The Estrin Report

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.

You Coulda Fooled Me.....

2012-03-23T18:21:24-07:00

I read what I thought would be a same old, same old topic today in Paralegal Society but it didn't turn out that way. The guest post, by Stacey Wagner, was about business casual but the piece actually gave me a poke in the old gray matter evoking this lesson: Some years ago, I did some consulting work for the Marine base at Ft. Lejuene for JAG officers, attorneys and paralegals who were departing the service. Just before I was to go on with my talk, there were a couple of consultants from the corporate department of Nordstrom who talked...

10 Ways to Sink Your Paralegal Career - Guaranteed

2012-03-21T14:06:59-07:00

It's a game, really, this business of careers. If you think about it, every move should be strategic, every decision made carefully, and each accidental event acknowledged as it affects your outcome. To top it off, the results are win, lose or draw. Why we make the bad choices we do can sometimes be thrown into the mystery category but other times, it's because we're just plain unaware that these actions (or non-actions) are guiding the outcome of our careers. Here are 10 top reasons why your career may be stalled, dead-ended or become routine and repetitious: 1. You Are...

A Mature Paralegal's Story in Today's Legal Market

2012-02-17T10:16:19-08:00

Today we hear from our guest blogger, Karen George, FRP, from Miami, Florida. I am a paralegal. I am a “mature” paralegal. I rose through the ranks to become a paralegal. I didn’t take a class, get a certificate or any other degree (AS/BS). I am of the “original” paralegals, that worked her way up to Paralegal. I have knowledge gathered through years of doing the work, I have experience in many different areas of law. I learned through trial and error, asking questions, watchi Here is one “mature” paralegal’s story. Sit back, this is going to take you down...

The Paralegal Bill of Rights

2012-01-25T10:09:40-08:00

Here's a great post that I caught from the Paralegal Society blog: In The Paralegal Society’s “social club,” which is hosted on LinkedIn, we decided to have a little fun one day (actually more like a week), and we compiled the following Paralegal Bills of Rights. We wanted to share it with all of you, so you are well-versed in all of your paralegal rights! Remember, as a paralegal, you have the right to… 1. To read the minds of attorneys for the power of all that is good in the legal kingdom. 2. The right to food, family and...

Informative Articles, Interesting Blogs.....

2012-01-11T10:33:23-08:00

Our guest blogger today is Celia Elwell - back with another useful column of Informative Articles and Interesting Blogs: Legal Articles & Blogs: 2011 a transformative year” for workplace class action litigation, by Ashley Post, InsideCounsel http://bit.ly/wE1eT1 D.C. Judge Orders Deloitte To Court In Subpoena Dispute, posted by Mike Scarcella, The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times http://bit.ly/ydRSeL Piggybacking on Students' Free LEXIS Access by Practitioners: "No can do" says Utah State Bar, Law Librarian Blog http://bit.ly/wWMHeF Stop Online Piracy Act Wants Biglaw Support; Biglaw Says, Aw, Hell No’ by Christopher Danzig, Above the Law Blog http://bit.ly/zlOlXZ What Employers and...

About 1/3 of Law Firms Plan to Hire in 2012

2011-12-29T09:13:08-08:00

Well, here's a breath of fresh air. According to the Denver Business Journal, a Robert Half Survey found that 1/3 of law firms surveyed are planning on increasing their attorney and non-attorney staff in 2012. Of course, the Negative Nellies can interpret that to say that two-thirds of law firms surveyed do not plan on increasing staff in 2012. Is the glass half-full or is the glass half-empty? According to the survey, about one in three law firms and corporate counsel nationwide plan to add legal staff in the first quarter of 2012, according to the quarterly Robert Half Legal....

Paralegals, Mind Your Manners

2011-12-18T15:41:28-08:00

Stayce Wagner, an intellectual property litigation paralegal with over 15 years of experience, joins us today with a guest blog. Read about Stayce in the January issue of KNOW Magazine for Paralegals. Find out how a former Ms. Black World California turned paralegal leveraged her background into an interesting and exciting new career. Enjoy! The First Rule of Etiquette The sheriffs and movers who refused to evict 103-year-old Vinia Hall and her 83-year-old daughter from the Atlanta home that they have shared for fifty years understand. They understand that having good manners isn’t always about power handshakes and proper introductions....

