The Estrin Report

From Communist Russia to U.S. Citizen - A Paralegal's Fight for Freedom

2013-06-10T16:26:26-07:00

Walnuts on My Bookshelf: Memories of Living in Communist Russia is a book that I just couldn't put down. This compelling story engrosses the reader from the very first paragraph. Written by an Alabama paralegal, Peter Kirchikov, the book brings a unique and brilliant analysis of life during the USSR from 1952 until 1991. Born and raised in Ukraine, he discloses the poverty, horrible working conditions and fear of the KGB he had known his entire life. Kirchikov and his family were exposed to a life where food and basic necessities were almost impossible to find. Kirchikov shares his unique...

The Old Gray Mare - Is She Still What She Used to Be? Ageism and Paralegals

2013-04-30T16:25:58-07:00

"My supervisor remarked to me on two separate occasions that I may be "too old" for the type of work I was doing. At the time he said this, I had reached the age of 54. The supervisor was 46. A few of weeks after the second “you’re too old” remark, I was let go - even though my reviews were excellent. It doesn't take a brainard to figure it out."

Shoot for the Curb - Everything Else is Gravy

2013-04-02T18:49:59-07:00

How many times have you set goals only not to achieve them? Come on. You already know in your gut when you set the goal that you probably won’t reach it. Despite clichés such as “Shoot for the moon” and other psychobabble, you will most likely say to yourself, “Are you kidding? I’ll commit to xxx but I know it’s a stretch.” On the other hand, goals are ingrained and give us targets, benchmarks and a sense of accomplishment. The difference between just setting a goal and accomplishing it is to have a strong “why” in place. Let’s parallel this...

Limited-licensing for Paralegals: It's Finally a Reality

2013-03-13T12:42:07-07:00

Licensing paralegals has been talked about for years. And years. And years. It’s been pushed back as long as I can remember. One objection is that paralegals do not practice law and therefore do not need licensing. They are supervised by attorneys and it is the attorney’s license on the line. Another issue was there were no standard requirements to enter the field (i.e., anyone who wanted to could call themselves a paralegal) therefore, licensing would have no real meaning. In California, some years ago, a stab at licensing called for governance not by the State Bar but under the...

Paralegal Jobs Are Vanishing According to New AP Analysis

2013-02-05T20:20:21-08:00

Bad, Bad News for Paralegals Paralegal jobs are vanishing according to a recent analysis. In fact, out of the top disappearing jobs, paralegal is in the top 7 positions. For years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that the paralegal position was one of the fastest growing fields. In fact, as recently as 2011, the BLS predicted that from 2010 - 2020, paralegals would have an 18% growth rate (average). No longer. The position is being obliterated by technology according to a recent analysis by the Associated Press. "Year after year," the analysis states, "software that runs computers and an...

Weight! Weight! Are you sabotaging your career?

2013-01-15T15:34:16-08:00

Have you ever considered that those extra pounds that sneaked up when you were just “having an extra bite” might be holding your career back? Some years ago when I worked for a major Los Angeles law firm, the Director of Administration asked me to lunch. Since this was rarely done for non-attorneys in those days, I was delighted. He took me to the Yorkshire Grill where he insisted that I have the pastrami sandwich piled high on rye bread along with a generous helping of potato salad. Who can refuse their boss? Career buster for sure. After lunch, he...

Our Ms. Manners Reaches Out Over Wine, Wisdom and Wacky Traditions

2012-12-05T10:30:00-08:00

Our guest blogger today is Stacey Wagner When I was eleven years old, the flu collided with Christmas dinner and forever dampened my enthusiasm for holiday food. So, every year I sit back with a glass of wine and watch the mayhem unfold as my multigenerational and multicultural family of cooks and foodies barter and (mostly) good-naturedly bicker over which foods will take center stage on our holiday table. Bread stuffing or cornbread dressing? Canned or fresh cranberries? Turkey or Cornish hen? Sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie? What was that? The family vegans have offered to prepare a delicious...

When Bad Things Happen to Good Legal Professionals

2012-11-12T18:06:58-08:00

The story of Cinderella is familiar to most of us. Nice girl, horrible living conditions, probably violation of child-labor laws, happy ending. When we are children, we believe this story and for some of us, it sets our expectations for the future. And then, real life happens. When we think of what the bad things are that happen to good legal professionals, it’s generally an event, incident, illness or other occurrence that was not within the control of that person. Here are two real-life stories: #1: When I heard the following story, I wanted to explore what occurs when bad...

That's Not My Job

2012-10-30T18:06:30-07:00

Our guest blogger today is Ninowtzka Mier. “My boss’ secretary looked up and said the words that may have well been nails scratching a chalk board. “That’s not my job.” I'm sure it has happened to most of us, at one point or another, during our professional lives. For most of us, a normal day at the office has its share of stress, angst and the occasional juicy gossip exchange. And no matter what you do, I don't care how many organizational books or methods you try to follow, the work never seems to get done. To make things worse,...

