The People at the Office

I have some of the best co-workers a gal could ask for. No matter what other ups and downs my job holds, it has provided me with fun, interesting, and experienced people who are always willing to help or advise me when I need it.

We all come from different backgrounds, but I am definitely the youngest and least experienced. I work with a paralegal who has been involved in the law since she graduated high school, an IT paralegal with a military background, a nurse paralegal, a former plaintiff's paralegal, and a paralegal who knows just about everything about the firm because she has been there longer than any of the rest of us.

When someone's workload gets too heavy we are usually able to count on each other for a little help. When I had the huge trial to prep a few months ago, my office neighbor was constantly reminding me that she was available if I needed her.

I ended up working on that case with my most experienced co-worker, (we'll call her A) so I followed her lead, took some pointers, and made it a point to be available when she needed me. By the end of the trial, we were teammates. I did not necessarily feel like a part of the entire legal team, but I felt like a part of A's team, and that was enough.

I also cannot fail to give a shout out to some of the great attorneys I work with who use their knowledge of the firm to give me helpful work advice and who try to give me interesting assignments when they are available. They seem to understand and empathize with my never-ending hunger for substantive work when I am surrounded by assignments to organize files.

I work with some great people. They keep my work environment interesting, and a few of them are becoming pretty neat friends.

Sometimes

Sometimes I get all legaled out. I work at a law firm. I live with a lawyer. I have several friends who are either lawyers or paralegals. I eat, sleep and breathe legal. Every. Single. Day.

Today, the boyfriend and I had a riveting discussion about our views regarding the federal government's authority to control the nutritional value of public school lunches. For most people, this would be b-o-r-i-n-g. And sometimes, when I hear myself, and the people around me, I feel like most people.

Don't get me wrong. I love my career, and I enjoy the law. It has been good to me so far. But every once in awhile, my life feels overwhelmed by law and legalese and lawyers.

Take, for instance, those times I walk into my office on Monday mornings to find it strewn with papers because someone was looking for something over the weekend and did not have time to put anything back in its place. Or I get stuck working overtime on Friday, the weekend I was supposed to go out of town. Those are the days that make me shake my fist at the sky, or turn my face red with frustration.
But most days... I love my career choice. The work itself - the paralegaling - fits me well. I hope this Monday is one of those days.

Pushing Through and On To Number Two

Well I made it though my first major trial prepping endeavor. I suppose that in the world of litigation, it wasn't as big a beast as I originally thought. However, it was big enough to require multiple hands and several long days. Now, thanks to the backstage team, the attorneys should be fully prepared for whatever this trial throws at them.

But where does that leave me? With a brand new trial to prep, of course. October-November appears to be trial season in the great city of Memphis (probably just like every other time of year), so I have the chance to learn a lot of different styles and techniques. After helping to tame the recent beast, I was surprised to find that not every case will threaten to devour my life and career. The newest one only took me about a day and a half to put together, all on my own.

I have learned a couple of new things over the past few weeks. First, not everything can fit into a condensed trial notebook. Binders can be my best friend. We created binders for all of the important pleadings in the case: complaints/answers, discovery pleadings, any pleadings relating to a particular party or motion of interest, etc. We also create binders for all parties, fact witnesses, and expert witnesses. In some cases, one expert took up an entire three-inch binder, while in others, all of the plaintiff's experts fit into one notebook. Obviously, the binders can be tailored to the specific needs and major focuses of each case. The notebook system comes with the benefit of allowing easy access to the most important information to be referenced at trial, whatever that may be. No rummaging through loose paper and digging through redwells, or searching through a fifteen volume pleading index to find a party's responses to requests for admission.

 Every case is different, as is every attorney, as is every paralegal prepping the file. Being new to litigation, I have found the notebook method to be helpful and enticing when preparing my first two cases, but I am sure there are plenty of other efficient ways to meet the same goal. Feel free to comment with your suggestions. I'm sure I could use them all, and other readers might benefit, as well. 

Trying to Decide

I have always planned on going to graduate school, but the implementation of that plan has been put off for some time. The first stall came when I was unable to get in-state graduate tuition at my alma mater, University of Maine. I moved home to Alabama, waited a semester, and then began working toward an M.S. in Education at Troy University. One semester in, I realized that despite years of planning, teaching was not my true calling. That summer was the summer I fell in love with becoming a paralegal.

Starting that August, I spent the next 15 months taking online classes through Washington Online Learning Institute. In November 2008, I became certificated with a Master Paralegal Certificate. In 2009, I sat for the NALA certification exam and became a Certified Paralegal (CP).

