A Paralegal's Blog

A New Direction for Christine

2010-07-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

After nearly a decade as a legal assistant and paralegal, Christine is returning to her roots as a writer, bringing her love of words and experience as a journalist and freelance writer. She has started Christine Parizo Communications, a full-service commercial copywriting agency. As a commercial copywriter, Christine writes press releases, brochures, website copy, sales letters, and other marketing and public relations materials that are engaging, clear, and interesting to customers and clients. Christine also ghostwrites articles, blogs, and training courses. For a no-obligation consultation, email Christine. A small sampling of Christine's work is available on her website. You can also find her on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Paralegal Careers Touted in Military, Lottery

2009-07-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Could being a paralegal be like winning your own personal lottery? I've been saying that for years, but if you work for the Arkansas Lottery Commission, you will cash in. A lottery paralegal makes $53,109 per year, while a paralegal for the Judicial Disability and Discipline Commission will make $34,324. (Source: Arkansas Times)

Meanwhile, Forbes has compiled a list of government jobs to apply to:

Job	Location	Salary Range
Contract Specialist	California, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado	$56,411 to $94,200
Wage and Hour Investigator	San Jose, Calif.	$55,015 to $71,520
Paralegal Specialist	Long Beach, Calif.	$51,805 to $97,658

(Source: Forbes.com)

Registration for the NFPA Annual Meeting Is Now Open!

2009-07-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Registration for the National Federation of Paralegal Association’s 2009 Annual convention is now live on the NFPA website.

The Oregon Paralegal Association invites you to Come to Oregon and Be a Paralegal Pioneer at the 2009 Annual Convention being held at the Red Lion Hotel on the River at Jantzen Beach in Portland, Oregon from October 29th through November 1st, 2009. (And for those of you who read Lucky Magazine, there's a great article about shopping in Portland.) Arrive early and take advantage of the excellent schedule of continuing education, including four concurrent CLE tracks: PACE, Paralegal 101, Corporate/Business and Litigation/Technology, being held on Thursday, October 29th. You will also have the opportunity to hear special keynote luncheon speaker Robert Dugoni, a Pacific Northwest attorney and author of legal/crime thrillers. You won’t want to miss the Thursday evening Trade Show Reception spotlighting exhibitors and celebrating NFPA’s 35th Anniversary. Many exhibitors and vendors will be showing off the latest in legal technology and services.

Attendees will also be having fun at our Friday night social event, hob-knobbing with members of AAfPE (who will be also convening in Portland for their annual meeting, and have been specially invited to join us), laughing at comedian Jan McInnis, aka “The Work Lady”, and having fun at our special Harvest Fair. On Saturday and Sunday, local association representatives will be gathering on the Floor of the Convention and helping shape the future of the paralegal profession. So make plans to get on the Oregon Trail and be a Paralegal Pioneer!

For more information, please visit the NFPA website at www.paralegals.org.

Paralegal Hired to XL Insurance Aviation Division

2009-07-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

XL Insurance, the global insurance operations of XL Capital Ltd., yesterday announced the expansion of its US Aviation operations with four new appointments to its New York-based underwriting team, including a former paralegal, Eileen Mitchell, as a Class Underwriter.

Eileen Mitchell brings aviation brokerage experience, having worked most recently for Integro as well as Marsh. She has also worked with law firm Mendes & Mount as a paralegal working in aviation litigation management. Ms. Mitchell is a graduate of Marist College.

New Overtime Case Encourages Settlement

2009-07-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

A Florida paralegal left her employer, only to turn around and sue for back overtime wages. Neither she nor her attorney told her old firm that a lawsuit was coming, which resulted in annoyed appellate judges. The moral of the story? Make sure that, if you're suing for back overtime wages (or for anything else, really) that your lawyer contacts the defendant/defendant's attorney to see if settlement is a possibility.

Florida Registered Paralegal Program Is 3,000 Strong

2009-03-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

On the anniversary of the Florida Registered Paralegal program, it had over 3,000 who had registered with the state bar.

In order to qualify for the FRP applicants must meet one of the following requirements: work experience or education, certification or grandfathering. The work experience or education requirement includes a variety of educational degree and years of work experience requirements. (details are available at flabar.org). The certification requirement can be fullfilled through successful completion of testing through either the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) or the National Federation of Paralegal Assistants (NFPA).

Paralegals are optimistic regarding the future success of the program.

