With the right combination of experience and education, your resume becomes more relevant. YOU become more relevant. The more you can show you know, AND the more you can show you can do, the more employers will be interested in taking that closer look when hiring. Having the right education and establishing your experience will boost your resume to the top of the stack.
Whether writing a deposition or drafting a contract, legal writing demands that you color inside of the lines. Still, there are instances where you can infuse your writing with your own voice while also writing effectively and coherently in a legal context. When searching for legal writing books, any professional will give you their own list of preferred tomes of advice, knowledge, and rules. You can follow those lists to the letter, or pick and choose which books work for you and your purposes.
“There just are not enough hours in the day to do everything myself! I want to improve my work-life balance by delegating tasks, but no one is available. I keep reading and hearing about virtual paralegals and virtual assistants as affordable options, but I wonder: Where can I find virtual support which meets the needs of my law practice?”
Making a living as a freelance or independent paralegal is essentially the same thing as running any small business. Being a professional in the legal field, however, does not necessarily mean you will prosper as a small business owner. There is a completely different skill set that one must possess, or learn, to run a profitable freelance paralegal business.
There's no such thing as accidental networking. Networking is a mission. When you're headed to a function to meet and greet people who can further your career, you have a strong sense of purpose. Even a chance meeting can provide a networking opportunity.
When going paperless, your incoming workflow is probably the easiest and most logical step. After all, you simply scan everything that comes into your office, right? Well, yes, it is that simple. But then again, maybe not. What you want is to have everything that comes into your office scan immediately, so that everything is available in your digital file as soon as it hits your door.
Rogue Paralegals – know this: We see you. We’re looking right at you. And we won’t turn away. We’ll greet you on the corner of every social media site and will call out your unethical and illegal behavior the next time we see it. We will educate every newbie paralegal across the nation that we will not stand for you potentially dragging them down with you. They deserve better than that. Actually, we all do.
It's a whole new world out there. If you haven't realized it yet, the workplace will never be the same. It's time to ride the horse in the direction it is going! If working remotely is for you, go for it. Right now, if you look on the job boards, you will see an uptick in the jobs that are endorsing remote work. I am not encouraging you to leave your current position but as you all know, I am a big advocate of loving the job you have. It's the least we can do for ourselves. Really, it is.
A change in current staff support has caused them to re-examine support needs. For whatever reason, the part-time, hourly assistant who wore all hats (receptionist, legal secretary, legal assistant, a paralegal) has decided to move on. Suddenly, the attorney who is fairly good at taking care of himself has to face the reality of doing E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
Every professional can benefit from a mentor, perhaps paralegals even more so. A mentor can provide you with guidance, both in professional and personal capacities.
For independent paralegals, there is no such thing as an average day, and variety is one of the greatest rewards of the job
Your clients will judge your expertise on how professional you look. A rinky-dink website is not going to bring you a plethora of clients.
Ready to freelance or offer your services as an independent contractor? Before you do, you should know you must get proper tax registrations, business, and occupational licenses, and permits from federal, state and local governments to legally operate.
Organization is key. Organize today or double down on stress tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that.
Freelance paralegal work can be quite rewarding, both financially and professionally. The individual may be a business owner or partner or may work for someone else. The type of work ranges from broad to very specialized, and the number of assignments within a given period can vary widely. The common thread is the ability to incorporate flexibility into an otherwise regimented occupation.
General licensing proposals apply to all paralegals. Any paralegal, whether practicing under the supervision of an attorney or not would be required to meet certain licensing criteria.
To effectively utilize paralegals, law firms should treat them as skilled professionals and give them substantive tasks that match their individual skill sets.