Paralegal Allegedly Forges $285K Law Firm Check to Put Down Payment on $3M House

2011-12-16T08:33:25-08:00

Boy oh boy. We've heard everything now. And I mean everything. If you're not in California, you may not have heard about the Newport Beach, CA paralegal who allegedly stole a $19,000 check written to her law firm and turned it into a $285,000 check for herself and her pal, an elementary school teacher. After the check was deposited into a joint account for the paralegal and the elementary school teacher, authorities say, the two friends flew to New York City with friends in a chartered jet and went on a spending spree, according to the Los Angeles Times and...

New LitSupport Survey Shows Managers Get Big Bucks

2011-12-14T17:32:53-08:00

The Organization of Legal Professionals (OLP) has been surveying Litigation Support Professionals to uncover interesting insights and valuable facts to help LSPs make the most of their careers. The survey, sponsored by ZyLab and Career Numbers, is unlike traditional salary and utilization surveys. The survey is left open to regularly update the information and release new and interesting insights. Additionally, OLP/Zylab will continue to provide free access to the updated results to each person who completes the survey. The Organization of Legal Professionals (OLP) is a non-profit organization providing continuing legal education and certification exams to the legal community. The...

Mayo Clinic Legal Dept. Says Paralegals Are Awesome

2011-12-09T11:25:35-08:00

OK, they didn't exactly use the word, "awesome" but they may as well have. In an interview with Corporate Counsel magazine, Jonathan Oviatt , chief legal officer of the Mayo Clinic, revealed that crunching the numbers has led in-house legal departments to rely more and more on legal support staff rather than attorneys. The ratio of lawyers to non-lawyers on its staff is a key metric for demonstrating to his corporate bosses that the legal department is doing its part to keep expenses down. "I use that in demonstrating value to the C-suite that the legal department is focused on...

Explaining your job to your kids - A new book for paralegals

2011-11-29T11:59:24-08:00

Here's a good question for you: How do you explain to your child what you do during the day at work? It's hard enough to explain the paralegal career to adults. According to parenting.com, until the child is about three years old, "Mommy is going to work" is about all they can understand. However, after that, when they're asking "Why is the sky blue, why is the grass green?" it starts to get a bit complicated. Work is hard to visualize and a position where you aren't exactly physically making a product you can bring home to show them is...

7 Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Paralegals

2011-11-22T09:01:01-08:00

Today's guest blogger is John Featherstone, author of "Start Hiring Winners". They don’t listen: It isn’t enough to just hear your boss when being addressed. Look at the person talking, and focus on what is being said so you can understand the message. They don’t follow instructions: When receiving an assignment, write down the instructions. Carry paper and pen with you at all times so you can write down instructions and good ideas as they occur. They don’t complete work assignments: If you run into difficulty, ask for help in time to meet the deadline. Don’t just set the project...

Thinking about leaving your job? It may be time for a reality check.

2011-11-18T16:46:46-08:00

Two of the greatest attributes most paralegals possess are dedication and loyalty to the profession. Many come to this field as career changers, having had successful jobs in totally unrelated fields. Making the decision to leave your current position is a tough one that cannot be made lightly. It can be a joyous decision or one fraught with pain and anxiety. Changing jobs is one of the most stressful activities a professional can undertake. Stress surveys rank it almost equally with a death in the family. Often you felt trapped in your present position because you may think that no...

Are Good Manners A Requirement for Business Success?

2011-11-12T00:11:25-08:00

Guest Blogger: Stacey Wagner “Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.” Laurence Sterne As I sat down to write this business etiquette blog for The Estrin Report, I wondered, are good manners a requirement for business success? Not surprisingly, the answer is an unequivocal no. Anyone who has worked in corporate America can effortlessly think of at least two people who are rude and inconsiderate, but who are nevertheless wildly rich and successful. What is the point of good manners, then, if you can succeed with bad manners? The point of good manners is simple:...

Can You Say Millennial? Law Firm employees learn to all get along.

2011-11-09T01:48:11-08:00

At a dinner the other night, I realized (possibly for the first time) that generational differences in communication absolutely existed. It started when a group of Millennials at the far end of the table were discussing Kardashian’s spilt from her husband of 72 days, the reported $17 million earned working up towards the $10 million wedding (netting an assumed profit of $7 mil to get dressed up and have a little fun) and whether the whole thing was fake or real. In the meantime, at the other end of the table, a group of Baby Boomer friends began to chat about issues of the day that were important to them: Zantac, Phazyme and Breathe Right Strips.

