Yesterday, Tita Brewster, President of the National Association of Legal Assistants and I were invited to speak on the topic of paralegals for the Podcast show, Lawyer2Lawyer.  This was the first time I've participated in this type of show.  (Yes, I've done radio & TV, video, newspaper, magazine articles but nothing so today.) What an interesting experience!  We are now...

A new show on Fox TV starring Julianna Margulies is one of the few shows prominently featuring legal assistants as part of the legal team.  The show, Canterbury's Law, has been sent to reviewers for prescreening.  Described as a "dark legal drama", the show stars Margulies as a convincing lawyer whose only true solace is her work. (I'm sure this doesn't sound like anyone we...

Here's a twist:  While many paralegals aggressively seek to expand their assignments, a New York lawyer gets disbarred for overusing his paralegals and running afoul of ethics violations. According to The New York Law Journal, real estate lawyer Keith G. Rubenstein, eager to bolster his shaky finances, signed an unusual arrangement to serve as a front for a Queens personal injury practice...

Halleleujah!  Rarely do law firms or corporations acknowledge contribution of paralegals when a major case is won.  Paralegals may work until midnight for months giving up weekends, holidays and birthdays but how often do we see their names mentioned when attorneys take bows over a major win?  Going against tradition, the DOJ issued a press release today about a major win that also...

Practically every day, in one legal publication or another, you're going to read about how the billable hour will eventually meet its demise.  Whether this occurs in the next 10-20 years is questionable.  What we do know, is that CorporateAmerica is pushing back hard against inflated hourly rates including paralegal rates that can go as high as $250.00 per hour or more. When news broke...

Finally, a firm that is honest about what it's doing.  Only, I'm not so sure this is good news for paralegals.  It may be good news for graduate students in India and for clients opting for lower cost legal fees.  It seems like you can have one or the other but never both. Howrey has opened an office in India.  "It's not outsourcing," insists Robert Ruyak, managing...

Now here's an interesting situation:  Brian Valery, a paralegal working for Anderson, Kill, a pretty large firm in Washington, D.C. ups and decides he's going to tell his colleagues and supervisors that he's going to law school.  After a time, he decides he's going to let them know he passed the bar.  Impressed with his work and obviously in good with the partners, the firm hires...

Paralegals exist in third world countries and are often the heroes of the villages.  A fascinating article in The New Nation, illustrates just how important paralegals are to one village in Bangladesh.  Banchte Shekha: Development Program for Women and Children was founded by one woman, Angela Gomes-a tall, vibrant women in her early forties in this country where thatch and bamboo huts...

You can't get away from the the legal market is beginning to slow quite dramatically. Especially hard hit have been paralegals and attorneys working in the securities, finance and real estate sectors. Not to mention what's happening out here in Los Angeles with the continuing Writers Guild strike. Companies and law firms have begun layoffs of attorneys and paralegals and despite the roar of the...

With the doom and gloom news about slow growth and possible recession swirling around us,  there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.  Wait!  It's not a train coming at us.  It's actually good news.  According to a press release from Robert Half issued today, The hiring of paralegals is expected to remain steady as law offices continue to build teams to handle...