Advice for New Paralegals: What Every Paralegal Must Know When They Begin a New Paralegal Job Summary: This article uses real experiences from paralegals to illustrate the job and its processes to those who are just entering the legal profession. (3289 views)
How Paralegals Can Recover Unpaid Fees for Professional Legal Services Attorneys are not the only legal professionals who should keep accurate time sheets: in most jurisdictions, courts have allowed firms to recover for reasonable use of a paralegal or legal assistant's time as well. (3287 views)
How Hard is it for a Paralegal to Land a Job at a Good Law Firm? We asked attorneys and legal staff members throughout the country how hard it is for a paralegal to land a job at a good law firm. Several individuals weighed in on our question and provided excellent advice. We hope you enjoy their responses as much as we did. (3285 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)
How to Avoid a Bad Reputation at Work Little things that you do every day without thinking could be driving your coworkers crazy. Your bad business habits can give you a bad reputation and make you the topic of water-cooler gossip. Take a deep breath—and a good hard look at yourself—and then ask yourself if you are guilty of committing any of the following reputation killers. (3272 views)
Many white-collar employees put in 60 or 70 hours per week Vivian Lin knows the precise minute she needs to leave her office to pick up groceries at Trader Joe's before it closes at 9 p.m. (3235 views)
The Advantages of Legal Assistant Jobs A professional legal assistant plays an important role along with other legal professionals such as administrative law specialists, attorneys, administrative law examiners, or prosecutor training coordinators in the legal profession. The advantages of legal assistant jobs come along with the intellectual and financial benefits they receive from their work such as fast... (3234 views)
Top 7 Common Behavioral Interview Questions Asked In Legal Interviews More and more, legal employers are asking behavioral questions during interviews to see how candidates would behave when confronted with an issue on the job. Since behavioral interviews are becoming so popular, it’d behoove you to prepare responses for some commonly-asked behavioral interview questions. Here are a few to start off with: (3211 views)
The Patent Agent is a Legal Staff Position and Passing the Patent Bar Exam is required This article talks about the legal staff position of a Patent Agent. A Patent Agent does not need a legal degree but does need a background in technology such as computer science, electrical, mechanical engineering, or biotech education. The Patent Agent must take and pass the patent bar exam the same as patent attorneys. (3200 views)
A Law Job without a JD? 10 Alternative Careers in the Legal Industry Although warnings about a poor job market and an economy on the brink of a recession have filled the airwaves recently, the 2008 outlook for the legal market shows that it will continue to be a booming sector. Work, as well as jobs, in the areas of corporate securities, energy, and IP law in particular will continue to grow throughout the year. Moreover, salaries will... (3186 views)
Paralegal Opportunities in the Nonprofit Sector Positions for trained paralegals in the public interest sector are very often dependent on funding by the government or by foundation grants. (3139 views)
What are Freelance Paralegals and Contract Paralegals? Summary: This article discusses the paralegal freelancing career path that may be attractive to those in the profession. (3130 views)
Erin Brockovich: Part 1 Just Getting Started It was the day of my interview with Mrs. Erin Brockovich-Ellis. Mixed with feelings of nervousness and enthusiasm, I picked up the phone and dialed her home number. With a warm hello, Brockovich immediately made me feel as if I were chatting with an old friend. Her confident yet humble demeanor made it clear that this gal knew who she was and what she wanted to accomplish... (3088 views)
The Job profile and Responsibilities of Legal Staff in a Law Firm Law firms are nowadays expanding due to an increasing demand for legal services. Lawyers have found out that it is practically impossible to manage their law firms individually and as such have found the importance of a legal staff. This paper explores the various roles played by a legal staff in a law firm. (3063 views)
Sample Job Advertisements to Give You an Idea of the Paralegal Profession This article describes a few sample paralegal job advertisements to give a clear conception about real job functions of a paralegal. (3062 views)
Legal Nurse Consultant Salaries When you are in a place where you are thinking about where your career should go and what the options in front of you are, you'll find that it is time for you to take a look at the skilled profession of legal nurse consultancy. A legal nurse consultant is someone who holds a position that squarely straddles the legal and medical field, and when you are ready to get the... (3055 views)
Common Specialization Areas in the Paralegal Profession What area of the law you work in may depend largely on the specialty of the employer. In a small general practice firm, the area of the law pretty much depends on the problems of the clients who come through the door. Was your client arrested? Then you'll be researching criminal law. Does your client want a divorce? Then you'll bone up on family law. A will? Estate... (2909 views)
