Everything You’ve Wanted to Know about Becoming a Board Certified Legal Assistant: A Legal Staff Profile of Michele Boerder How do you become a board certified legal assistant? Better yet, how do you become a successful one? By following the example of Michele Boerder, of course. Chances are you're on the same path as Boerder. Maybe you've been discouraged or are wondering how to boost your legal staff career. Well, the answers are here. By reading the article below, you'll discover why... (151 views)
Law Librarian and Actor: Mary Dryden At age three Mary Dryden began training as a ballet dancer. A ski accident 14 years later, however, forced her to look elsewhere for artistic expression. So Dryden instead invested her time in acting. (345 views)
Legal Staff Profile: Mishele Gonsch For nineteen years, Mishele Gonsch has immersed herself in the legal field. However, her career path didn't begin around attorneys, legal books, or law firms. It began at a salon. (65 views)
Minnesota's State Law Librarian: Barbara Golden When Barbara Golden was elected to replace Marvin Anderson as Minnesota's state law librarian, she gladly yet humbly accepted. (94 views)
Reference Librarian at Phillips Lytle Laura Suttell When Laura Suttell, reference librarian at law firm Phillips Lytle, was 15 and working her first job at a library, she sheepishly admits, ''it was one of the last jobs I wanted. I thought it was completely uncool and my friends would come in and make fun of me.'' (239 views)
Double Threat in the Legal Industry Edna Davis ''I thought that the legal field would be interesting to pursue, and I must say it has been that and more,'' admits Edna Davis, legal secretary and paralegal at Sterns & Walker. And for over 30 years, Davis, having learned the ins and outs of the legal business, has thrived. (50 views)
From the Hospital to the Legal Field: Bless Gunzer ''I had a life experience that convinced me that nursing was the right profession for me,'' says Bless Gunzer. ''During my first year of college, I was unfortunately hospitalized.'' (123 views)
Paralegal at Shernoff, Bidart & Darras Candace McInally Having already received a classical ballet degree from United States International University and a liberal studies degree from Butte College, Candace McInally went back to school for her third. Her original plan was to major in business; however, one legal class later, McInally discovered her new passion for law. (216 views)
From Fashion to Law: Heather Edwards For many the word ''fashion'' conjures up images of chic designs, iconic outfits, and luxurious fabrics. Fashion demands imagination and creativity. It seeks out the free spirited, allowing for rules to be broken and minds to think outside the box. But law? Rule-abiding, fact-seeking, organized law has little to do with the world of fashion. So how did fashion industry... (187 views)
Christine Parizo: Author of A Paralegal's Blog Christine Parizo learned how to blend her passions for writing and law to gain professional success. The result? A blogging paralegal. (432 views)
Alison Schuettler: Paralegal at GTSI From a young age, Alison Schuettler desired to work in the legal field. She considered becoming a police officer or an attorney; however, when she realized those careers required more schooling, she altered her original plans. (29 views)
Paralegal Linda Michalik Enjoys the Details ''It's similar to being a nurse rather than being a doctor,'' says Linda Michalik, comparing a paralegal to an attorney. ''The doctor makes a plan, and the nurse implements it. That's what the paralegal does.'' (118 views)
Paul Caron: Associate Dean of Faculty and Law Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law Associate Dean of Faculty and law professor Paul Caron credits his legal interest to a former professor whom he worked for as a teaching assistant. And according to his professor, Caron was the ''second-best teaching assistant he had [had] in all of his years teaching — behind a fellow named Bill Clinton.'' (402 views)
Joe Hodnicki: Associate Director for Library Operations at Robert S. Marx Law Library at the University of Cincinnati Associate director for library operations Joe Hodnicki came close to working in the restaurant business. And if it hadn't been for his father (who Hodnicki thought was displeased by his work, although he really wasn't), Hodnicki might still be sautéing mushrooms as a chef instead of succeeding as a law librarian and law blogger. After more than a decade, Hodnicki... (402 views)
Legal Nurse Consultant Vickie Milazzo Without persistence and determination, Vickie Milazzo might still be working as an unhappy R.N. instead of thriving as a blissful legal nurse consultant. And her blissfulness stems from a myriad of successes, including garnering a six-figure salary and creating her own company, Vickie Milazzo Institute, one of Inc. magazine's ''Top 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies... (1073 views)
