Carolina Paralegal News Paralegal news for North and South Carolina

If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile or you haven’t maximized yours, now is the time to do so.

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.

The new year is often a time when people focus on goals, which typically involves identifying our weaknesses and focusing on fixing them. According to the Proactive Change web site, only 46 percent of us are maintaining our resolutions after six months. Why? Change is hard.

Tagged with: CP Exam NALA

By Camille Stell, Special to CPN There are many issues facing the paralegal profession – certification, continuing education and changes in technology, to name a few. I am constantly reading, attending meetings and talking with fellow professionals about the various ...

Tagged with: Overheard at the Water Cooler

The 2011 legislative session saw major changes to how plaintiff’s personal injury lawyers will do business in the future. I’m going to share my column space with Mark Scruggs, one of the Lawyers Mutual claims attorneys, to talk about changes that litigation paralegals can expect to see.

In June, I attended the North Carolina Advocates for Justice convention, where Erin Brockovich was the keynote speaker. She began her talk with stories of the movie made about her. As she said, “Everyone wants to hear about that.” According to Erin, the movie came into being because a friend of a friend of a friend knew Danny DeVito and pitched the idea to him. DeVito eventually became a producer of the film. The heart of Erin’s speech involved a message from her mother about the need for “stick-to-it-iveness,” which she defines as perseverance and a quest for the truth that came from her father. Not only did Erin display this perseverance as she pressed for the truth in the Pacific Gas and Electric Company case, but Erin continues to fight for the truth today through her consulting business.

By Camille Stell, Special to CPN Leadership books are available by the dozens and are authored by everyone from corporate titans to record-setting basketball coaches. Here are leadership lessons drawn from closer to home, from leaders of our local and ...

Do you have what it takes to be an effective leader? Before you decide to serve in a leadership position, you should examine your skills to see which ones you already have and which ones you need to develop.

  By Camille Stell, Special to CPN  In order to find renewed inspiration at work or to take your career to the next level, we have discussed working with a career coach. In my November column, I shared the experience ...

Tagged with: Camille Stell Overheard at theWater Cooler

Do you wonder what it would take for you to find renewed inspiration at work or to take your career to the next level? Working with a career coach could be just what you need. Here's a conversation I had with "Lauren," who is employed at a North Carolina law firm and has been working with a coach for several months.

Tagged with: Overheard at theWater Cooler

If you work in a law office, you are faced with deadlines. Some areas are more deadline-driven than others - for instance, litigation practices have court-imposed deadlines - but every area of practice involves tasks that must be done and time frames for completion. Do you ever show up and feel uninspired to do what you've been assigned to do? Do you look at the list and you can't find anything that you want to start?

The Charlotte chapter of Women in eDiscovery held its inaugural meeting in June. Women in eDiscovery was founded on May 2, 2007 with the mission of bringing together businesswomen interested in legal technology and to provide opportunities to help themselves and other businesswomen grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking, support and national recognition. The organization has grown internationally to over 4,000 members with new members from all over the world joining daily. At the present time, there are over 28 chapters with regular meetings.

By Camille Stell, Special to CPN June is the month of conventions for many of North Carolina’s bar associations. This is a time of leadership change as well as to celebrate the relationships attorneys share and recognize their accomplishments. The ...

By Camille Stell, Special to CPN The Guilford Paralegal Association had a seminar on the first Saturday in May with over 100 paralegals in attendance. I was impressed with the dedication of the professionals who would give up a Saturday ...