But still I craved more. More education. More knowledge. More intellectual challenges. However, I had to put those desires on hold while I worked full time tried to start an adult life and adult career. Lack of time and an unwillingness to take on a huge amount of debt for my continuing education kept me from proceeding. For the longest time I also felt conflicted. If I loved the law so much, did I want to go to law school? Since I truly enjoy the substantive part of my job, does that mean I should be a lawyer? My hesitant answer to these questions was usually "no," but without being sure, I could not form any true educational goals.

When I moved to Memphis, I literally moved in directly across the street from the law school. The University of Memphis main campus is but minutes away, too. School has been staring me in the face and daring me to proceed. Still, I have remained undecided. I wanted to go back, but if not for law school, then what?

I regret to say that I have not come much further. I thought I was settled on an MBA. Memphis has several programs that would work with my schedule and allow me to avoid massive student loan debt. An MBA makes some sense, since I would love to learn more about business, and it one of the few slightly applicable degrees to my career field. But is it really applicable? After all, I'm a paralegal. I do not supervise or manage anything. Unless I move into the non-legal corporate world, it is very unlikely that I will ever manage big projects or need to have more than common business sense.

So I examined every graduate degree available through University of Memphis, and Communications popped out. With a background in English and literature, I feel drawn to the courses listed under this program. Some of them sound intellectually enticing. If I were to pursue a master degree in this area, I think I would enjoy it. But is it applicable to my career?

Neither of my two options is very applicable to what I do right now, so I've tried to think long-term. I may be an entry-level paralegal now, but where will I be in five years? Administrator? Office manager? Will the med mal case load slow down and result in my move to an in-house position? Of course, the truth is that there is no way to tell what will happen over time.

So here I sit, still undecided with a self-imposed application deadline of January 2011 looming over me. That's enough time to force myself to decide, right? If neither of my options is directly applicable to my current career, I need to figure out whether I should choose the one that I know I will enjoy or the one that might open more doors for me in the future. And all the while, the Law School sits across the street...

The Navy Steps Up Its Requirements for Legalmen

The Navy has taken a huge step forward by requiring its legalmen to obtain at least an associate degree, reports the Navy Times in its story "Navy: Legalmen must earn associate degree."

"Navy lawyers now do much work done by paralegals in civilian life, Houck said. By putting all legalmen through paralegal education, he said the enlisted members of the JAG Corps will be able to do 'powerful things, freeing up lawyers to focus on what is unique to being a lawyer and the practice of law.'"

This is exactly the type of thinking that encourages efficiency and affordability of services in civilian law practices. The Navy is doing two things here. First, it is recognizing the value of education for its legalmen and encouraging higher standards from its legal staff. Second, it is adding value to the law degree possessed by JAG lawyers, by freeing them up "to focus on what is unique to being a lawyer."

In effect, they Navy is recognizing the difference between attorney duties and paralegal duties, and that it makes sense to delegate paralegal duties to non-attorney team members. 

The Navy did not start this trend, nor has it come in last. Civilian law firms still vary widely in educational/training requirements and the ways in which they use paralegals. Many law firms are still stuck in a routine similar to the current Navy, in which lawyers are doing the work paralegals could be doing. Of course, the decision of when and how to use paralegals is ultimately a decision that lawyers must make when deciding how to maximize benefit to the client. Still, I predict wider and more efficient use of highly educated paralegals as time presses on.

The Trials of Trial Prep

Trial prep is stressful.

Even since before I started my new job, my office has been home to a very large case file. Because of its location, I was tasked with the organization and maintenance of the file. I became close with the file. When a paralegal or attorney would rush in looking for a pleading or deposition, I would point them to it.

I knew the relationship was too good to be true. Now this case has come up for trial, a day that seemed so far off until a few weeks ago. The case has become a monster that threatens to drown me in paper every day. It demands every second of my time at work, forgetting that I have other relationships with other cases that must be maintained as well. When I attempt to work on a pressing matter in any other case, this case acts hurt for a moment, then narrows its eyes and promises revenge. Last week I began to feel like the victim of an abusive relationship.

When I worked for the Boss, trial prep consisted of reminding him of the upcoming trial. Many of our cases fit into one redwell. Those were the larger ones.

That was before I was introduced to med mal cases, many of which last for several years before either settling or making it to trial and sucking the joy out of the lives of a few legal staff members in the process.

I jest, but it has been a stressful couple of weeks. I am a fast worker, but this level of trial prep makes me feel slow. I try to maintain an organized office, but these days I am just happy to find a trail to my door. I have been challenged with emergency binders and seemingly missing deposition exhibits. I tried and tried last week, but even during a day with absolutely no breaks, I felt as though I could barely keep up and breath at the same time.

