legaledpro.com

If you’re thinking about entering the legal field or if, perhaps, you’re already in the field and feel the need to increase your knowledge or network with other legal assistants, check out LegalEdPro.

LegalEdPro offers a wonderfully informative free e-book that is a “must read” called, “Insider’s Secrets…How to Get That Legal Secretary, Legal Assistant or Paralegal Job”.

Also, visit the first page of LegalEdPro’s website and sign up for the free sample Case Status Chart as well as Leslie Sansone Williams’ Favorite Legal Resources.

You’ve had a job or two (or three) that have each lasted under a year. As you sit down to revamp your resume you wonder, “how in the world will anyone hire me if they see that I truly have been job hopping?”

And, yes, I do understand that “job hopping” occurs for reasons you sometimes cannot control (nasty boss, etc.) However, lying will catch up with you ultimately.

How do you overcome this resume flaw?

Simple. Use your cover letter to explain those hiccups or gaps. Listen, if an employer does a background check, they are going to find out everything and will not hire you.

Honesty is the best policy.

Next, do you have letters of recommendations from past employers? If not, can you obtain them? If so, you’ll hit a home run by enclosing the letters with your resume. When a potential employer sees that the former employers admired you as a worker and would hire you back in a nano-second, all is well. The new employer will overlook the hiccups or gaps because of your past employers’ recommendations.

Now, c’mon…you’ve labored over your resume and perhaps you’ve even hired someone to write it for you. Then you fold it nicely, place it in an envelope, stamp it, send it off and hope for the best.

Good grief! You mean to tell me you’ve sent this off with attaching your most effective selling tool?

It’s important that you take the time to craft this all important tool to explain to the employer the reasons for any obvious time gaps in your resume (and any other issues which may cause the employer concern) and exactly why you are the best “fit” for this job.

Why should they hire you?

What makes you more special than the other 200+ applicants?

Do you know? If not, you need to figure that out first.

What do you bring to the table that would make the employer understand completely that you are the employee who would be an asset to their company?

Ok, here’s how you should construct your cover letter:

(Date)

(Name/Title to whom the cover letter will be addressed)

(Company Name/Address)

Re: _____________ Position

Dear (Name & Title of person to whom the cover letter is to be directed)

This correspondence is written in response to your advertisement in (where did you see the employment ad? Name it here with the date) for the above-referenced position.

(This paragraph is crucial. In 3-6 sentences, explain what I mentioned above - gaps in employment, other issues that may cause concern and WHY you are the best fit for this position.)

I look forward to discussing with you further how I might be of service to your firm in the _____________ position. Please contact me at (insert telephone number here) or via e-mail at (insert e-mail here).

Thank you for your consideration.

This is a simple, straight-forward cover letter. Please do not let your resume leave home without it. If you do, it could well end up in the dreaded “circular file”.

If you’ve done any investigating on your own regarding this interesting career, you’ve discovered that there are several ways to begin:

1. Go to your local junior college or 4 year university and major in paralegal studies.

This is a very effective avenue for learning more about this field if you have the time and money. You’ve probably also heard that any paralegal course you take should be ABA (American Bar Association) approved.

2. Take an online paralegal course.

Some of the online courses are superb and give you much more than an overview, they give you the nuts and bolts.

3. Apply to law firm job postings for receptionist and entry level legal secretary or legal assistant positions.

These are the 3 most common avenues for entering the paralegal field.

Which one of these is the most effective in terms of “landing the job”?

Here’s where your investigative skills come into play. Take a moment to look at the ads in your local newspaper (Sunday edition) or the ads on Monster.com, Indeed.com or Careerbuilder.com.

What are the job posters requiring?

Get a feel for what your local law firms are looking for. Visit your local paralegal association’s website for the date and time of their next meeting and ask questions.

The truth is, many of us began as receptionists or legal secretaries and moved on from there to paralegal positions. I moved to a paralegal position in less than a year from a receptionist/legal secretary position.

I’ve also met many, many paralegals who decided to go for their 2 year or 4 year degree.

It’s important that you understand what the local law firms require before you invest time and money that is simply not necessary.

In the meantime, visit LegalEdPro.com and download the free e-book. You’ll come away with a more insight as to how to be successful in the paralegal field.

Ok, so now you’ve placed your Meta Tags within the “Source Code” of your website.

What’s next?

You need to create a blog. Now don’t groan. Why is this important? I know, I know you’re busy, you don’t have time, you have no idea how you’re going to come up with content, blah, blah, blah. But you need to do this. Why?

Blogs provide fresh content to your reader, however, there’s something even more important: Google will index your blogs much faster than it would a “normal” website. And your success is very dependent on what keyword or niche phrase you place in your title.

