Typing

Your typing should be in the 70wpm – 100 wpm (words per minute) range.  Don’t be afraid of this requirement.  If your typing speed is currently in the 35-50 wpm range, you can raise your speed. 

Being able to type at the 70+ wpm rate of speed will help you keep up with the work on the days when it’s heavier than usual.

Let me give you an example.  That is, the attorney might spend all weekend dictating letters to various clients.  When you come in on Monday, you might have 4+ dictation tapes waiting for you to transcribe.  Each tape might be an hour long (30 minutes on each side).  If your typing speed is under 70 wpm, it will be difficult for you to keep up with your attorney.

Your typing speed and accuracy make all the difference in the world.

Even if you land a job in the estate planning field where pre-typed forms are used, your ability to type quickly will make a huge difference.  Here’s why.

I worked for an estate planning attorney who regularly scheduled meetings with clients with little or no notice.  To be honest, it would have been helpful if the attorney had asked the client for some of the information before they arrived for their initial meeting, but this expectation isn’t always “real world”. 

The “real world” scenario is this:

  The clients arrive for their meeting with the attorney.  The attorney spends 10-20 minutes retrieving the information the assistant needs to prepare the documents.  Once the information is passed onto the assistant, the info is entered into the computer and final documents are generated for signing by the clients.  Up to five (5) different documents are created and proofread in approximately 15-20 minutes.

Paralegals – take note:

Are you thinking, “Do I really need to type this fast if I’m working as a paralegal?”

Yes, it is very important.  I know in some cases there are paralegals in the legal field who do have their own secretaries, however, it is rare. 

For the most part, paralegals have to do their own writing and typing.  When an attorney asks a paralegal to begin a draft response in a legal matter, his expectation is that it will be completed quickly.  Bottom line:  Typing speed for a paralegal is important, also.

Also, in the insurance defense area of law, I personally know legal secretaries, legal assistants and paralegals who regularly have to type medical chronologies (dates of medical events).  This sometimes involves looking through 1,000s of pages of documents.  Needless to say, your typing speed is very important in this area, also.

I’ve worked as a contract paralegal for law firms in my city.  Part of my duties included reviewing files, performing case analyses and typing up summaries for review by the attorney.  The deadlines I faced were usually very tight, so a typing speed of somewhere between 70 wpm – 100 wpm was very important.

I began my career in the legal field as a receptionist/legal secretary and then moved on to the paralegal field.  There has never been a time when my typing speed wasn’t important.

When an attorney has a dictation tape for you to transcribe that’s an hour long, it’s important that you are able to complete the transcription at the fastest typing speed possible and 40 wpm just does not allow you to accomplish that.

How do you increase your speed, then?  Here are several websites I recommend you visit to take the typing tests and gradually increase your speed:

www.powertyping.com

www.careerstep.com

www.typingtest.com

www.learn2type.com

www.typingpal.com/

www.teststeststests.com/typingtest/

www.brainbench.com

Simply take the tests over and over again (not the same test over and over again – try a variety) to build your speed.  Some tests are harder than others – just keep practicing – challenge yourself.

Some of the websites offer a free certificate, also.  Print out the certificate and display it proudly in your home every time you increase your speed.  It’s a good motivational tool.  Be proud of yourself for accomplishing this goal.

What If You Do Not Type?

No problem.  Simply visit the following websites and practice, practice, practice.    One step at a time.  Set goals and work toward them.  Keep patting yourself on the back each time your reach a goal.

www.goodtyping.com

www.senselang.com

www.learn2type.com

www.powertyping.com

Filing

The files in most of the law firms I’ve worked for were organized in separate folders as follows:

1.                 Correspondence & Faxes

2.                 Discovery

3.                 Pleadings

4.                 Research & Notes

All of the folders are placed in an expandable folder called a “red well” or “red rope” file.  The label usually indicates the client name and sometimes an account of file number.  The file is placed in the filing cabinet in alphabetical order.   

Each law firm’s filing system is unique.  One firm may use a folder that has several partitions:  one for client/financial information (invoices, representation agreement, etc.); one for correspondence and faxes; one for documents; etc.

It’s important to pay close attention to how a firm sets up its client files and to follow that particular firm’s “system”.

Read every word you type line by line.

Learn how to scan quickly and accurately.

Do not rely on the spellchecker alone.

Your cover letter and resume are your product.  The administrator will judge you by the product you display.  What does your product look like?  Is it error-free?  Grammatically correct?  No typos?)

Become an expert proofreader.  Read your correspondence, pleadings, etc., line by line.  Do not turn something over to your attorney containing simple typos.

You actually read what you type & do not rely SOLELY on the spellchecker in your word processor.

So….relate this to your resume and cover letter.  If you forward a cover letter and resume containing multiple errors, guess who’s not getting a call back for an interview?

Build your reputation as one who checks and rechecks their work.  Your attorney will not appreciate you and will not have to worry about being embarrassed by a client or the court informing him of a glaring error.

Grammar/Spelling

Your grammar has to be top notch to work in the legal field.  If your grammar is poor, improve it!  I did.  I grew up in Paterson, New Jersey and used quite a bit of slang.  How do you improve?  Here are some suggestions:

1.     Pick up a copy of The New York Times newspaper at your local bookstore occasionally – Read it.  Broaden your world view.

2.  Join a book review club at your local bookstore.  This encourages you         not only to read more but to discuss what you’ve read with others.  Good for several reasons:  reading, thinking, enlarges your vocabulary and promotes socializing.

3.     Take an English course at your local junior college.

4.     Do crossword puzzles regularly – it will improve your vocabulary in an amazing way.  Start off with simple puzzles and work your way up to the more difficult ones.

5.     When you come across a word that you don’t know, look it up online at www.m-w.com (Merriam Webster dictionary).  Try to avoid using words you do not know the meaning of.  Look them up first and understand how to use them in a sentence.

6.     Buy a small legal dictionary or visit http://dictionary.law.com to become familiar with “legal jargon”.  

Some of the Most Common Mistakes

Apostrophes

One reason for apostrophes is to show possession.  For instance, “Brianna’s shoes”.  If your first or last name ends in an “s”, it can be a little tricky.  My recommendation is that your visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_apost.html or simply place the word “apostrophe” (without the quotation marks) in the google.com search engine for an indepth look at this subject.

If you feel your grammar could use improvement, then seek out the methods to do so.

Writing (letters, legal documents, etc.)

Writing a good letter – complicated?  Not really.  Let’s look at an example:

Date

Name/Address

Re:  (what is this letter about?  What is the subject or case name?)

Dear Mr. or Ms. _____________(Name of person you are sending the letter to)

(This is your “Intro” paragraph)  This letter is written in response to your correspondence of April 29, 2006 concerning the upcoming deposition of Mr. John Doe scheduled for May 10, 2006 in Toledo, Ohio.

(This is the “heart” of the letter)  Pursuant to our subpoena duces tecum, the deposition is scheduled for May 10, 2006 at 9 a.m. in the offices of Accurate Stenotype on 111 Main Avenue, Toledo, Ohio.  As you will also note, the subpoena also requires that you provide copies of the documents listed therein.

(This is your “closing” paragraph).  Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

                                                            Sincerely,

                                                            ____________________

                                                            Paralegal to _____________, Esquire

/lrw

Note that the letter has a “beginning”, “middle” and an “end”.  The letter also notes what it is “regarding”.  The is the “Re” line.

Legal Documents

All of the law firms I’ve worked in have a “library” of legal forms on the computer.  When you eventually begin your first day on the job, you will not have to “invent” legal documents.  Most of them will be on the computer system and you will simply fill in the necessary information.

Most of the time, the more complicated documents such as briefs and memorandum of law, motions, etc. will be written by attorneys or very experienced paralegals.  

Attention to Detail/Follows Direction

When your attorney asks you to come into his office, take it for granted that he wants to give you some instruction. 

Get into the habit of bringing a yellow legal pad with you every time he or she asks to see you.

Take good notes so that you do not have to go back and ask questions that your attorney may have already covered in his instruction.

Date the notes you take and keep them in a temporary file in case you need to refer to them.

Telephone Etiquette (aka How to Take Telephone Messages)

This may seem like a no-brainer, a simple process, but believe me I’ve seen a lot of attorneys absolutely beside themselves because incomplete messages were taken by their assistants.

Check with your attorney for specific instructions on how she wants her calls handled.  Here’s how I usually handle my attorney’s calls.

1.  BEFORE asking the caller for their name, I usually advise the caller that my attorney is just beginning a mediation or is involved in a teleconference and will have to return their call when they finish the meeting, call, etc..

2.     THEN ask the caller for his name and ask him to spell it.

Note:  The reason you ask the caller’s name after you advise where or what your attorney is doing is so that the caller does not feel that the attorney’s calls are being “screened”.

Every caller must feel that their call is unique and important.

3.     Ask for the telephone number.

4.     Ask for details – why is the caller trying to reach your attorney?  If the caller is reluctant to explain, simply advise that your attorney has required you to provide a detailed message.

Note:  There are times when the caller just prefers to wait to speak with the attorney.  In that case, after you have the basic information, simply thank them and say goodbye.  You’ve tried your best to obtain the necessary information.

5.     If the caller did not provide details, make a note on the telephone message so that your attorney understands that you did attempt to retrieve the information.

6.     Ask the caller if there is a preferred time that the attorney return his call.

7.     Place your initials or first name on the bottom of the telephone message so that everyone in the office knows who took the message.

Punctuality

It’s important to be on time for work every day.  Build your reputation one day at a time.  People notice if you’re taking advantage of the system and when it’s time for your annual raise you’ll be very happy you took this advice.

If you’re a person who’s always late, now is the time to change.

Dress Code

Make sure you understand the a law firm’s dress code.  It doesn’t hurt to dress a step up.  Attorneys know the power that a certain type of clothing has on juries.  In fact, on the 1^st day of a trial, an attorney-friend of mine in Tulsa, Oklahoma dresses in a dark suit to promote an air of “seriousness”.  On all but the last day of the trial, he wears lighter color suits.  On the last day he’ll again wear a dark colored suit to show a “serious” side for his closing statement.

Dress “up” for the interview.  You cannot go wrong with a suit.  A dark color indicates seriousness.  Pair a dark suit with a lighter shirt or blouse.  Men, always wear a tie to the interview.   Polish your shoes.  Take a shower the evening before or the morning of the interview.  Clean your nails.  Use deodorant. Give yourself a complete and thorough overhaul and make it a habit.

Sometime, just for fun, try walking into a department store dressed “up” and then another day dressed “down”.  There are significant response differences from the sales clerks.  Try it, you’ll see what I mean.

Casual Day – Make sure you understand what “casual”means  in your law firm.  It usually does not mean torn jeans and halter tops.  Make sure you have a clear picture of what “casual” means to the law firm to avoid embarrassment.

If there is a casual dress code, dress in a business casual mode.  People will notice that you’re a professional.  I have witnessed not only office staff but  attorneys take the “casual” look too far.  Don’t dress like you’re trying out for a hip-hop group – save that for the weekends.

Can You Handle Different Personalities?

Having a wonderful sense of humor helps.  I have met attorneys who were extremely down to earth and then those whose egos were set on “super sonic” mode.  If you can handle people of different personalities, especially in a “tense” situation, you will do well in the legal field.

It became very important during the interview process for me to at least try to determine what the hiring attorney’s personality type was.  I am from New Jersey and am very used to being very up front and forthright.  However, I have had to adjust the way I present myself in the deep South because the rules of the game are a bit different here. 

While we “cut to the chase” in conversation in the Northeast, the employers I have had in Oklahoma and in Northern Florida prefer a slower pace with far less sarcasm.  It was difficult to change, but I’ve had to change a bit in order to work. 

And if you’re thinking that I’ve had to “lose” myself totally, I haven’t.  I’ve learned to be more polite and to slow the frenetic pace down just a bit.  We all have to adjust in one way or another at times in order to survive and to just get along.