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Practical Paralegalism's Recommended Reading This Week

By Lynne DeVenny

One of the many reasons I blog for paralegals is to share information they may find helpful for professional development (or simply entertaining during a fast-paced week). Once a week I share links to a 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:

"Authenticating Web Pages as Evidence" from LTN Law Technology News. What do you do once you've found that oh-so-enlightening MySpace page and want to use it as evidence? This very detailed article tells you how to authenticate a screen shot. Also from LTN, check out "How Secure Is Your PDF?"

"Wikipedia in Court: When in Court: When and How Citing Wikipedia and Other Consensus Websites is Appropriate" from Social Science Research Network. (Thanks, Adjunct Law Prof Blog.) This is an interesting essay, including the history of Wikipedia. I was also surprised to learn that the courts have found the Urban Dictionary as helpful as I do.

"Cloud Computing - Another View" from Futurelawyer. The debate over the security of cloud computing rages on, but I'm in the group that believes this is the future. This post suggests some great ways to get comfortable in the cloud.

"Interview Strategies: Handling Mealtime Interviews With Aplomb" from lawjobs.com. Although this article is written for attorneys, all of the advice applies to any legal professional. I've participated in second or third interviews that took place over lunch, which is a great way for both sides to get to know each other better outside of the office, but can be fraught with potential embarrassment, especially for messy eaters or those with already nervous tummies. Most of the tips I've heard from my mother, but "keep your hair and sleeves out of your plate" is a new one.

"Think before you Tat - Can Body Art Affect Your Employment Opportunities" from Nerino Petro's Compujurist. Some of my paralegal instructor friends tell me that the issues of tattoos, body and facial piercings, and blue, pink and purple hair come up in their classes, especially from younger students. But law firms are traditionally conservative, and "the cold hard facts are that there are many folks who find it unattractive and stereotype based on it."

"Ads by Personal Injury Law Firm Poked Fun at Faked Injuries" from ABA Journal. Even though I've worked on plaintiffs' personal injury cases for over 20 years, I still hate law firm television ads. Until now. Check out how one law firm takes a different approach.

The Gadget That Made Me Squirm: The Space Bar (thanks, Engadget). This post made me really look at my 10-year old ergonomic keyboard at work. I'm telling you, my own nervous tummy did an unpleasant flip. For a little more money, replacement of the keyboard altogether looks like an attractive option.

Most Coveted Gadget of the Week: The Livescribe Pulse smartpen (thanks, Lawyerist). As much as I hate paper, sometimes a pen and paper is required. With this pen, I might actually enjoy writing without a keyboard.

Favorite Quote of the Week from "I'm surrounded by assholes!" by The Namby Pamby, Attorney-at Law:

"You are an attorney, not a deity."

I've already pre-ordered 50 coffee mugs with this quote.

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on January 24, 2010 (boomark / email).