Managing Effective Relationships with Vendors and the RFP Process

2012-10-09T12:09:14-07:00

Our guest blogger today is Joe Kanka. Recently, I had the opportunity to be a guest lecturer as part of the Organization of Legal Professionals (OLP) Paralegal Management Certification Program. As a former paralegal, I always welcome opportunities to speak with today’s paralegals about how they can enhance their management skills. While the topic of the session was law office management, my presentation focused on Managing Effective Relationships with Vendors and Preparing RFPs. After all, we depend on diverse services and products to do our jobs successfully. And we must have different options available to us. In my view, the...

We're number one...well, almost....

2012-09-14T17:00:36-07:00

I received an email today from Charles Sipe http://www.paralegal411.org/. According to paralegal411.org and the sophisticated metrics they use, The Estrin Report is ranked number two (in the world? in the country? on the Internet?) in the Top 25 paralegal blogs. I love that and I genuinely appreciate all of your support and thank you for what it took to get there. This blog has been around since 2005. But according to the paralegal411 chart, there are 26 blogs. Does that mean that out of 250,000 paralegals in the U.S., a whole slew of paralegals who don't have the paralegal title...

When to Say "No" to Your Dream Job

2012-08-27T14:55:10-07:00

Then, I get THE CALL and not on my cell, either. The offer is coming down. YES!! I order up the snowmobile. I hop on Realtor.com and find out that for the price of a garage in L.A., I can have a mansion on a lake with my own personal boat dock. I realize I'll need floaties. Not a bad deal - even if I don't know how to sail.

A Shoutout to Paralegals Who Plan.....and Plan.....and Plan

2012-08-24T00:18:54-07:00

Today, we're hearing from Jamie Collins, our guest blogger, who is causing quite a stir with her blog, The Paralegal Society. She's opinionated, funny, informative and on point. Jamie speaks from the heart of a paralegal who has weathered the Bates Stamping Wars. I couldn't help but ask her to contribute to The Estrin Report. Have you had your day hijacked recently? Ha! Of course you have -you’re a paralegal! Let’s face it, we, as paralegals, are planners. We make to do lists, organize things (and attorneys), and draw up masterful contingency plans, day in and day out. It’s in...

Is there tension between paralegal lifers and future lawyers?

2012-08-15T11:09:31-07:00

It is well known that pressure to produce billable hours increases the temptation to keep hours or income up by overworking files, overstating the amount of work actually performed, or failing to complete work in the most efficient manner. Paralegals have created a hierarchy and paralegals without much education don’t tend to get too far. They tend to do routine and repetitious assignments in firms that are not necessarily rated the highest.”

Tough Negotiating for Tough Times

2012-08-08T11:30:28-07:00

If you’ve ever read the lists for Top Ten Stressors, losing your job or looking for a new one is right up there with life altering events. After finding that dream job, you hold your breath hoping the right amount of money is offered. That little stressor is guaranteed to give you hives, insomnia or worse, little crow’s feet right around your perfectly smooth eye-area. Relax. Chances are if your strategy is in place, you’ll end up getting the dollars you want or at least, pretty close to it. You’ve got to know at this point in your career, that...

5 Ways Corporate Paralegals Add Value to GCs

2012-07-20T11:53:53-07:00

Our guest blogger today is Joe Kanka: Five Ways Corporate Paralegals Add Value to GCs The recent article by Shannon Green in Corporate Counsel on Creating a Curriculum for a School for GCs was a very interesting read even with it being fictitious in nature. A couple of key points stuck out in my mind relating to the importance of law department management and learning the company business. Having worked as a corporate paralegal for AT&T and Bell Atlantic (now Verizon), my experience tells me that one more topic should be added to the hypothetical GC curriculum: How to Effectively...

When do you reveal you're going to law school?

2012-07-18T17:30:04-07:00

A paralegal posted a common question to one of the LinkedIn groups: “Am I absolutely out of my mind trying to find paralegal work, with no experience yet, only certification, and entering law school in the fall? Not exactly the ideal situation for a lot of hiring companies, apparently.” Naturally, I had to put in my $.25. No one who is seeking further education is out of their minds! That being said, looking for a job and intending to go to law school can present a problem for most law firms. These challenges center around time, money and disruptions. There...

A Stress Free Career? Are You Living in Dreamland????

2012-07-11T20:04:46-07:00

Stress doesn't really scare me. It is part and parcel of our lives. Why, might you ask, would anyone say that? Probably because in the second half of my work life, I have found the secrets to a relatively stress free career. Article after article has been written about stress. It’s the same old, same old: manage your stress, have a plan, stay positive, visualize your last trip to Hawaii in the sun-soaked terrain, exercise daily and get regular hot rock massages. That, or have a glass of good merlot, get in the bathtub with lots of Evelyn & Crabtree...

A Plan to Develop Your Successful Career

2012-06-29T02:02:23-07:00

If you're reading this now, you're probably thinking that I have a magic bullet for you - one that will propel you to paralegal stardom. I'm sorry. I don't happen to have that. What I do have, however, is 20+ years of experience witnessing success stories. And you know what? Each paralegal I witnessed who made it, all had a secret weapon - they continued to get more information and expand their skills through continuing education, seminars and webinars and were thereby recognized by their firms as "the expert." You have to remember, you're in a field that treasures academic...