(Source: Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record)

Layoffs May Be Result of Herd Mentality

2009-03-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

Snowballing layoffs may be evidence more of a herd mentality than a careful evaluation of costs and benefits, according to a business school professor.

The article goes on to note that, regardless of the firm's circumstances, the similar approach to cost-cutting may have nothing to do with the realities of each firm's situation.

(Source: ABA Journal)

March Massacres Continue: More Casualties in the Legal Field

2009-03-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

In what seems to be a trend lately, firms are waiting until Thursday and Friday to make their layoffs. Today's casualties:

Katten Muchin Rosenman will lay off 23 attorneys and 46 staff members.

Jenner & Block has laid off 34 staff members in its Chicago headquarters and Washington, D.C. offices.

Smith Hired as Paralegal at Assets International

2009-03-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

Southfield, Michigan-based Assets International LLC has hired Demetrius Smith as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant.

A graduate of Eastern Michigan University’s paralegal program with prior probate experience, Smith’s primary concentration will be to assist attorneys Michael J. Zwick and Katherine Razdolsky with all parts of the legal system, particularly probate court.

(Source: dBusinessNews)

In a Recession, Keep Paralegals

2009-03-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

It seems like such a good idea: in hard times, keep the lawyers and cut the paralegals. But clients think otherwise.

Thanks to the economy, many clients are demanding lower hourly rates -- and taking their business elsewhere when the rates don't budge. One alternative is to chuck the billable hour. Another?

One foreseeable cost-saving trend is pushing some duties down the ladder from a senior-level associate to a less experienced one. Or, from the less experienced to a paralegal. The firms avoid an actual rate reduction but wind up charging less at the end.

Think about that for a moment. A good paralegal probably knows more than a first-year associate and costs the firm half as much to keep.

(Source: Law.com)

Some Good News

2009-03-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

So far today, zero law firm layoffs have been reported. Let's all keep our fingers crossed. I just heard from one of my friends that everyone at her firm had to take paycuts.

Assets International Hires Huby as Paralegal

2009-03-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

More good news on the employment front: Southfield, Michigan-based Assets International LLC has hired La Tonya Huby as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant. Huby has 16 years of experience as an executive level administrator, and she also served six years in the United States Air Force.

(Source: dBusinessNews)

Morris, Haynes and Hornsby Hires Paralegal

2009-03-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

A silver lining in the stormcloud of the economy: the Birmingham, Alabama office of Morris, Haynes, and Hornsby has hired Candace Nichols as a paralegal. Congratulations, Candace.

(Source: The Birmingham News)

More Layoffs, Not News Anymore

2009-03-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Today's casualties:

Paul Hastings, Janofsky & Walker: 44 associates, 87 staff members

Chadbourne & Parke: 25 lawyers

Venable: 16 lawyers, 48 staff members

It's almost not worth blogging about anymore because the layoffs have become so commonplace.

Paralegal Job Death-Watch

2009-03-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

I almost feel like I should rename this blog the death-watch blog, since so many legal jobs are being eliminated. Yesterday alone, starting off yet another bleak week, 731 attorneys and staff were cut across three firms: K&L Gates (36 associates, 79 staff), White & Case (200 lawyers, 200 staff), and Morgan Lewis & Bockius (55 lawyers, 161 staff.)

(Source: ABA Journal - Law News Now)

Brutal, Bloody Week; 1,500 Casualties

2009-03-09T03:03:00.000-07:00

Last week was the bloodiest yet in the legal industry. Here's the rundown:

Orrick (international, layoffs affect U.S., Asia, and Europe offices): 100 associates, 200 staffers

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (Dallas): 47 associates, 57 paralegals and staff (in addition to 65 staff layoffs in January)

King & Spaulding (Atlanta): 37 associates and counsel, 85 staff

Clifford Chance (London): 115 staff

O'Melveny & Myers (international, layoffs mainly affect U.S. offices): 90 attorneys, 110 staff members

Shearman & Sterling (U.S.): 60 secretaries and administrative staffers

Dewey & LeBeouf (international): 100 staffers

Wiggin & Dana (Connecticut): 14 attorneys

Stinson Morrison Heckler (Kansas City, Missouri): 30 staff members

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman: 50 associates, 10 paralegals, 90 support staffers

Arent Fox (Washington, D.C.): 13 associates, 15 staff members

Bingham McCutchen: 16 corporate associates and counsel, 23 staff members

The legal industry lost a total of 4,200 jobs in February, according to ABA Journal Law News Now, and nationwide, 21,000 legal jobs have been lost in the last 12 months.

