Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

By Lynne DeVenny

One of the many reasons I blog for paralegals is to share information that I hope you'll find useful. Once a week I try to share links to half dozen or so articles focusing on legal news, practice tips and technology - plus a good laugh or two.

Here's this week's recommended reading:

"'Twas The Week Before Christmas...Five Strategies for a Peaceful Holiday" from The Paralegal Mentor. Vicki Voisin shares some tips for minimizing holiday chaos, including trying to relax and prioritize what has to get done. For me, that includes gracefully admitting what isn't going to get done, no matter how good my intentions are. Erma Bombeck offers a helpful perspective, too: "Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-times take 12 minutes. This is not coincidence."

"Online Legal Practice Management Predictions for 2010" from Law Practice Today. Practice management in the "cloud" is here to stay. Larry Port shares five ways that it will change and grow in 2010.

"VA Survival Series" from Clerical Advantage. Tina Marie Hilton has shared an excellent series of posts that anyone thinking about working as a freelance or virtual paralegal will want to read and keep.

"What you can't ask in a job interview" from KRNTV News 4 (thanks, Adjunct Law Prof Blog). Since many of you are making the rounds of interviews, this is good information to have. It won't stop some interviewers from asking these questions anyway, but at least you'll be prepared with a diplomatic response.

"Make Your Emails More Productive" from Lawyerist. The best advice for effective email? "Keep it simple."

"LogMeIn Express" from Futurelawyer. "This free little app from LogMeIn permits anyone with web access and a browser to share their screen with anyone else." I love the increasing availability of good collaborative tools.

"Little Girl Types Really Fast, Makes Everyone Feel Inadquate" from Mashable. Can you type faster than a fifth grader? It's not fair that little MacKenzie types 119 wpm. Actually, I don't know how fast I type. Do you know how fast you type?

Last minute gift purchase that will completely take the recipient by surprise: "LOLMart Shirt of the Day: I'm an Anteater" from Fail Blog. Shoot, it's completely sold out. I can see why. Click on the photo or this link to vote to bring 'em back!

Did you see a great online article that you think paralegals should see? Email the link to me at lynne.devenny@gmail.com, and I'll share it next week.

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on December 19, 2009 (boomark / email).