The eDiscovery Salary Survey - Why You Should Take It!

2012-06-29T01:00:57-07:00

The Organization of Legal Professionals is conducting an important eDiscovery Salary Survey that will show you where you are in relationship to others on salary issues. If you are a paralegal and in any way, deal with eDiscovery, you need to take 3 minutes to do this survey. Why? Because the survey can help get you a better salary; information that has never been made public before; match your job duties to a real title; and tell you whether you are getting market rate, are underpaid or you are at top dollar. We need you to participate! The survey is...

Holy, Moly! Paralegals are Running for Office

2012-06-07T17:17:16-07:00

This week's paralegal blog from the Minnesota School of Business had an interesting post about paralegals running for office in 2012. Talk about expanding your career options! Here are some of the candidates running campaigns. I assume that paralegals have an excellent foundation to run for certain offices: Dealing with difficult attorneys, working overtime, tons of documents everywhere, sitting in meetings that go on and on and on, decision making via group decisions, and in this market, slashed budgets and few resources. Perfect. Bonnie Somer – U.S. House of Representatives Bonnie Somer is a Republican candidate seeking election to the...

The Win-Win Meeting - How You Can Make a Difference

2012-06-02T10:32:21-07:00

"Planning ahead an learning to manage meeting show stoppers plays a huge part in the success or failure of a meeting."

Change Your Game Plan - Change the Odds of Your Success

2012-06-01T16:15:15-07:00

It always amazes me that people plan for everything else that is important in their lives: children, buying a house, retirement, vacation but when it comes to planning their career – the very thing that supports those decisions - it’s a roll of the dice.

Are you a "Certified Paralegal"? Maybe not.

2012-05-29T01:34:20-07:00

I'm on my soapbox today with a pet peeve. I noticed that some paralegals are putting "ABA Certified Paralegal" on their resumes, social media or announcing it to friends and employers. Here's a suggestion: Stop now while you still can! Save yourself some embarrassment or even keep yourself from getting rejected from a job! The ABA does not offer certification. Certification is a process of taking a very rigorous exam that is based upon work experience and knowledge. It is not your final exam in paralegal school. Generally, you need to meet certain educational and work experience requirements, submit an...

In Search of the Rest of Your Career

2012-05-17T17:51:07-07:00

Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen a legal professional get energized about a job in order to put more profit in a partner’s pocket. However, when I suggest a change to an organization where a legal professional makes real difference, faces light up.

15 Ways to Leave Your Lawyer ...And Set Yourself Free

2012-04-27T13:08:14-07:00

Last Impressions Last impressions are as important as first and doubly important in the paralegal field where “everyone knows your name.” People talk, and when they’re talking about you, it’s important that the conversation remains positive. Ensure that today’s co-workers become tomorrow’s dependable references and contacts. Here are a few suggestions: Time to Get Ready, Freddie. . . 1. Know when it’s time to move onto better things: Working for someone is a dating relationship, not a marriage. It’s just the reality of today’s workplace. Don’t Cause a Storm, Norm . . . 2. Never leave in a huff: No...

Warning: Shift Ahead - Are You Ready?

2012-04-25T17:39:49-07:00

A paralegal wrote in with this question: Is it worth it for a paralegal to sit for the eDiscovery Certification Exam? Of course, I jumped right on this question! As Chairperson of the Organization of Legal Professionals (OLP) and a co-founder of the International Paralegal Management Association, author of 10 books on legal careers and Editor-in-Chief of KNOW, The Magazine for Paralegals (ok, ok...lol), I have strong opinions about the value of getting the CeDP - certification in eDiscovery for paralegals and legal professionals. The legal market is leaning towards less work done by lawyers and more work done by...

What??? Consider a Career with a Legal Support Provider?

2012-04-23T13:05:33-07:00

While some law firm professionals believe that taking a position with a vendor is “going over to the dark side,” careers with legal service providers can be fun and lucrative. If you are through with the billable hour monkey on your back, here’s a whole other avenue you can take and still stay in the legal field.

Participating in Salary Surveys Can Lead to Big Surprises

2012-04-09T11:48:04-07:00

Here's what's lacking in this market: Reliable salary surveys that the average law firm employee can get their hands on. Sure, there are lots of surveys out there but they are either a) an informal survey that isn't entirely accurate; b) available only for top executives; c) done by an association without the psychometrics, analytics and other precision tools that make a survey accurate or d) so pricey that once purchased and read by the Executive Director, it's read once then stashed away in a plain brown envelope and hidden in the firm's vault. Why would you participate in a...

Would you give your Facebook password to a prospective employer?

2012-03-24T03:20:34-07:00

Years ago, employers would ask women what kind of birth control they used. (I remember being asked during an interview with Pacific Bell telephone when I was 18 years old.) The feeling was that if the candidate used none or used something that wasn't consistent, they would get pregnant and leave the job. Women were often turned down because of what type of birth control they used. It has nothing to do with whether they could do the job. Catholics, in particular, suffered a great deal of discrimination.