However, last week alone resulted in almost 1,500 jobs being eliminated -- that we know about! The good news is, if you've been laid off, you're not alone. The bad news is, competition for paralegal jobs just got a whole lot stiffer.

March Mayhem: Law Firm Layoffs Top 1,200 Since Friday

2009-03-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

If there was ever a question that law was recession-proof, it has been answered by a resounding no. Wednesday resulted in over 500 layoffs, and since last Friday, the total has reached 1,200 attorney and staff.

(Source: ABA Journal - Law News Now)

Bloody Wednesday: More Layoffs Hit Law Firms

2009-03-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

Less than a month ago, 800 law firm jobs were cut in a single day now known as Bloody Thursday. It's a bloody Wednesday today, as more firms are making cuts:

Firm	Attorneys	Staffers
Orrick (3/3/09)	100	200
Dewey & LeBoeuf		100
Shearman & Sterling		60
O'Melveny & Myers	90	110

*These numbers reflect U.S. personnel only.

Paralegal Profile: Laura Szychowski

2009-03-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

Education, experience, and dedication come together for Laura Szychowski, a paralegal with 18 years of experience in Buffalo, N.Y. Beginning as a products liability paralegal in the late 1980s, Szychowski not only has almost two decades of experience, but also holds three degrees. In her off hours, Szychowski can be found promoting the paralegal profession through her local association, crafting, or spending time with her family, something she treasures.

Her interest in law began during her high school years. She took a business law class, which she loved. In college, Szychowski participated in every aspect of mock jury trials, which served to fan the flames of her legal career interests. "[I was] playing the roles of the attorneys, witnesses and jury, and it was fun," she said.

Szychowski originally wanted to teach political science, but the siren song of a legal career pulled her into what would be a fulfilling career as a paralegal. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies and Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1988. Career services at SUNY Buffalo encouraged graduates to become a part of the paralegal profession, and through a headhunter, Szychowski found her first paralegal job. Two years later, she earned a paralegal certificate from Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. Not one to shy away from challenges, that same year, Szychowski also received her graduate degree in Political Science from SUNY Stony Brook.

Currently, Szychowski is employed by Phillips Lytle LLP, a large statewide firm founded in 1834, with offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Chautauqua (Jamestown and Fredonia), Garden City, Albany, and New York City. The firm consists of over 170 attorneys and 40 paralegals, along with other support staff, totaling 450 people among its offices.

Working out of the Buffalo office, just across the bridge from Canada, Szychowski aims to keep her goals "simple." In her career, she wants to achieve three things: to be a respected paralegal that produces quality work product, to mentor young paralegals, and to help promote the paralegal profession.

Throughout her career, Szychowski has achieved her first goal, evidenced in the progression she has seen in her career with her assignments. "As junior paralegal, most case work was organizational, and fact gathering. As a senior paralegal, case work is substantive – such as drafting pleadings, reviewing case facts, digests of deposition testimony, assisting with preparations of motions, and participation at trials," she said.

Being a senior paralegal has also helped her achieve her second goal. She enjoys mentoring young paralegals and teaching them all of the skills that she has learned over the years. In fact, some of these young paralegals inspire her a great deal. "I am open to learning new things, and appreciate the experience of seasoned trial attorneys, other paralegal colleagues, and new paralegals that have enthusiasm and bright ideas," she said.

Szychowski works on her third goal through her position as Bar Liaison for the Western New York Paralegal Association (WNYPA). In this position, Szychowski develops and maintains communications with the New York State Bar Association and local bar associations, in order to create a mutually beneficial relationship.

Gaining experience means having the opportunity to create notable accomplishments, and Szychowski's experience, along with her dedication, has allowed her to literally win cases. In one matter, she spent six months compiling and rearranging raw data into a database format in order to calculate damages on a commercial case. Her hard work and commitment were well-rewarded, according to Szychowski. "The re-arrangement baffled the opposing counsel, and won [us] the case," she said.

In another matter, Szychowski faced her most challenging assignment: setting up an off-site office in a hotel conference room for an out-of-area trial. "I felt like a hotel concierge," she said. The challenge did not faze Szychowski, however. She was able to ensure that the room had computers, printers, desks, chairs, phones, food, and land lines -- everything necessary to create a home base for the legal team. In addition, she kept track of 40 boxes of exhibits and ushered witnesses in for trial preparation.