Fired at Fifty: It Can Happen to You

2011-11-01T00:26:55-07:00

FIRED AT FIFTY by Tucker Mays and Bob Sloane This article is written for you and the thousands of others across America who are age fifty or over. The unemployment rate for this age group is now higher than that of any other and at the highest rate since the depression. Why is it that America’s most skilled and experienced workers struggle to find work? Although they will never admit it, most recruiters and companies admit privately that they are significantly less interested in hiring executives when they reach the age of fifty. There are many reasons for this bias...

The Game Changer for Paralegals

2011-10-25T06:08:49-07:00

Anyone continuing their legal education encounters opened doors to new adventures and opportunities that are closed to those without the same benefits. The value of continuing legal education increases every year. Without a college degree, including a degree from two-year program, the prospects of finding a high-quality job with excellent earnings is difficult at best. Without a certificate in this marketplace, the prospects of finding a great job decrease even further. The level of education for the average paralegal in the United States is increasing, making it essential to complete additional education beyond a paralegal certificate. Back in the "old...

How to Handle a Group Interview and Live to Tell the Tale

2011-10-19T10:10:43-07:00

Get real about your qualifications. Understand precisely why you are the right person for this particular position so you can effectively present yourself as the best candidate. When researching interviewers, LinkedIn can be a great resource. If your interviewers have public profiles, check them out. Your goal is to gather information to help you develop rapport, so you should look for aspects of their backgrounds that align with your own. Your network can also be a great resource; if you know anyone who has worked with your interviewers, hit them up for information, too. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t want to come across like a stalker.

Wanna Buy a Watch? Legal discount deals space gets bigger

2011-10-07T11:15:49-07:00

The discount deals space just got a little more crowded with a niche site that offers deals specifically geared to lawyers. MyLegal.com, LLC, has introduced the world’s first Legal Vendor Deals Program where service providers from over 100 verticals offer deals to lawyers and other legal professionals. The Legal Vendor Deals program is the first of its kind to combine discount deals with vendor Ratings & Reviews. Law firms can now turn to a single website for vetting prospective service providers around the globe and getting deals that they can pass along to their clients. “Everybody wins,” said Lisa DiMonte,...

Forbes Rates Paralegals as the #1 Most Underrated Job in the U.S.

2011-09-29T16:03:04-07:00

When have you ever heard the paralegal career called "low-stress"? According to Forbes magazine, CareerCast.com has published a list of the 10 most underrated jobs in the U.S. and the paralegal career is #1. The publication goes on to say that the job involves little contact with the public and doesn’t require employees to breathe in toxic fumes or lift loads of 50 lbs. or more. The average salary is $47,000 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That and the relatively low unemployment rate (approximately 4%), land paralegals in the number one spot on CareerCast.com’s list of Underrated Jobs...

Paralegal Knowledge Institute Makes Its Debut

2011-09-14T00:03:15-07:00

Attention experienced paralegals! There's a new outfit in town, the Paralegal Knowledge Institute (www.paralegalknowledge.com) that launches this week. Designed specifically for the paralegal assignment, the Institute is offering gold-standard courses, webinars and publications. The purpose of the Institute is to bring to the paralegal community a new concept: an organization dedicated strictly to the career advancement of the experienced paralegal. The difference between the Institute and other training companies is that the Institute is strictly dedicated to paralegal continuing legal education while in other organizations, paralegal training is a division of a larger company, generally dedicated to attorney training. "We...

There's no such thing as an ABA Certified Paralegal.....

2011-08-27T15:54:23-07:00

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...

2011-08-27T15:21:56-07:00

To anyone who is experiencing Hurricane Irene: We are thinking of all of you and keeping our fingers crossed for you. Stay safe.

Stressed out and going nowhere

2011-08-22T23:38:00-07:00

Being a tad stressed out lately, I decided to research the topic and unfortunately, came up with the same old boring routine run-of-the-mill suggestions. There's nothing worse than for stressed out paralegals and legal professionals to read another article on stress that tells you to: a. Take a break. (Right. With that pile of work on my desk, my boss breathing down my neck, I'm gonna take a break.) b. Take a walk outside. (It's 115 degrees here. You take the walk.) b. Meditate. (That brings me right back to obsessing on what's stressing me.) c. Take a bubble bath....