All that being said, it's kind of fun. The demands of litigation are both vexing and enticing at the same time. I hate missing lunch, or being so worked up that I don't even get hungry, but I enjoy working so hard to meet deadlines and help the team. I enjoy the feeling of doing a job that matters.

I guess this is my introduction to the real, nitty grittiness of litigation. For a newbie, I hope I am doing well. Of course, we are all so busy that I'm not sure anyone has time to tell me if I've made mistakes or not.

So until everything slows down a little bit, I rely on the advice of a very kind associate at my firm. She noticed how stressed I was the other day and how my eyes looked kind of glazed over with computer screen glare and reminded me of one unfailing truth: "The most you can do is your best, Mel. That's all any of us can do."

And she is correct. In careers, in relationships, in life in general, the most we can do is our best. So I survived the week and lived to endure the inevitable time crunches that the next week will bring. Here's hoping that I patch things up with the file on Monday so that it will be more inclined to work with me, rather than against me.

Clio: The Easy Practice Management Option

From time to time I am asked to write about various legal software, books, schools, etc. I am very particular when it comes to promoting these things, especially when I do not have firsthand knowledge of the product, and more often than not, I opt out. However, today is one of those rare instances when preference and firsthand knowledge meet. Not only did I get the chance to play with Clio for a month, I also really enjoyed it.

Clio is web-based practice management at its finest. Perhaps the greatest thing about it is that there are no downloads or uploads, no CDs, and no books. The only thing you need in order to access Clio is an Internet connection. This means that no matter where you are in the world, as long as you can find an Internet connection and can remember your password, you have access to your entire practice, from your calendar to documents and forms to your time slips to client accounts.

It is difficult to explain just how simple Clio is to use, how integrated and efficient it can make a practice. The best word I can think of is easy. Click on a client and/or matter, and you have immediate access to all of the information relating to that client/matter. If you are working on a document, simply hit the time icon next to it to enter your time. The time automatically transfers to time billed for that matter, no extra steps needed.

Of course, that is just one example of Clio's efficiency. Clio allows you to keep a task list, calendar, and agenda. As with many other programs, calendars can be shared among users or used individually. If you use Outlook, like so many of us do, Clio is easily linkable to Outlook for optimal task efficiency. However, Clio works perfectly alone on the task front. You can keep up with your ongoing task list in several different ways. View the task list in entirety, or view tasks under separate clients or matters. You have many options for choosing how best to streamline your work day. Clio will also send task reminders to your inbox everyday in order to help keep you up-to-date on your to-do list.

Under each client, there are buttons dedicated to client matters, notes on the client, communications, and transactions. The communications tab allows you to record phone call notes and times, as well as emails sent or received. If used correctly, the only source you need to check for a complete communication history with a particular client is Clio.

Small firms and solo practitioners will love how easy Clio makes bill generation and client account management. Because any time entered for a document, communication or task is directly linked to the client account, the generation of monthly, quarterly or yearly statements is as easy as the click of a button.

Your billing page will show all of your unbilled hours and the amounts due from clients. Statement generation is as easy as checking the statement you want to generate and making it happen. Once a statement has been generated, it will appear in your open statement section until it has been paid. After you have generated bills – get this – you can email the link to your clients, and they can pay online. Rather than dealing with bulk mail-outs and incoming checks every month, you can streamline the billing and payment process to the ultimate delight of your billing staff and your customers.

And speaking of connecting online with clients, Clio offers ClientConnect, which allows you to quickly share information or collaborate with clients online, all from one location. It does not get simpler than that.

Another thing I love about Clio is its extremely friendly interface. Who every said that practice management has to be dry and boring? The modules and tabs are presented in a fun, yet concise, appearance. With Clio, practice management seems interesting and fresh. All of the graphics, icons, and fonts look professional, yet somehow exciting.

Finally, I am not familiar with the standard pricing of practice management programs, but at $49/mo for attorney users and just $25/mo for support staff, Clio seems reasonably priced, especially for small and solo practice firms, when you take into account all that it provides.

There is much more to Clio than what is contained in these few paragraphs, but I could not possibly describe it all. If you are even the slightest bit interested, I suggest visiting the Clio website and signing up for the free 30-day trial. If you are like me, you will be amazed at how one program can streamline an entire practice.

**Other than a free 30-day trial period, which is offered to any and all interested, I did not receive any benefits, monetary or otherwise, for this review.**