Let’s let that statement soak in for a minute.

Google quite often will index your latest blog post within a few hours. Amazing! One of your first blogs could be entitled, “How Can a Freelance Paralegal Help Reduce Overhead?” Then, make sure the content of your blog post relates very closely to your title.

How do you set up your blog? My suggestion is to utilize WordPress, however, you must use a hosting company who provides a very easy method for installing WordPress. Two companies I recommend are HostGator and BlueHost. Outstanding companies.

Set up a basic blog and worry about changing to a “jazzy” theme later on. Free themes are available for downloading but my recommendation is to wait. Get busy blogging first. Be consistent - blog 3-4 times per week.

Be patient. Remember, your blog titles should contain niche phrases (”become a freelance paralegal” for example). Within the content of your blog, mention the keywords within your title page.

In Part 3 of this series, I’ll describe how to use anchor links effectively.

Thanks for reading!

You have the necessary skills: research, writing, analysis, computer, communication. You’ve created a website from scratch, enlisted the services of a hosting company, purchased your own domain name and now you’re in business. Traffic will automatically beat your door down and business will have to be turned away because you just don’t have the time.

Perfect scenario, eh?

I’m sorry to burst your bubble - marketing your business takes quite a bit more work than what I’ve described above.

Just how do you effectively market your freelance business online?

Let’s assume that your website is already in place at this point. Now, take a moment to imagine yourself as a potential client. What keyword or phrase would the client place in the Google search engine in order to find you? Enter the keywords or phrases that come to mind and enter them one at a time in Google. Notice the number of “hits” in the blue colored bar near the top of the page. This is your competition for the phrase or keyword you entered.

The results for “freelance paralegal” are quite numerous, aren’t they? How do you compete with so many “hits”? How will potential clients find you if you’re lost in this sea of “hits”?

Let’s get to work.

At the top of your browser, click on “View” and then “Source” or “Page Source”. Get to know the behind the scenes code of your website. Study it. Are “Meta” tags evident? If not, take a moment to view the source code on a favorite website. Enter the words “Meta Tags” in the Google search box. Learn all you can about “Meta Tags” and then add them to your own website.

Your keywords should reflect the content of each of your pages. The various search engine spiders will index your individual website pages and will check to see if the keywords align with your content.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

If you’re currently working (or hope to) as a legal secretary, legal assistant paralegal, does your job suit your personality to a “T”?

Are you an extrovert who loves to be in the middle of things?

Or…are you an introvert who would like to remain in the background?

Take a moment to consider the type of work you enjoy. Do you like working closely with people or do you prefer to work alone?

Do you enjoy being on the telephone with clients/customers or do you wish someone else was available to take all the calls?

Do you enjoy research and ferreting out information for your boss?

Your answers to these very simple questions will give you very good insight into what type of law practice you would best be suited for.

Of course, some law practices encompass a bit of everything. Let’s take a look at a couple different areas of law to determine which one would be a better “fit” for you:

Bankruptcy Law

Creditor - In this area you will work with businesses or corporations, primarily. You will probably get to know the client very well and your duties will more than likely involve drafting pleadings, writing letters and filing. I’m oversimplifying this, of course, but this is basically what this type of job entails. The paralegal position in this area of law will perform research and may also write legal summaries and the like.

Debtor - This area of law requires heavy contact with the client. A form is provided by you to the client to complete. The completed form is then forwarded to you so that you may enter the information into bankruptcy software. The software will create many different schedules which your attorney will review and then instruct you to file with the bankruptcy court.

The legal staffer who enjoys communicating with people will excel in this position. Filing for bankruptcy can be a very emotional time for clients and it’s important that the legal staffer understand that.

Estate Planning (Wills, Trusts, etc.)

Historically, this area of law is very calm. Your attorney will meet with the client, obtain the necessary information, pass the information on to you and then you will complete the necessary forms. The attorney will then ask you to call the client to set up a time to come in to execute the documents.

For the extrovert, this may not be enough day in, day out communication with the client.

My point is, be sure the communication and work requirements match your personality needs. You’ll feel less stressed and more content in your everyday work life as a result.

Take a moment to visit my website to read my FREE E-book, “Insider’s Secrets…How to Get that Legal Secretary, Legal Assistant or Paralegal Job”.

A few years ago, I was asked by a well known Florida law firm to temporarily assist a senior partner in preparation for a trial. The case sounded interesting, so I readily accepted and began the task of organizing and compiling files.

Everything was moving along smoothly until I asked, “Where are the depositions for this case?” One of the legal secretaries advised that she was taking care of them. Uh huh.

She lied.

