6 legal support skills to be proud of wherever you go
As a paralegal or legal secretary, you have highly specialized experience in submitting court filings, managing case files, planning presentations for trial, and other tasks that usually happen only in a law firm or legal department. But working in legal support gives you skills beyond the day to day technical duties. In fact, the work […]
Do more with less: strategies for busy legal professionals
Today’s law firms are more focused on efficiency – doing more with less – than ever before. Due to greater pressure on the bottom line, new regulations, and unpredictable workloads, firms are increasingly looking to keep costs under control while continuing to provide value to their clients. In this challenging environment, paralegals and other legal […]
Considering a virtual paralegal? What you need to know
Do you need extra help in your law firm but don’t feel quite ready to hire someone full-time? Are you just starting out in your practice and need some assistance during the transition? Are you an office manager supporting too many attorneys with an overwhelming case load? A virtual paralegal could be a good fit […]
10 tips for paralegals to improve client communication
The need to improve client communications is a challenge that many law firms find themselves faced with over the course of their practice. And as the central source of information, paralegals are often the main point of connection for clients, legal professionals, and court staff, A study published in 2016 by the American Bar Association […]
Should paralegals have a specialty? Finding your niche
In the legal industry, niche specialization can enable professionals to distinguish themselves as leading experts and make it easier for clients to decide who to work with. This is why some of the most successful law firms in the country are the ones that practice in a specific area of law. But it’s not just the attorneys who can specialize. How can a paralegal or legal secretary find and hone their specialty, […]
Maximizing the power of your legal support staff
According to the American Bar Association (ABA), “Rare is the law firm that fully leverages its paralegal team.” While law schools may provide attorneys with a solid legal education, many successful lawyers don’t have the faintest idea how to best utilize their support staff. When attorneys don’t consider their staff a part of the legal […]
7 myths and misconceptions about the PDF
In the legal industry, and just about everywhere else, the Portable Document Format (PDF) is the gold standard of file formats, used globally to carry the permanence of a paper document into the digital space. Developed in 1992 by Adobe, the goal was to make the PDF a secure digital document that removed the need […]
Networking for paralegals and legal support staff: How and why
We may think of ‘networking’ as a very modern concept, but according to a Harvard Business Review article, networking has existed for the past 2000 years and is essential to our survival. But for many people, including legal professionals, networking doesn’t come easy and trying to connect with others in the industry can push them […]
The best free/low-cost CLE for legal support professionals
For legal professionals, part of the job is to keep up with changes in the industry, and education doesn’t stop after you get your first job. Continuing legal education (CLE) — which could cover anything from regulatory mandates, legal technology, practice management, and the law itself — will help you stay on top of new […]
5 key skills attorneys look for when hiring a paralegal
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, the employment of paralegals is expected to grow about eight percent from 2014 to 2024. That means competition for jobs is expected to be strong, with experienced, formally trained paralegals having the best prospects for employment. To stand out in a crowded market like this, […]