Former Paralegal Now GC

This "New at the Top" profile of attorney Arleigh V. Closser will inspire those paralegals thinking about law school:"Position: Vice president, general counsel and secretary, Multimax, a Herndon company that provides enterprise information technology, communications services and solutions to support federal military and civilian agencies and state and local government. "How...

Paralegal Now Lit Support Company Project Manager

News of staff additions at TDCI (Technology Concepts and Design, Inc), shows how to use paralegal skills to advance into a different kind of job:"TCDI®, a market leader in Litigation Technology, announces the addition of five new employees. These additions help TCDI focus on further improving the quality of services provided to clients and highlight the continued development of TCDI in...

New Closing Manager (& Paralegal) on Board

Yes, another career path opens up to paralegals with specific experience:"Linda Craft and Team has announced the hiring of Christina Mastascusa as Buyer Closing Manager. In her new position, recently open as a result of internal promotions, Christina will work closely with attorneys and title and insurance companies to ensure smooth closings for Linda Craft clients. "Christina is a real...

“Can Data Have a Life After a Death?”

Of course! Just be sure to utilize some basic, but smart, computer management skills:"Everyone who has worked with a computer, even before the arrival of the Internet, knows the sickening feeling of loss. Without warning, hours of your work suddenly vanish from the screen. You hope (and pray) that perhaps it's been saved in a backup or temp file -- but often it's not. As your internal...

“Why Do You Always Need This Yesterday?”

How many times have you asked this question when handed a new assignment?  LawCrossing looks into why this happens & how paralegals can handle these situations:"Some projects—especially the most urgent ones—seem to demand time traveling as a requisite skill. Everyone wants work done ASAP, but there's only one you and 24 hours in a day. What's to be done? "Paralegals are the...

“New course for Air Force legal team”

Looking for a career change? Like adventure & travel? How about a tour in Iraq as a paralegal? Read all about ths opportunity here:"The Judge Advocate Corps (JAG) of the U.S. Air Force has developed a new course on Task Force 134. This task force is a basic joint operation in which lawyers and paralegals work with the multinational forces in Iraq, according to Scott T. Sturkol,...

Role of Nonlawyers in Law Practice

What the Michigan State Bar has to say about the utilization of legal assistants: "Article 1, Sec 6, of the Bylaws of the State Bar of Michigan defines 'legal assistant' for purposes of membership in the State Bar Legal Assistant Section as follows:"Any person currently employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency or other entity engaged in the practice of law, in a...

“Firms Predict More Work, Less Equity”

What does this news mean for paralegals? I'm guessing higher required billable hours & maybe higher salaries too: "Although law firm leaders at a recent conference publicly pooh-poohed predictions that industry profitability would stumble, in a new survey they say increasing expenses will cut into their bottom line this year. "Lawyers can expect to be pushed for more billable hours...

“Too Many Laws, Not Enough Lawyers”

I'm thinking this article means it might be a good time for SOX paralegals to seek raises: "With business booming at the nation's law firms, the fees they charge will climb steadily. Expect the cost of corporate legal services to continue to increase an average of one and a half times the rate of inflation in coming years. The trend will vary widely by region, with the largest jumps...

“Survey: Admin. assistants important”

Okay, that's the good news. The bad? In this article, paralegals are equated with administrative assistants: "Eighty-five percent of U.S. executives believe their administrative assistants are important to their success, a nationwide staffing-service survey says. "Of 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies surveyed, 48 percent said their administrative assistant's...