The Paralegal Voice: How to Revitalize Your Career



Are you bored with your job? Are you questioning your choice to work as a paralegal? Are you considering changing positions or leaving the profession altogether? You may be experiencing burnout!

What should you do? Instead of taking drastic actions, you should first explore ways to revitalize your paralegal career. In this episode of The Paralegal Voice, I spoke with Patti Infanti, managing editor of Paralegal Today Magazine, about the many different steps a paralegal can take to build confidence, increase experience, and simply enjoy his/her job more.

To learn more about how you can vitalize your career follow this link to Legal Talk Network to access this free resource: http://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/paralegal-voice/2014/12/revitalize-paralegal-career/

Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS is a member of The Association for Legal Professionals (NALS) and served as President from 2010 to 2011. A past president of both her local chapter and state association, she is currently serving as Parliamentarian of NALS of Pennsylvania and is the Website Chair of NALS of Philadelphia. She is also a member of NALS Leadership Identification Committee and the NALS Genius Bar. Infanti has been employed in the Corporate Real Estate department of Ballard Spahr LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1990.

Special thanks to our sponsors, NALA and Serve Now.

How to Unearth Your Worth: Tips from a Professional Resume Writer

In this episode of The Paralegal Voice, Vicki Voisin invites Lori Howard, founder of Unearth Your Worth, to outline the key tips for your career transformation, including your job search, resume, and interview.

Howard also provides free instant access to the resources on her site for Paralegal Voice listeners!

After 15 years working in different offices and positions, Lori Howard suffered from burn out and her career needed a major fix. She discovered her passion is career transformation – helping those who are unhappy with their careers start fresh and find a job where they want to go to work in the morning. 

Lori is a Career Transformation Coach, Certified Story Coach, and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She works with professionals who are frustrated in their jobs and those in career transition determine what they really want to do and create a career they love.

Vicki and Lori share:

• What to do when you aren’t getting fast results in your job search.
• The main objective of your resume and what it should accomplish.
• Common resume writing mistakes.
• How the resume of a recent graduate will differ from the resume of someone with years of experience.
• The first thing a potential employer looks for in a resume.
• Tips for setting yourself apart from other job applicants.
• Lori’s special offer for Paralegal Voice listeners
• Vicki’s tips for your resume cover letter.
• And more!

Be sure to listen to this episode. It’s easy…and it’s free! Just follow this link for connection information:

http://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/paralegal-voice/2013/11/how-to-unearth-your-worth-chat-with-a-career-transformation-coach/

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 the host at Vicki@paralegalmentor.com.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/.

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.

The Latest in Court Technology for Paralegals

The current edition of The Paralegal Voice, “The Latest in Court Technology for Paralegals” co-hosted by Lynne DeVenny and me, is now available at Legal Talk Network.

Ted Brooks, Founder & CEO of Litigation-Tech LLC for his insight regarding the latest in court technology for paralegals.

He provides tips for paralegals getting ready for a big trial using extensive technology in the courtroom and explains how paralegals can learn the basics of commonly used trial software. 

Ted also gives his picks for blogs and online resources for paralegals interested in learning more about courtroom technology.

Follow this link to the page URL:
http://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/paralegal-voice/2012/02/the-latest-in-court-technology-for-paralegals/

Follow this link to the MP3 download: http://legaltalkmedia.com/LTN/PLV/PLV_022012_CourtTechnology.mp3

 Also in this episode:

• How Ted became a trial presenation specialist
• What trial software Ted prefers
• What hardware Ted uses for trial
• What’s in Ted’s trial emergency kit
• Some newbie mistakes to avoid in trial presentation
• How to get started in trial presentation
• How to find a trial presentation vendor
• Vicki’s practice tip and Lynne’s social media/technology tip

Internet resources and links mentioned during the podcast:

• Litigation-Tech LLC, http://www.litigationtech.com/
• Court Technology Trial Presentation blog, http://trial-technology.blogspot.com/
• Ted on Twitter, http://twitter.com/#!/litigationtech
• Ted on LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ted-brooks/0/190/778
• Trial Technology Group on LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Trial-Technology-2276605
• Law Technology News, http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/index.jsp
• Trial Consulting Network, http://trialconsultingnetwork.com/
• TrialDirector, http://www.indatacorp.com/TrialDirector.html
• Sanction, http://www.verdictsystems.com/
• Visionary, http://www.freevisionary.com/
• ExhibitView, http://www.exhibitview.net/
• NCRA, http://www.ncra.org/
• OLP, http://www.theolp.org/
• The Professional Paralegal: A Guide to Finding a Job and Career Success (Prentice Hall, 2012), http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Paralegal-Finding-Career-Success/dp/013510578
• Workers’ Compensation Practice for Paralegals (Carolina Academic Press, 2008), http://www.amazon.com/Workers-Compensation-Practice-Paralegals-DeVenny/dp/tags-on-product/1594602646
• FileConverter from iPro, http://www.iprotech.com/Products/IPRO-IConvert/
• NameWiz, http://download.cnet.com/NameWiz/3001-2248_4-10004931.html?spi=c52de0d50769701bde357d01945657aa&dlm=0
• TextPad, http://www.textpad.com/

The Paralegal Voice also thanks its sponsors: Redact-It, and 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, you can make 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/.

Career Tips: How to Advance in the Paralegal Profession

Want some tips from the experts about how to get ahead in the paralegal profession?

The latest edition of The Paralegal Voice, “Career Tips: How to Advance in the Paralegal Profession” co-hosted by Lynne DeVenny and me, is now available at Legal Talk Network.  

On this edition of The Paralegal Voice, Lynne and I are joined by NALA President, Karen McGee, ACP and Charlsye Smith Diaz, Ph.D., to discuss career development and how to advance in the paralegal profession.

We cover key topics including creating professional resumes, obtaining professional certification, and networking at CLE programs.
 

Also in this episode:

• New ways that NALA is serving the paralegal profession
• Why having a quality professional resume is vital
• How employers read resumes
• The most important parts of a professional resume - and what to leave out
• More resume writing tips
• Alternate career paths for paralegals
• The advantages of NALA’s Advanced Paralegal Certification
• Vicki’s practice tip and Lynne’s social media tip

Page URL: http://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/paralegal-voice/2011/11/career-tips-how-to-advance-in-the-paralegal-profession/

MP3 Link: http://legaltalkmedia.com/LTN/PLV/PLV_102511_CareerDevelopment.mp3

Internet resources and links mentioned during the podcast:

• NALA, http://www.nala.org/Default.aspx
• NALA’s Advanced Paralegal Certification program, http://www.nala.org/apc.aspx
• NALA’s 37th Annual Meeting & Summer Institutes, http://www.nala.org/anmtnmembers.aspx
• CLE Gift for NALA Active Members, http://www.nala.org/NalaNews21.aspx
• Blueprint for Your Job Search (The Paralegal Mentor), http://paralegalmentor.com/job-search-blueprint/
• Useit.com, http://www.useit.com/
• Linkedin, http://www.linkedin.com/
• The Paralegal Society blog, http://theparalegalsociety.wordpress.com/

The Paralegal Voice also thanks its sponsors: Redact-It, Above All Legal, and 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, you can make 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/.

The Paralegal Voice: Trends in the Paralegal Profession

The latest edition of The Paralegal Voice, “Trends in the Paralegal Profession,” co-hosted by Lynne DeVenny and me, is now available at Legal Talk Network.

 
How do you keep up with constantly evolving trends in the paralegal field and stay ahead of the pack? Guest Jeannie S. Johnston, Founder and CEO of ParalegalGateway.com, to discusses the latest trends in the industry, how to use social media, favorite publications and blogs, why we use RSS feed readers, and how to make the most of paralegal association membership. Listen in as Jeannie begins the show by taking a look at Paralegal Gateway and what it offers.

Also in this episode: 

• Why Jeannie started Paralegal Gateway
• Resources available at Paralegal Gateway
• How Jeannie balances her various professional hats
• How using social media helps paralegals
• Lynne’s paralegal social media tip

Here's how you access the podcast:

Page URL: http://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/paralegal-voice/2011/08/trends-in-the-paralegal-profession/

MP3 Link: http://legaltalkmedia.com/LTN/PLV/PLV_082511_Trends.mp3

There were tons of Internet resources and links mentioned during the podcast:

Paralegal Gateway, http://paralegalgateway.com/

Court Day Count iPhone app, http://paralegalgateway.com/2011/02/08/3977/

Paralegal Today http://www.paralegaltoday.com/

LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/

Jeannie’s employer, Hall, Arbery & Gilligan LLP, http://hagllp.com/

Atlanta Legal Careers Examiner, http://www.examiner.com/legal-careers-in-atlanta/jeannie-johnston

The Paralegal Journal http://www.pearsonresource.com/index.php/page/index/69

Google Reader, www.google.com/reader

Law Sites Blog http://www.lawsitesblog.com/

Executive Counsel  http://www.executivecounsel.info/

Verdict (Justia) http://verdict.justia.com

Above the Law blog http://abovethelaw.com

The Empowered Paralegal blog http://theempoweredparalegal.com

Scribe blog http://legaldocumentassistant.blogspot.com/ 

Paralegal Pie blog http://www.paralegalpie.com/

Lowering the Bar http://loweringthebar.net/  

The Namby Pamby http://thenambypambyblog.com/ 

ABA Web Store, http://apps.americanbar.org/abastore/

ABA Journal Blawg 100 AMICI http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/blawg100_submit/  

North Carolina Bar Association Paralegal Division, http://paralegaldivision.ncbar.org/

Workers' Compensation Practice for Paralegals (Carolina Academic Press, 2008), http://www.cap-press.com/books/isbn/9781594602641

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.

Remember...you can make 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/.

The Paralegal Voice: What Paralegals Need to Know about "The Cloud"

The latest edition of The Paralegal Voice, What Paralegals Need to Know about “The Cloud," co-hosted by Lynne DeVenny and me, is now available at Legal Talk Network.

In this episode, we welcome Tom Mighell, legal technology expert and senior consultant with Contoural, Inc., author of the new book, iPad in One Hour for Lawyers, and Chair-Elect of the ABA Law Practice Management Section, to discuss what every paralegal needs to know about “The Cloud.”

Tom talks about how cloud-based services can improve the efficiency of a law practice, what paralegals should consider when evaluating cloud-based services for their firms, and how legal staffers can use the iPad to assist lawyers.

Also in this episode:

● The definition of “The Cloud” and Cloud-based storage, including Dropbox

● Cloud-based non-legal and legal services

● Tom’s favorite business and legal iPad apps

● Vicki and Lynne share practice and social media tips.

Page URL: http://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/paralegal-voice/2011/06/what-paralegals-need-to-know-about-the-cloud/

MP3 Link: http://legaltalkmedia.com/LTN/PLV/PLV_062811_Cloud.mp3

Internet resources included in this episode:

• Tom’s iPad4Lawyers blog, http://ipad4lawyers.squarespace.com/
• Tom’s inter alia blog, http://www.inter-alia.net/
• Tom’s new book, iPad in One Hour for Lawyers, http://apps.americanbar.org/abastore/index.cfm?section=main&fm=Product.AddToCart&pid=5110719
• Stephanie Kimbro’s Virtual Law Practice blog, http://virtuallawpractice.org/
• Clio, http://www.goclio.com/
• Rocket Matter, http://www.rocketmatter.com/
• Dropbox, http://www.dropbox.com/
• ABA TECHSHOW 2011 PowerPoint Presentations, http://www2.americanbar.org/calendar/TECHSHOW/Pages/powerpoint_presentations.aspx
• VistaPrint (for inexpensive business cards), http://www.vistaprint.com/
• Google alerts, http://www.google.com/alerts
• Google Me on the Web (on your Google dashboard), http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=1181793

Business and Legal iPad apps recommended by Tom:

• Goodreader
• iAnnotate PDF
• The Deponent App
• iJuror
• TrialPad
• Note Taker HD
• Documents to Go

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, you can make 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/.