Sunday, April 21, 2013

Maneuvering Your Paralegal Career from Start to Finish


On the April edition of The Paralegal Voice Vicki Voisin hosts Charlsye Smith Diaz, PhD, a former paralegal who is now a professor of technical writing at The University of Maine.

Diaz and Voisin met through The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and there they decided to co-author a book, The Professional Paralegal: A Guide to Finding a Job and Career Success. The book was written with both beginning and experienced paralegals in mind.

In this episode of The Paralegal Voice, Voisin and Diaz discuss the different phases of a paralegal career, including writing and interview tips, what to do when you get a job, how to organize your workspace and your time, as well as the steps to take to make your career both interesting and fulfilling.

Also in this episode:
  • How Charlsye transitioned from paralegal to Phd.
  • Why Charlsye and Vicki wrote The Professional Paralegal: A Guide to Finding a Job and Career Success
  • Why paralegal students should participate in internships
  • What employers are looking for when they review a student’s resume
  • What NOT to include in your resume
  • Why you should keep your resume up to date
  • Interviewing tips
  • Tips for getting organized and managing your time
Websites mentioned in this episode:
 Be sure to follow these links to access the program, as well as Internet resources and links mentioned. 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 Vicki@paralegalmentor.com.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Paralegals Can Cook: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Mixed Vegetables

This recipe was adapted from one that appeared in the April 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually don't change the original recipe until I try it once but this one begged for a few more ingredients. Also, how do you like my new quartz countertop? I'm loving the kitchen remodel.
 
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Mixed Vegetables

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2.5 pounds)

3-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1/2 cup pitted Spanish olives (I used smaller pimiento-stuffed olives)

1-2 medium onions, halved and quartered

4 small red potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size (you may need more than 4 if you're serving more people)

Asparagus spears (Note that I used thinner stalks and they wilted in the roasting process but still tasted fine; fatter stalks would roast better)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Feta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large bowl. Add chicken thighs, turning to coat. Salt and pepper to taste. Move thighs to a large rimmed baking sheet lined liberally with aluminum foil (saves on clean-up).

3. Add remaining vegetables to the large bowl and coat with olive oil. You may need more olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Move to baking sheet with the chicken. This should all be in a single layer so use a baking sheet that is quite large.

4. Roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest parts of thighs (do not touch bones) reaches 165 degrees. This will take 35-45 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter and cover loosely with foil.

5. Return vegetables to oven and roast until golden brown in places, probably an additional 10 minutes.

6. Transfer vegetables and accumulated juices to platter with chicken. Season with salt and pepper if desired (I didn't find this necessary). Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.

Serve with crusty bread or rolls.

Note: Your only clean-up should be the bowl you used to coat chicken and vegetables with olive oil, the serving platter, and your dinner dishes. Very simple!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Biz Buddies: Do Your Clients Know About Your Services?


This month's episode of Biz Buddies 4 Virtual Professionals explores why your clients may not be utilizing your services to the maximum potential and what you can do to fix it.
Do your clients know about all of your services? 
Are they turning to someone else for services you offer simply because they aren't aware you provide them? 
Are there services that they aren't taking advantage of that could be helping their businesses? 
Hosts Tina Marie Hilton and Vicki Voisin discuss:
  • Why clients of virtual assistants  hire them for a certain service but are never aware of the full scope of services offered;
  • Ways to keep clients aware of what you offer: and
  • What to do if your client goes to someone else for what you already offer? 
Be sure to listen to this episode. It’s easy…and it’s free! Just click on the following links:
Please share the links to this episode of Biz Buddies for Virtual Professionals 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 bizbuddies@vasurvivalschool.com .
Also, be sure you never miss a podcast by subscribing to Biz Buddies 4 Virtual Professionals on iTunes.
 






 
 


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Paralegal Voice To Give Away 2 Tickets to the Season Finale of Dancing With The Stars


The Paralegal Voice, a podcast hosted by Vicki Voisin on Legal Talk Network, will be giving away two tickets to the 2013 spring season finale of Dancing With The Stars.

Through the Paralegal Voice podcast, Vicki Voisin highlights the latest trends and issues that paralegals, legal administrators, and legal assistants face. She is one of the best known paralegals and is a leading voice in the paralegal community with over 20 years of experience as The Paralegal Mentor.
 
The giveaway winner will be announced the week of April 22nd, and will receive two free tickets to the season finale of Dancing With The Stars in addition to airfare to Los Angeles and hotel accommodations in the Los Angeles area. Only residents of the continental United States that are 18 years and older are eligible to participate.

Season 16, which kicked off on March 18th, features a cast including Olympians Alexandra Raisman (gymnastics) and Dorothy Hamill (figure skating), comedians Andy Dick and D.L. Hughley, country star Wynona Judd, Jacoby Jones of the Baltimore Ravens, and more.

To enter, participants must subscribe to the Legal Talk Network Newsletter with the Paralegal Voice selected as a show preference. The winner will be selected randomly from the participants.

Dancing With The Stars is a television competition that pits various celebrities and their dancing partners against each other as America votes each week to determine elimination. The season finale caps off the competition by deciding the winning celebrity dancer.

About Legal Talk Network: Legal Talk Network is an online media network for legal professionals. Our podcasts highlight important issues in a talk show format. They’re produced by professionals and available on-demand on the Legal Talk Network website, in iTunes, by free subscription to RSS and from legal portals, blogs and social networking sites. Listeners make connections with colleagues in a B2B environment, helping everyone meet the challenges of a changing legal world.