Land Your First Paralegal Job: Tips from Author Andrea Wagner Andrea Wagner, the author of one book on how to break into the paralegal profession and one book on how to break out of it, offers a lot of helpful advice to aspiring and current paralegals who want to know what to do next. (557 views)
Paralegal Career Guide: Working In-House | LawCrossing Corporations have long used in-house counsel to take care of their legal needs. And now other legal staff have been added to the corporate mix. (6147 views)
Legal Staff Job Descriptions: Crafting Effective Job Descriptions for Legal Support Staff The legal industry is one of the world's most dynamic and competitive sectors. The legal support staff is essential in helping legal firms provide quality services to their clients. However, recruiting and retaining the right legal support staff can be a challenge. Crafting effective job descriptions for legal support staff is essential to attract the best candidates and... (104 views)
How to Handle a Poor Performance Review: Proven Strategies (Part 2) Part I of this piece examined the growth of performance reviews at law firms and detailed the rationale behind them. In Part II, LawCrossing gives advice on how to handle the review process. (912 views)
How Business Managers are Enabling Law Firms to Succeed | LawCrossing Gone are the days when a designated paralegal handled the firm's finances, hiring and firing, and other administrative responsibilities. Firms are increasingly choosing to hire business managers or other administrative decision makers to care for their organizational tasks (3285 views)
Gain More Responsibility as a Paralegal: How to Advance in the Firm Setting Employers generally treasure workers who seek to improve their job performance and are eager to take on more responsibility—and law firms are no exception to the rule. A paralegal or legal assistant who’s willing to learn new tasks and help out with additional duties may enjoy a boss who respects and values his or her contribution to the firm. (64 views)
Celia C. Elwell, RP | Freelance Paralegal | Legal Services | LawCrossing Freelance Paralegal Celia C. Elwell is a semi-finalist in the Lessons from the Top Paralegal Experts contest, which will be turned into a book next year once the 15 winners are selected. LawCrossing speaks with Ms. Elwell about her skills and the perils of reaching the top of the paralegal field. (221 views)
Top Tips for Acing Your Performance Review: What to Do After a Subpar Performance (Part 1) Many lawyers and professional legal staff prefer to think of themselves as in business for themselves, merely using a group to provide office space, support services, and occasional camaraderie. (1769 views)
Master the Art of Legal Research: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners For those with little or no experience researching the law, Legal Research for Beginners by Sonja Larsen and John Bourdeau (Barron's) is a valuable tool. The book offers a clear description of legal research tools and a quick overview of research methods. (978 views)
Comparing Two Major Legal Research Tools: Making the Right Choice for Your Law Firm In the world of legal researching, Lexis-Nexis and Thomson West reign supreme. Both companies offer a wide range of services to lawyers, paralegals, and legal librarians. (758 views)
How A Paralegal Found Their Ideal Job - Tips & Advice for Job Seekers Wendy S. Cathers was recently named ''Rookie of the Year'' by Legal Assistant Today magazine. LawCrossing speaks with the Richards Layton and Finger paralegal about her accomplishments and her decision to switch careers and become a paralegal. (110 views)
Paralegal Pioneers: How to Blaze Your Own Trail in The Legal Professio One of the first paralegals in the country, Carole Bruno studied at the prestigious University of West Los Angeles School of Law Paralegal Program. She has worked in litigation and law firm marketing and recently started writing full time. Her fourth book on paralegals is due out early next year. LawCrossing talks with Ms. Bruno about the paralegal profession. (117 views)
Chad M. Papenfuss- Expert Litigation Support Administrator With Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis, MN One of the hottest fields in the legal profession is e-Discovery and electronic information, according to Chad Papenfuss, litigation support administrator at Fredrikson & Byron, Minneapolis. LawCrossing speaks with Papenfuss about the challenges of automating the law and his crusade to make legal documents a click away. (322 views)
Chere B. Estrin: Career Coaching Expert | Best Tips to Reach Your Goals Thousands of paralegals, attorneys, and legal staff planning ways to get ahead in their careers look to Chere B. Estrin. She wrote the book - actually eight books - to guide legal staffers in their careers. LawCrossing talks with Estrin about her passion for training legal staff and her knack for building companies. (264 views)
Expert Litigation Consultant and Ph.D., Kenneth Broda-Bahm, Shares Strategies on How to Win a Persuasion Battle In the movies, a jury consultant can size up a character in an instant, peering into his/her very soul with nary a glance and knowing in his gut how a prospective juror will lean on a certain issue or whether they will be sympathetic to a particular defense strategy. LawCrossing talked with litigation consultant Kenneth Broda-Bahm and discovered that reality is a far cry... (66 views)
How O'Hagan Smith Amundsen Leveraged Chuck Linebaugh As Director Of Information Systems In Chicago In the digital age, law firms are generally not viewed as cutting edge. ''IT Guy'' Chuck Linebaugh tells LawCrossing why the legal field is coming out of the digital dark ages and why his law firm is ahead of the game when it comes to technology. (533 views)