Over her career, Szychowski expected more regulation and/or licensure for the paralegal profession. With regulation comes recognition and respect, but most jurisdictions have been slow to adopt formal procedures for regulating paralegals, and the interest in such programs seems minimal. The slow progress has frustrated Szychowski, and she is "disappointed that the recognition and interest for regulation of the paralegal profession has been slow to develop."

But, knowing what she knows now, would she become a paralegal all over again? "Definitely," said Szychowski. "I love being a paralegal and enjoy my profession and job." She is proud of her profession, and she delights in her work.

Szychowski, 42, unwinds from her rewarding but demanding job by listening to jazz music, reading, watching a family movie, or playing family games. She has been married for three years, and she loves playing with her young son, Ryan. Spending time with her family and friends is important to Szychowski and is one of her favorite things to do outside of work.

She is also an avid crafter, especially when it comes to scrap booking. Szychowski is also an accomplished cook, eager to try new tricks in the kitchen. "I love to collect cookbooks and try new recipes," she said.

DTI Adds IPRO eReview to Suite of Review Services

2009-03-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

Document Technologies, Inc. (DTI has added IPRO’s eReview tool to the company’s suite of litigation technology. eReview provides first level review of electronically stored information (ESI) for effective review and culling prior to importing the refined document collection into a litigation database.

DTI delivers processes, tools, and capacity for all aspects of electronic discovery, from forensic data acquisition to advanced file processing and data conversion to hosting. The addition of eReview further strengthens DTI’s toolkit of litigation technology. By culling and refining a dataset during the processing phase, eReview helps users reduce the time and cost of the working dataset export. When complete, eReview provides a refined dataset, which maximizes the potential for quick and accurate e-discovery results.

For more information: www.dtiglobal.com

Latham & Watkins Lays Off 190 Associates, 250 Staffers | ABA Journal - Law News Now

2009-02-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

Setting new records for layoffs, rumor has it that Latham & Watkins has let go of 190 associates and 250 staff members. However, they are offering an unheard-of severance package that includes six months' salary and medical coverage, capped at $100,000. The cuts are 12 percent of the firm's associates and 10 percent of paralegal and other staff. New York and Los Angeles offices were hit the hardest.

(Source: ABA Journal - Law News Now)

Paralegals Bond in Baghdad

2009-02-27T02:00:00.000-08:00

Following parallel career paths, Roxanne Johnson and Tamara Smith prioritized family over career, marrying and raising children before serving in the United States Army. On February 21 at the Multi-National Division - Baghdad Justice Center in Camp Liberty, Iraq, both women took one more step forward in their military careers as they were promoted to private first class. Johnson is a military justice paralegal from Smithfield, North Carolina, and Smith is a paralegal assistant from East St. Louis, Illinois. The two are best friends and are both assigned to Alpha Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. The two have known each other since basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Both have found that the paralegal occupational specialty has been a good fit. Smith wanted to be in admin to help her fellow soldiers.

Paralegal Profile: Nita Serrano, RP

2009-02-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

Being a paralegal is a second career for many in the field, and the transition is often jarring as the new paralegal works to apply skills from her previous career to her budding legal career. For Nita Serrano, RP, a paralegal at Morgenstern & Herd, P.A. in Tampa, Fla. with almost 13 years of experience as a paralegal under her belt, her switch from the medical field to the legal field was not without its difficulties, but she has learned to navigate her career map and has found confidence in her skills as a paralegal.

Serrano had always been interested in the law, especially criminal law, but she began her professional life as a Certified Health Unit Coordinator in the Emergency Room/Trauma Center and Maternity Ward for two large Tampa Bay hospitals. Seeking more of a professional challenge, Serrano researched several career paths before she decided on becoming a paralegal. When she went to register for her paralegal courses, she overheard a student speaking with his advisor about a criminal law class. An admissions officer allowed Serrano to sit in on a class, and she was able to evaluate the criminal law course, which was taught by a state attorney. Serrano graduated from Florida Metropolitan University with an Associates degree in Paralegal Studies.

Despite her interest in law, Serrano was anxious about making the switch. "When I started out, I thought going from the medical field to the legal field would be next to impossible," she said. However, her previous medical career served as a bridge to her new paralegal career, especially since her first paralegal job was with a medical malpractice defense attorney, according to Serrano. "My medical background helped me tremendously, and when I was looking for a full time paralegal position, I got the first interview because of the medical background," she said.