Choosing a Career in Computer Forensics Paralegal Computer Forensics may sound familiar, it is one the leading specialties for paralegals today. Computer forensics is the means of specifying and examining computer data for breaches or litigation. Computer forensics can be used to print documents for litigation or it can be the tool of an expert witness to deduce the work of the computer's user. (2909 views)
‘Paralegal’ or ‘Legal Assistant’ – What's in a Name? Summary: What is the difference between a legal assistant and a paralegal? Find out what the differences are in this article. (2892 views)
Legal Job Interviews & Handling Negative Questions Once in a while, especially if your lawyer interviewer is a litigator or trial attorney, you may find yourself the focus of a "negative" or "adversary" interview. This is one in which all of the interviewer's questions appear to be designed to put you down or make you reveal unflattering or negative information about yourself, and it can be a truly terrifying experience.... (2809 views)
The Benefits of Being a Paralegal Paralegals handle paperwork, organize the office, maintain and update client files, monitor the calendar, and research, write, and read. They serve as a liaison with clients, witnesses, other case participants, and outside professionals by gathering and imparting information. They meet, inform, interview, and prod to action. In addition paralegals seek out people,... (2776 views)
What the Role of A Deputy Court Clerk Is Like Deputy court clerks are experts on pleadings and filing procedures. Many times an attorney will call a court clerk for advice on how to file a document because of the clerk's expertise. Deputy court clerks are not supposed to give such advice to the general public because to do so could constitute the unauthorized practice of law. They gain invaluable expertise regarding... (2747 views)
Secrets of Conducting a Successful Witness Interview for Paralegals Interviewing witnesses requires the same amount of careful preparation as interviewing clients, if not more so. Make a list of your questions before you begin, focusing on the ones that pertain to the actions of your client and the nature of the case. Try to establish exactly where the witness was and what, if anything, he or she saw your client actually do. (2725 views)
What Is a Legal Paraprofessional There are so many different jobs that you might want to consider doing at one point or another during your life. Finding that perfect job for you might not be the easiest thing that you will ever do, so it is important to make sure that you focus on the way that you can do your job correctly and easily. Working with a variety of different jobs is important because it is... (2716 views)
Understanding the Components of a Police Arrest Report While ordinary police reports like traffic collision reports tend to contain mostly factual data, police arrest reports tend to rely more on the officer's observations, opinions, and his or her interpretation of the events leading up to the arrest. As such, there is obviously much more room for discussion and impeachment. True, some cases are clearly open and shut, or... (2639 views)
Legal Jobs in Dubai When you first think of legal jobs in Dubai, immediately positions for lawyers come to mind, but there are many different aspects to the area of law. Whether you are looking for an internship, clerk positions, legal administrative staff openings, or attorney jobs, you are sure to have the opportunity for a lucrative career in the legal field, if this is the path that you... (2567 views)
What It's Like To Be a Special Agent The federal government has a number of agencies that fight crime across the nation. These agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Border Patrol; the Marshals Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF); the Customs Service; the Secret Service; and various other agencies. The individuals who... (2501 views)
Why Choose the Role of a Legal Administrator Legal administrators address the same issues as managers in other industries, but should have training or experience in professional legal careers. As in other legal professions, the scope of responsibilities among legal administrators may differ. In this career, you will see that the highest degree of experience is required, but a college degree is not necessary. Most... (2498 views)
What the Job of a Legal Assistant Is Really Like A typical day for a legal assistant begins with a review of the docket. The docket is usually a bound calendar in which legal assistants, secretaries, and attorneys enter deadlines for the completion of projects, court appearances, and meetings. As a legal assistant you should ensure that your projects are completed on time and that docket entries are correct. It is of... (2436 views)
Carrying Over Your Existing Skills Into a Career as a Paralegal If you take a poll in your paralegal classes, you will discover very few students fresh school. The vast majority of new paralegals are individuals who are on their second, and even their third, careers. Some of them have had law-related careers, such as being legal law office receptionists. Others, in their current positions, have worked on various legal matters... (2404 views)