed to institutions”

News about paralegal utilization from New Dehli, India: "Participants at the first National Convention of Paralegals organised here by the Indian Institute of Paralegal Studies (IIPLS) demanded that paralegals be appointed to assist institutions, including Gram Sabhas, Vigilance Committees under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, the National Legal...

“Behind the scenes or out in the limelight?”

Usually don't point to articles like this one from the Scotsman that require payment, but this free blurb was too timely to pass up: "PARALEGALS are often the unsung heroes of the legal profession. They work with lawyers to offer services to clients and are qualified in at least one area of the law. Although paralegals have worked in the law in England and Wales and the US since the 1950s,...

“Ten Top Tips for Paralegal Utilization”

Here's a key point from the article: "Failure to utilize paralegals effectively results in a host of problems for a law firm or a law department -- and for the paralegals themselves.  The results of a recent survey (August 2005) by the Committee on Paralegals of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association is consistent with the experience the author has had training and...

Paralegals Assisting with City’s Revitalization Plan

Much needed city revitalization in Columbus, OH will be helped by paralegals: "Mayor Michael Coleman will announce a plan to deal with vacant homes during his the State of the City address. "The mayor says the toughest part of the plan will be going after the property owners, so the city is loading up its legal arsenal.   "Coleman says, "'City Attorney Rick...

“Global,” “Multinational,” & “International” Law Practices

Are all nicely defined in this blog post on Rees W. Morrison’s Law Department Management blog. He’s a Senior Director of Hildebrandt International (professional services consulting). I’m pointing this out because you can find positions for paralegals in international or global law firms. O'Melveny & Myers, Patton Boggs, White & Case, & many other major firms have paralegal...

Sarbanes-Oxley Workload?

Check out this article by Cary Griffith in Legal Assistant Today magazine about the Sarbanes-Oxley Act creating more work than ever before for paralegals: "Almost four years later, paralegals still are trying to unscramble their increased workloads." Next thing you know, we'll have little 'Sarbanettes' running around doing what case assistants do for litigation....