Read more from The Estrin Report

10 ways to train your boss

Such very helpful tips for advancing your career! "Takeaway: If your boss routinely ignores you, withholds praise, or offers little guidance or feedback, you might need to take action. IT pro Becky Roberts looks at some ways you can get your boss on the right track. "Got a lousy boss? Never gives you guidance or the praise you so richly deserve? Never takes you to lunch? Worse, do you...

“Who’s to Blame When EDD Vendors Go Boom?”

I hate it when companies "go boom," but this article really discusses what happens "when vendors let you down": "If you engage in e-discovery, chances are you depend on vendors to help you harvest, process, search and filter digital evidence. But is that a dependency that blurs the line between lawyer and service provider? "Selecting responsive information, planning...

Paralegals miss out on 15% Christmas bonus

Not expecting much holiday cheer at this firm's year-end parties! "Paralegals and professional support lawyers at Slaughter and May will receive a bonus this year of just 3%, despite the rest of the lawyers at the firm pocketing a 15% boost under the firm’s recently introduced scheme."Slaughters’ new system will see a flat-rate bonus of 15% of salary paid to all fee-earners;...

Firm Discovers ‘Associate’ Is Not a Lawyer

Despite many "red flags," it took Anderson Kill & Olick almost three years to find out this 'associate' was a paralegal! "While Brian T. Valery 's legal education is in question, he could likely graduate with honors from the Frank Abagnale Jr. school of deceit. "Valery is under fire for his pro hac vice appearance in a 2005 complex litigation case heard in Stamford, Conn....

Paralegal now jury coordinator

It's all about making jury duty sound like fun -- or at least time well spent: "Most people aren't thrilled to be called for jury duty. They think they are too busy, can't afford to miss work, or need to be home caring for their children. "Mary Poston considers it her job to change their mind -- or at least make them feel like their time in the courthouse is well-spent. "Poston,...

Paralegal: “A Fairly Well-Educated Chimp Could Practice Law”

Like the creativity involved in this paralegal's pursuit of a law degree, but truly enjoyed all the comments following the blog's post : "A Connecticut paralegal has sued the state’s bar exam committee because it won’t let him take the bar, despite his earning a degree from an unaccredited Internet correspondence law school.... "Mel Thompson took law courses at West Coast School of...

Salary Range: Paralegals

Just happened to run across the Ask Dr. Salary blog where I found paralegal salaries charted : "I was reading AboveTheLaw and noticed David's Request for Paralegal Salaries. To help him out, I've posted a few charts from PayScale's Research Center about Paralegal Salaries that he might find interesting to compare against. I used our new Embed tool (see links next to charts in the Research...

Legal Logic Puzzle

If you have trouble solving this puzzle (I did, darnit!), don't despair, the answer is included. Find more fun stuff at the website of Bordwell & Associates (legal recruiters in California). And see their current paralegal job listings here. Enjoy!

“The Inside Scoop on Law Firm Outsourcing”

Practical advice about law firm outsourcing from White & Case's administrative partner: "Although law firms have traditionally outsourced services like security, travel or mail, the allure of Thomas Friedman's 'flat' world has some law firms looking hard at whether to outsource other functions. The options are no longer limited to an outside vendor running a service in-house. Instead,...

“Should Associates Vote on Partnerships? Latham’s Do”

Don't you think paralegals have just as much to contribute to partnership decisions as associates? "Making partner usually means stiff competition with other associates. "But at Latham & Watkins, associates are asked to put down their swords and shields and objectively evaluate whether their peers have what it takes to make partner. "Most firms wouldn't do it. They'd be looking...