Turns out there were 14 depositions to be summarized with a week to go before trial. And NONE of the summaries had been completed.

Unbelievable.

To say I was “perturbed” would be an understatement. Seems this has happened before.

Anyway, we split the depositions up between 3 legal staffers and summarized our hearts out. Mission accomplished.

Check out the deposition sample formats from Special Counsel. Very cool.

See ya next time!

Did reading the title of this post send shivers down your spine?

It’s amazing how some attorneys “ride the rails” of disbarment without knowing it.

Are you a partner in a law firm? Whether you’re young or old, experienced or not, please listen up.

How well are your individual Trust Accounts managed? Has your bookkeeper received any specialized training in Trust Account management?

If you were audited by your local bar tomorrow, how would you fare?

As a partner, you are fully responsible for how the Trust Accounts are managed. Mismanagement can be grounds for disbarment.

Am I driving my point home?

Partner = Full responsibility for Trust Accounts.

In Florida, every attorney is required to accumulate CLE credits during the year. Once those credits have been met, a small form is filled out usually by the attorney’s assistant and is signed by the attorney.

Take a close look at this form. Notice that when you sign the form you are also stating that your Trust Accounts are in order.

Are they?

If any of this is new news to you, it’s time to enlist the aid of a Law Office Management Specialist to review your procedures. Do this before you receive the audit notice.

Please don’t make the mistake of thinking your office is immune to bar audit notices. All it takes is one complaint from a disgruntled client to alert the bar. And believe me, the bar will move forward quickly.

Take proactive measures today to protect your bar license and your practice.

Leslie Sansone Williams is a Law Office Management and Marketing Consultant. With over 20+ years as a franchisee, entrepreneur and member of the legal community, Leslie understands what it takes to operate a business smoothly and profitably. For the latest cutting edge marketing techniques, visit Leslie Studios.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read the following post in the paralegal forums on the ‘Net:

“I’ve just graduated from a paralegal course but I can’t find a job. No one will hire me without experience. What do I do?”

Here’s another one:

“I’d love to get out of the type of work I’m doing but I only want to work part time. Will I be able to find a part time paralegal job if I take the paralegal course at the local junior college?”

Let’s get to the nitty gritty and find some answers.

Whether you are thinking about majoring in paralegal studies at your local junior college, or via a technical school or even online, it is important to understand the paralegal market. Consider this your research, homework or as we like to say in the legal field…you’re performing “due diligence”.

Someone comes up to you and offers the following: “I’ll give you a legal receptionist or legal secretary job right now if your typing speed is 65+wpm, you know Microsoft Word inside out and backwards, have a pleasant personality, dress professionally, know how to answer the telephone courteously and show up to work faithfully and on time.”

Would you consider this job? I hope you would because this is how you enter the legal field without spending a dime on a paralegal education.

If someone came up to you and offered you the identical deal mentioned above only this time they required you pay them $5,000.00, would you take them up on it?

I hope not, but many are doing just that.

How?

By enrolling in paralegal courses, curriculum, etc. before determining what the job guarantees are.

First, do you really need a paralegal degree to succeed in this field? The answer is a resounding, “No!”

You can begin with a job in the legal field as either a receptionist or legal secretary and, again, move up from there. Simple as that.

Will having a paralegal degree hurt you? No, it will not but you will still have to begin in a receptionist or legal secretary position. Why is that?

Let me explain. It is very rare to find an attorney who teaches the staff from the ground up. He or she simply does not have the time. If you come in as a receptionist or legal secretary, you will be taught more than likely by a veteran legal secretary, legal assistant or paralegal. It will be stressful, regardless, but you will learn and grow if you’re open to it.

Regarding part-time paralegal work, it is just non-existent for “newbies” and usually the only folks who land part-time jobs in this field are the highly experienced.

I hope this has helped a bit in your decision-making process. Join the legal field as a staffer today, but do it the right way. Experience is everything in this field and you can move forward once you have it.

One last comment. Join your local paralegal association and get to know the members. Ask them how they entered the field. You’ll be amazed. Sure, it’s great to go on and get your degree or paralegal certificate once you’re in the trenches. But why spend money you don’t have to?

Leslie Sansone Williams is a former paralegal and author of the free e-book, “Insider’s Secrets…How to Get That Legal Secretary, Legal Assistant or Paralegal Job”. With over 15+ years experience in the legal field, Leslie provides her website and blog readers with helpful career advice and wonderful legal resources. She is also a Google Ranking Consultant who works with law firms and small businesses assisting them in increasing their websites’ visibility on the Internet search engines. Leslie was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame for the 30 Day Challenge, a worldwide Internet marketing workshop.