Harry Knox: Freedom to Marry Program Director | LawCrossing.com After being denied the opportunity to serve his church because he was gay, Harry Knox has become a crusader on behalf of gay rights, and the right to marry in particular. Knox talks with LawCrossing this week about his role as the program director of Freedom to Marry and the exciting changes he sees on the horizon. (998 views)
Paralegal Scott Panek: Expertise and Experience in Personal Injury Cases at the Law Offices of Kathleen Zellner Legal Footsoldier: Paralegal Scott Panek speaks to LawCrossing about the development of his career, from a messenger for a law firm in the Chicago Loop area to a paralegal and office manager in one of the country's top boutique firms. (834 views)
Phillip Signey: Paralegal at Prestigious Law Firm Munger, Tolles & Olso Phillip Signey literally saw a sign which convinced him to become a paralegal more than 20 years ago. He started doing routine unlawful detainers and collections work and has since built a diverse practice focused solely on litigation. Signey talks with LawCrossing this week about the ever-changing profession and his second book on paralegals, which is due out this fall. (179 views)
Scott Campbell: Deputy Director for Field Operations at Global Rights | LawCrossing Civil unrest, armed conflict, gender discrimination—all the troubles in the world concern Scott Campbell. As deputy director for field operations of Global Rights, Campbell travels the world helping people get better access to justice. LawCrossing talks with Campbell about the changing role of Global Rights and about his experiences promoting human rights in Congo,... (171 views)
Pen Volkmann: Holland & Hart's Director of Graphics & Video Services As more people get their news and information through television and the Internet, more and more attorneys are using animation and television graphics to explain often complex issues to judges and juries. Who makes the art that is increasingly being used in courtrooms? LawCrossing speaks to an artist working in the growing field of demonstrative exhibits. (69 views)
Gain An Insider's Perspective On Attending A Paralegal Conference | LawCrossing Attend or not attend? This is the question that many legal professionals ask themselves about the numerous conferences and symposia they are invited to attend. A great number of them make decisions on the fly, based on the mood of the moment and a super-quick analysis of pros and cons. But what happens if after rejecting conferences by the dozen, you, in your moment of... (330 views)
Become a Government Paralegal - Land a Job in the Legal Industry While new attorneys find that the ease of obtaining employment may expand and contract with business cycles, the Department of Labor predicts that job opportunities for paralegals will grow faster than the average for other occupations over the course of the next several years. As a growing population requires more government services, job opportunities for paralegals in... (724 views)
Legal Careers: Job Opportunities in the United States for Attorneys, Paralegals and Law Graduates This week, LawCrossing takes a look at some of the jobs in the legal field: what's out there currently and what to expect in the upcoming year. The situation continues to look good for paralegals, court reporters, and even IT professionals in the legal industry. (27 views)
Unlock Your Legal Marketing Potential: How To Turn New Perspectives Into Powerful Opportunities Henry Dahut is a facilitator--a management and marketing strategist who works with lawyers to help them envision and achieve new business objectives. An attorney himself, he has 20 years of experience in the field. What was not clear from the book is how much of this experience includes actually practicing law in a firm setting. This detail would be helpful in gauging his... (83 views)
First Male Legal Assistant Elected to Head National Legal Assistants Associatio In many firms, attorneys administer the work of legal assistants. Gary Melhuish would like to see more firms hire Legal Assistant Managers. LawCrossing speaks with Mr. Melhuish about the niche profession and his role as the new president of the Legal Assistant Management Association - the first man to head the organization. (375 views)
Public Speaking Tips: How to Improve Your Communication Skills Although the Socratic Method helps law professors teach students how to analyze case law and legal issues, many students and practicing attorneys discover that they have very limited public speaking skills. Fortunately, there are numerous ways that legal professionals can improve these talents. The following group of legal professionals offer a myriad of helpful tips. (543 views)
Guy Danilowitz, Legal Assistant - Protecting the Underprivileged Through Law Raised in apartheid South Africa, Guy Danilowitz was just a young boy when he began questioning the law and why people obey laws if they are clearly unjust. LawCrossing talks with Mr. Danilowitz about his work in a civil rights law firm and his plans to go to law school. (621 views)
Paralegal Career Guide: How to Become a Civil Litigation Expert Whether litigation is your specialty or you are simply looking for clarification on civil issues, Civil Litigation for Paralegals by Elizabeth Richardson and Milton Regan (West Publishing) is a great addition to your reference library. This volume is a comprehensive overview of the litigation process, with sample court documents, detailed legal explanations, and on-the-job... (1161 views)
Strategies for Successful Law Firm Interviews for Attorneys and Law Students Preparing thoroughly and practicing good etiquette during the interview process is essential for those applying for attorney or law student positions. To make a good impression, applicants should reflect on their strengths and weaknesses before the interview, avoid common mistakes such as asking inappropriate questions about salary or vacation time, and follow up with a... (50 views)