1st-pick's Bonnie Russell ''I majored in speech and sociology at Glendale Community College, proving there's hope for those without a degree,'' says legal expert Bonnie Russell. And having worked as a receptionist-accounting clerk, a jury consultant, a dispatcher, and now her own boss, Russell should give hope to the degree-less. Lots of it. (552 views)
Rose Saucedo: L.A. Superior Criminal Court Court Reporter L.A. Superior Criminal Court court reporter Rose Saucedo admits she ''couldn't deal with a boss yelling at [her] or depending on someone or vice versa'' in her career. ''Maybe that's why I chose this career,'' she explains. ''I sit next to the district attorneys and the witness stand, so I only interact with the professionals.'' (158 views)
Deposition Court Reporter Lisette Saucedo From 1998 to 2001, deposition court reporter Lisette Saucedo served as vice president of the Court Reporting Club and secretary of the Associated Students, worked two part-time jobs, attended Cypress College full-time, and ''each semester...petitioned to take more units than were allowed because [she] wanted to finish in the minimum three years the program state[d] it... (266 views)
Robin Charlow: Professor of Law at Hofstra University School of Law Between graduating from Vassar College in 1971 and starting at Cornell Law School in 1978, Robin Charlow traveled the East Coast, abroad, and the West Coast, acquiring a resume including job titles from substitute elementary teacher to house cleaner to nanny to laundry worker to agricultural worker (to name a few). (221 views)
Susan Ippoliti: The Litigation Paralegal Who Keeps On Going Plaintiff and defense litigation paralegal Susan G. Ippoliti referred to herself as the Energizer Bunny, ''always going, going, going,'' when she worked for large private law firms. However, after a switch to a smaller firm, Ippoliti discovered she needed to adopt the ways of a new iconic beastie: ''the easygoing GEICO Gecko.'' (80 views)
The Life and Career of Jeannie Johnston creator of ParalegalGateway.com and MyParalegalSpace.com Watch out, MySpace. There's a new social networking site available to web surfers, and it is attempting to replicate the success of its counterpart…well, sort of. MyParalegalSpace is one of the newest social sites to hit the scene, but unlike MySpace.com, this site is strictly devoted to paralegals. (48 views)
Paralegal Patty Dietz-Selke Practices Patience While patience is a virtue, it's also a necessary trait for working in immigration law, at least according to Patty Dietz-Selke, a paralegal in Troutman Sanders's immigration department.In fact, ''patience,'' says Dietz-Selke, choosing this quality from a long list, ''is probably the most crucial.'' (73 views)
Debbie House: Paralegal at Beadles, Newman & Lawler, PC Naturally ambitious, Debbie House refused to do ''the same old thing every day.'' So she bravely donned the hat of a paralegal, and she has thrived in the profession for more than 31 years. (970 views)
John Michalik: CEO and Executive Director of the Association of Legal Administrators Ever since junior high school, John Michalik wanted to become a lawyer.''The idea or goal was to be a litigator,'' said the executive director and CEO of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA). (230 views)
Jena Parker, Certified Paralegal As a paralegal for a criminal defense attorney at Michael Logan Ware, Jena Parker knows that in order to represent her attorney well, she must be flexible and talented in many areas. Fortunately for this well-seasoned paralegal-11 years and counting-both words describe her well. (63 views)
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt's Manager of Secretarial Services: Virginia Zingg Some people know at the age of nine what they want to be as adults—a doctor, a teacher, a journalist, an athlete. Virginia Zingg, however, wasn’t one of them. (132 views)
Brenda Young: Legal Assistant at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP Even as a child, Brenda Young argued like a lawyer, defending her ideas until her point was made. Though too young for law school, Young learned her lawyer tactics from a different source: television. (396 views)
Patti Groff: It's All in the Details Wondering what advertising executives and lawyers have in common? According to Patti Groff, director of administration at Butz, Dunn & DeSantis, ''ad execs and lawyers are both highly dynamic professionals [who bring] super-charged energy and creativity to the table in very different ways!'' (119 views)
Suit Up for Success! ''You are what you eat.'' Yes, we hear that saying often...but are you what you wear, as well? According to Sherry Maysonave, author of Casual Power: How to Power Up Your Nonverbal Communication and Dress Down for Success, it may be wise to consider that possibility. (213 views)
The Life and Career of Vickie Gray: Legal Secretary at Paulson & Nace One thing Vickie Gray knew growing up was that she wanted to be just like her mother. ''She was an impeccable dresser (very polished), won many awards for her service and accomplishments in the government, and was well liked by her superiors,'' said Gray. (112 views)