Like most new paralegals, Serrano was nervous when she started her first job, but found that the longer she was in the field, the more confident she became. "When I first started working as a paralegal, I was green and was very shy and self conscious about my work, [and] I was afraid to ask questions and even more afraid to make a mistake," Serrano said. "Over the years, I have learned that there really are no dumb questions. I am no longer shy and quiet, and I am much more assertive now than I was 13 years ago. I am very confident in my work and feel that I am respected in the legal community. I have actually had attorneys call me up and ask me about statute of limitations and what I think of a particular case."

Serrano is confident now that she has made the right career move. "I absolutely love being a paralegal," she said. "I love a challenge, and I like to work with people and help people out." She notes that "[e]very day brings a new challenge, but that is one of the things I love about this career, [that] no two days are the same."

Her role models have played a part in her career success, and Serrano credits close friends who have been paralegals for many years as those role models. "[They] have provided me with great advice and guidance," she said.

Now working in civil litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, and nursing home negligence in a small law firm with only two attorneys, Serrano also ran a successful freelance paralegal business for nearly five years. She considers that one of her most memorable career accomplishments. Serrano was the recipient of the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association's Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) scholarship in 2006, and on March 16, 2007, Serrano took PACE and successfully became a Registered Paralegal (RP) through the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA).

Serrano's experience as a paralegal has taught her valuable lessons to help her produce quality work. "I learned several years ago to make a list of the '6 Most Important Things to Do' each day, [and] I still make a daily list of things to do. Sometimes there are more than 6, but I rank them in order of importance and carry over whatever I did not complete that day," she said. "I have also learned to repeat things back to an attorney to make sure I understood directions and what she wants done. I have completed projects the way I thought was logical, only to find out [that] he or she actually wanted it done differently, so when doing something the first time, I will show her how I am setting up a particular project early on so I am not wasting time redoing it later." Serrano also prides herself on her ability to find the proverbial needle in the haystack, the key document that sometimes the attorney overlooks.

Even with all her current success as a paralegal, Serrano still hopes to further her education and earn her Bachelors degree. In the meantime, she is an active member of the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association (TBPA), serving as the Second Vice President - Membership Chair, Luncheon Chair, and PACE Ambassador. As Chair of TBPA's Membership Committee, Serrano handles recruiting and retaining members, including distributing applications, sending retention and welcome letters, and speaking to members and non-members about the benefits of becoming a TBPA member, among numerous other duties. As the Luncheon Chair, Serrano is in charge of planning the association's monthly luncheons, from coordinating the menu to disseminating the information to TBPA's members. Serrano also served on the Planning Committee for the 2007 NFPA Annual Convention, which was held in Tampa in October. In addition, she is also a Florida Registered Paralegal under Florida's new Florida Registered Paralegal program and a member of the Florida Justice Association, an association that strives to protect the rights of individuals and consumers and hold corporations accountable to a high standard of ethics.

Serrano is married with three children. To supplement her income, instead of going the traditional Tupperware or Avon route, she launched her Gold Canyon business, stemming from her love of candles. Her debut party as a Gold Canyon Independent Demonstrator was on March 9, 2008, and she has found that being a Gold Canyon Independent Demonstrator has fit nicely around her full-time paralegal job and her family's schedule. In addition to candles, Serrano sells decorative home accessories, personal care products, and fragrances as part of her Gold Canyon business.

With her myriad of activities, full-time paralegal position, part-time business, and busy family, free time may seem scarce, but Serrano is an avid reader, and she takes advantage of Tampa's temperate climate by swimming on a regular basis. Her favorite time is spent with her family, though. "There's nothing more important to me than the time I spend with my family – watching my children play in the backyard, enjoying a quiet dinner with my spouse or everyone sharing popcorn during the latest animated DVD release," she said.

Paralegal Virtual Interview from Monster Career Advice

2009-02-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a new paralegal position, or just wondering if your interviewing skills are up to speed (not a bad thing to test in this economy), check out this virtual interview from Monster.com. It presents you with several different scenarios and potential answers for some tough interview questions.

Paralegal Virtual Interview from Monster Career Advice

Radical Employment Law Changes Will Create Lots of Work for Attorneys, Paralegals

2009-02-19T02:45:00.000-08:00

Here's another great specialty that may be booming soon: employment law. With the plethora of proposed legislation, including the employee free choice act (EFCA), a new, pro-union president, and the economy, new employment litigation is bound to increase. Add in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the brand-new Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and it's a recipe for employment security, if you're an employment law paralegal.

(Source: The National Law Journal)