Read My Lips……It’s In the Technology

Ok, so I admit it. I'm old enough to recall actually seeing the presidential candidate who years ago made history with his sound bite: "read my lips" on the 6:00 news. (No, it wasn't in black and white.)  He was obviously trying to make a point abeit a bit, well, sarcastically.

But the doom and gloom of the economic crisis these days has us all wondering whether we shouldn't be polishing up the old resume…….just in case, of course.  And for those of you who have already lost your jobs, I am sure you are working twice as hard as you ever did in the past to find a new position.

I think though, that we may be overlooking where the job growth is in the legal field.  And that's where I get to say, Read my,"…well, you get it.  Despite a recent news release from the Dept. of Labor indicating that the legal field lost 2,000 jobs in September, there was positive growth in technology.  I always suspected that to be true, however, I wanted to check it out.  And here's good news for those of you who followed the trends and rode the horse in the direction it was going.

Firms are now hiring paralegals with specific titles such as Technology Paralegal; Trial Presentation Analyst; and more.  Go to the ILTA job bank and you'll see several job listings, primarily from major firms.  These jobs also include: Technology Education Supervisor; Legal Technology Consultant; Litigation Support Specialist; Litigation Support Manager; Litigation Support Analyst; Legal Technology Trainer and more.

All of these jobs can be filled by paralegals.  Most of them ask for an attorney or paralegal background.  I particularly love the Technology Paralegal position. It's very clear that this is not a paralegal position that requires some knowledge of common software.  It's the creation of a hierarchy in an otherwise flat field that was previously, paralegal or paralegal manager. The other day, I met a Document Production Paralegal.  What this says is that no longer are paralegals only required to have excellent technology skills, they are actually being rewarded with appropriate titles.  And, of course, appropriate, specialty titles always translate into….you guessed it…..bigger dollars.

So if you're sitting there, frustrated, worried or let's say not frustrated and worried but just looking to boost your career, read my lips…..it's in the technology! 

PS:  Let me be bold here because of our excitement!  Don't forget to subscribe to KNOW, The Magazine for Paralegals (www.knowparalegal.com).  The latest issue is out and we're getting great reviews!