Changing jobs in this economy and hiring politics

If you have a job in this economy, you're considered to be very fortunate. Many people are staying at jobs they hate out of job market fear.

Sending out resumes can be very dangerous.  When I hear people talking about it, I am reminded of one interview experience that could have been disastrous.

Should I become a paralegal?

Recently, someone searched Google for an answer to "Should I become a paralegal?" I don't have the answer for you, and likely, Google doesn't either.  However, if you're looking for a quick quiz to help you answer that question yourself, here you go:

Open to other possibilities...

The other day, Secretary had several ridiculous hissy fits. I couldn't believe how she was acting. She was like a two year old on crack. What kind of grown adult behaves that way? One that knows she can get away with it.

One of the hissy fits was a hold over from the day before when I instructed her to send a one sentence letter out. One sentence. She then came to me to tell me she was not going to do anything without an attorney's approval. I was half-tempted to just do it myself, but decided I wasn't going to do her work and give in to her non-sensicalness (yes, I made up that word) - no more than I would give-in to a fit-throwin' two year old demanding ice cream at a grocery store.

I let that simmer and told her that if she wanted that confirmation from an attorney, she needed to ask for it herself and that I expected it to be done promptly regardless.

She spoke to B-Dub about it and he had no clue about what I asked her to do and instructed her to talk to me for instruction and do as I said. (Thank you, B-Dub for a little validation!) So she asked me again that next day what she was supposed to do. As I was starting to explain it again, B-Dub walked up and pulled us both into his office.

Quote of the Day

"You either start losing the bad employees, or you start losing the good ones."
-Superlegal

20,000!

Thank you to everyone for reading!!

Guess what's NOT on my bucket list?

I've been composing my bucket list lately. It's not a life crisis, just want to make sure I have some goals in order and I make the most of the breaths I have. Really, they're just life goals.

So, that got me to thinking: do you know what's not on my bucket list? These things:

Improper use of the word literally

Lately, I have heard the word literally used inappropriately too many times to count. It aggravates me. Don't use words if you don't know their appropriate function!!

When something literally happens, it actually happens. If something hasn't happened, literally is not the correct word to use. Don't do it, or you will drive me crazier than I already am.

10 things a paralegal is NOT

From the mail bag, I have the following question from a reader:

What are 10 things a paralegal is not? 

Hey, that's a topic worth exploring! Here's my list:

How paralegals avoid unlawfully practicing law

We all know we can get in big trouble (worse than a spanking kind of trouble) for giving legal advice without a bar card.

A newbie paralegal asked me the other day if certain actions existed in our state because she wanted to relay the answer to someone who called on that topic. I told her that whether or not we have that information, you simply cannot provide such information to people. That could be considered legal advice and we could get in trouble for unlawfully practicing law. She acknowledged she knew she couldn't provide legal advice, but didn't know that the information the caller was requesting was considered legal advice.

So, I thought it a worthy topic for a blog post. Here are some examples of practicing law that newbies might not initially understand to be legal advice:

Know the answers before asking the question: an important lesson

I saw this article floating around Facebook. I'm pretty sure it's not a true story, but it is a good lesson. The article was entitled "When Grandma Goes To Court."

Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer.

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"

Changing the world, one office at a time

Rarely do we reach a point in our careers that we are willing to risk abandoning our job for our principles. One such opportunity recently arose for me.

Rejection letter

Receiving a rejection letter after a diligent job search is very discouraging in this economy.  If you receive a rejection letter, consider responding with this letter:

Quote of the Day

Mean partner walked down the hall and said: