Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Paralegals: No More Fax Machines, Panty Hose?

LinkedIn surveyed more than 7,000 global professionals for their opinions regarding tools and trends will disappear from offices in the next five years and which will become even more common.

Fortunately, Paralegals and other legal support staff members are not on the list!  However, nearly three quarters of those surveyed said they expected fax machines and tape recorders to disappear, along with other once common office tools like the Rolodex, desk phones and even desktop computers to become obsolete.

Here are the top 10 office tools and trends that professionals think will vanish in the next five years:
  1. Tape recorders (79 percent)
  2. Fax machines (71 percent)
  3. The Rolodex (58 percent)
  4. Standard working hours (57 percent)
  5. Desk phones (35 percent)
  6. Desktop computers (34 percent)
  7. Formal business attire like suits, ties, pantyhose, etc. (27 percent
  8. The corner office for managers/executives (21 percent)
  9. Cubicles (19 percent)
  10. USB thumb drives (17 percent)
More than half of professionals surveyed say tablets will become increasingly common in the office. Laptops also ranked high, with 34% of those surveyed predicting they would become more common.

I doubt many of you will mourn the loss of the fax machine, the cubicle or the standard working hours. However, you may miss your Rolodex and your business cards.

This survey is just the latest example that technology in the workplace never stops changing. You will need to adapt to these changes or else risk having technological skills that are obsolete as well.

Credit: http://mashable.com/2012/09/25/extinct-office-tech/

Paralegal Career 101: Dealing with Work-Related Stress

On this September edition of The Paralegal Voice, co-hosts Lynne DeVenny and I explore the different kinds of work-related stressors many paralegals face on a day-to-day basis.

We talk about the realities associated with an exciting but deadline-driven, detail-oriented career, and offer tips for both anticipating and resolving common stressors.

In this episode, Lynne and I share:

  • The stressors they have experienced in our careers.
  • The job stressors paralegals contact us about most often.
  • Advice for relieving stress due to increased workload.
  • Tips for dealing with last minute deadlines created by someone else.
  • Suggestions for dealing with difficult colleagues.
  • Guidance for working in a specialty area you do not like.
  • And more!
Be sure to listen to this episode. It’s easy…and it’s free! Just click on the following links:
MP3 Link:   http://legaltalkmedia.com/LTN/PLV/PLV_091812_Stress.mp3
The Paralegal Voice also thanks its sponsors: NALA...The Association of Paralegals and Legal Assistants and Clio.

Please share the links to this episode of The Paralegal Voice with your friends and colleagues. If you have a request for a future show, or a question for us, you are welcome to contact us at TheParalegalVoice@gmail.com.

Also, be sure you never miss a podcast by subscribing to any Legal Talk Network show, including The Paralegal Voice, by using the RSS Feed links or iTunes links at http://legaltalknetwork.com/rss-feeds/.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Survey Says Nearly 1/3 of Lawyers Plan to Hire

Nearly one-third (32 percent) of lawyers interviewed for the Robert Half Legal Hiring Index plan to hire full-time legal professionals during the fourth quarter of 2012, while 3 percent anticipate staff reductions.

The net 29 percent of respondents projecting an increase in hiring activity is down one point from the previous quarter's forecast. Law firms are expected to do much of the hiring; healthcare is the practice area predicted to see the most growth in the coming months.

The vast majority of lawyers surveyed are optimistic about business opportunities. Three-quarters (75 percent) of attorneys are somewhat or very confident in their organizations' prospects for growth in the next three months, down nine points from the third-quarter survey.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing firm specializing in lawyers, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 100 lawyers at law firms with 20 or more employees and 100 corporate lawyers at companies with 1,000 or more employees. All of the respondents have hiring authority within their organizations.

Key Findings


The net 29 percent of lawyers expecting to hire in the fourth quarter is down one point from the previous quarter's forecast. Those who are hiring plan to add an average of two full-time positions.

The three most in-demand positions are lawyers, paralegals and legal secretaries.
Healthcare is the practice area expected to see the most growth in the fourth quarter, followed by general business/commercial law and bankruptcy/foreclosure.

Nearly half (45 percent) of lawyers say finding the right talent remains challenging, a six-point decrease from the third-quarter survey.

Three-quarters (75 percent) are somewhat or very confident in their organizations' prospects for growth in the next three months, a nine-point decline from last quarter.

Hiring Trends

"Steady hiring is projected for the legal field as law firms strive to meet clients' requests and increase profitability," said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. "In particular, small and midsize law firms are recruiting associates with solid business development skills and client portfolios to expand practice groups in high-demand specialties such as healthcare and corporate law."

Twenty-seven percent of lawyers anticipate healthcare will be the practice area that experiences the most growth in the coming months. General business/commercial law ranked second with 16 percent of the response, followed by bankruptcy/foreclosure (13 percent).

Volkert noted that companies are expanding their legal teams to support renewed business growth, manage regulatory activity and comply with healthcare reforms. "Legal departments are bringing in licensed lawyers, contract administrators and support professionals to handle a greater volume of work in-house and reduce spending on outside counsel," he said.

Organizations planning to hire will add an average of two full-time positions in the fourth quarter. The vast majority plan to hire lawyers (93 percent), paralegals (28 percent) and legal secretaries/assistants (14 percent).

"As law firms and corporate legal departments continue to hire lawyers, the demand for legal assistants and secretaries should increase, particularly for litigation support specialists who are proficient in trial preparation and project management software," Volkert said.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Paralegals and Microsoft Office Suite


How well-versed should paralegals and paralegal students be in Microsoft Office Suite?

Paralegal Voice co-host Vicki Voisin welcomes Deborah Savadra who blogs at LegalOfficeGuru.com, to take a look at the skills most legal employers expect and how paralegals can master those skills, and the resources available for improving skills.

Deborah shares her top tips for Word and Outlook, as well as her favorite technology tools. Important points included in this episode:
  • Deborah’s career path that included legal support staff member, technology “fixer upper”, blogger, paralegal and columnist.
  • How well versed paralegals and paralegal students should be in Microsoft Office Suite.
  • The skills most legal employers expect and how to demonstrate mastery of those skills.
  • Resources for paralegals who want/need to improve their skills.
  • Deborah’s top 5 tips for Word and Outlook that every paralegal needs to know.
  • Deborah’s favorite technology tools.
  • And more!
Be sure to listen to this episode. It’s easy…and it’s free! Just click on the following links:

Page URL: 

MP3 Link:    http://legaltalkmedia.com/LTN/PLV/PLV_082112_MicrosoftSuite.mp3

The Paralegal Voice also thanks its sponsor: NALA...The Association of Paralegals and Legal Assistants.

Please share the links to this episode of The Paralegal Voice with your friends and colleagues. If you have a request for a future show, or a question for us, you are welcome to contact us at TheParalegalVoice@gmail.com.

Also, be sure you never miss a podcast by subscribing to any Legal Talk Network show, including The Paralegal Voice, by using the RSS Feed links or iTunes links at http://legaltalknetwork.com/rss-feeds/.