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COLUMNS

Thinking about the law firm of the future

Since 2008, it’s been a crazy ride. We are five years into what many people are calling the New Normal. Let’s peek into the future and see how lawyers and paralegals are coping. What issues are keeping paralegals up at night? ...

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Strategies to overcome paralegal invisibility

Working hard and waiting for praise, rewards or promotions doesn’t seem to cut it anymore. The key attributes that create a high performance paralegal might well also be the very same attributes that make them invisible within a firm. Paralegals ...

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Back from the dead and fighting to stay alive

It’s true what they say: Karma is a rhymes-with-witch. Twelve months ago, her enigma was my constant companion, a voice of reason and a beacon of hope that I relied upon heavily when I made the decision to depart the ...

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Red flags every paralegal should watch for

Bad news is around every corner. Many lawyers and firms are still reeling from the economic downturn of recent years while trying to figure out what the future looks like. Some firms are trying to figure out how to do ...

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Ten ways to keep email from becoming your doom

As technology took over law firms and the lives of the lawyers and paralegals, face-to-face conversations ceased to exist. Email became the efficient way to provide the information needed or to seek a quick answer to a question.  And with ...

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A paralegal returns to her tech-geek roots

I give you fair warning, what I have to say may shock you. I have gone to the dark side, sold a portion of my soul and joined forces with my one-time arch nemesis. I am now in litigation support.

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Etiquette tips for paralegals at business functions

Have you ever found yourself in a business or professional situation where you didn’t know what to do? Should you drink from the glass on the left or right? Where do you wear your nametag? Etiquette rules are designed to make you feel more comfortable in professional situations. Here are a few tips that I’ve found useful.

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Process and procedure: The key to a well-run firm

Since the 1950s, businesses have learned the benefits of defining processes and procedures. Business administrators could transfer skills into a process, incorporating ideas from several sources. By combining these ideas, they could refine their business process and create the most effective way to complete the job.

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If paralegals were in charge of insurance plans…

If I had my way, all the major health insurance carriers would roll out a plan designed specifically for paralegals and legal assistants to provide the coverage we need and deserve.

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You can’t control the event, but you can control your reaction

If you buy into the emotional intelligence or self-mastery theory that is popular these days, then you are in control of your emotions. .. I would rather believe things can be perfectly logical, reasonable and predictable. Oh, well. We all have our fantasies.

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Meet my friend and foe, The IT Guy

Part friend, part foe. In the legal field, nearly anyone can be a frienemy. In this column and the next, I’d like to introduce you to two of my favorite frienemies: The IT Guy and the law clerk. Undeniably, both are irreplaceable and bring important skills to the table. But both can drive me absolutely insane.

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Start a job search now? Are you crazy?

In recent weeks I have had several people approach me as they were searching for someone to fill a paralegal position. Despite high unemployment rates, there are some open jobs that aren’t getting filled. I have some thoughts about why this is happening.

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