In this solo episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann Pearson discusses not only how to prepare for you performance review or evaluation but how to change your mindset to make it a career development opportunity.

Show Highlights

• What important information you should keep on file all year to prepare
• How to accept constructive criticism without becoming defensive
• Why self evaluation, and asking for feedback on a regular basis are important factors in your career development

In all of our podcast episodes, we try to give paralegals an actionable strategy that they can take away from the show because we know your time is valuable.

1. Call this a career development opportunity. Even if your employer still calls it a performance evaluation in your mind, let’s call it a career development opportunity.

Link to Podcast Episode 1 – Why you need a Career Development Plan – go listen

2. The way to be prepared for the meeting is actually starting to prepare for next year’s performance review right after your last meeting.

In this podcast episode, Ann Pearson discussed giving you a template to help you get started. Get a copy of the Paralegal Career Development Plan that you can use to start planning your career path.

For additional resources visit our blog and podcast page 

Casey Flaherty is our guest on this episode of Paralegals on Fire! Podcast show. Casey is a lawyer who is more of a “lawyer innovator.” For years, he’s been trying to bring innovation into an industry that’s not really known for being ahead of its time.

Casey started his career as a litigator at a big law firm, and then went in-house to Kia motors. And it was that work that led him to develop the legal technology assessment tool. The LTA helps legal professionals identify and address gaps in their basic office technologies, gaps that most people don’t even know they have until they take the assessment.

Recently, he left baker McKenzie’s project management team (Casey is also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt) to be a co-founder of Lex Fusion, where they are accelerating the legal industry’s adoption of technology and innovation.

Show Highlights

• How to leverage your expertise through process and technology
• Most legal professionals don’t utilize the full capabilities of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Adobe
• Why paralegal schools and law schools should consider adding more technology courses
• What happens when you work for the old-school attorney who wants everything in paper

Get access to the Legal Technology Assessment Tool that Casey and Ann talked about so that you can be at the top of your technology skills.

The 3-Step Plan helps you get up to speed fast when you’re taking over new cases (and for new litigation paralegals who want to proactively manage their cases from the start). You can download it here.

For additional resources, please visit our podcast page  and blog.

In this solo episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann Pearson talks about the struggle that some new paralegals have making ends meet for those first few years on the job. Instead of putting thousands of miles on your car driving for Uber, why not use your paralegal skills to generate some extra cash from the comfort of your couch?!

Even experienced paralegals will find these paralegal side gigs interesting if you’re looking for ways to stash some extra cash into your retirement fund or pay for your next vacation!

Show Highlights

• Thanks to online businesses and remote work – you no longer have to show up to a 2nd job to make some extra cash
• Use your paralegal skills to make some extra cash
• Unlike other industries, paralegals have to be careful to make sure there’s not a conflict of interest
• Five ways to make money with paralegal side gigs

Your actionable strategies:

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Get information about The Paralegal Boot Camp’s Affiliate Program.

Get information about creating your own courses with our Course Creator Boot Camp that launches in 2022.

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The 3-Step Plan helps you get up to speed fast when you’re taking over new cases (and for new litigation paralegals who want to proactively manage their cases from the start). You can download it here.

For additional resources, please visit our podcast page  and blog.

In this Q & A style episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann answers some burning questions from listeners on the topic of litigation.

Show Highlights

• Transferring to another state and how it differs from litigation in your current state
• What to do when you’re new to the firm and you have to get up to speed fast on cases
• How to best spend your time learning new litigation software when you are a new litigation paralegal
• How to prepare for a pretrial conference when you’ve never actually attended one

The 3-Step Plan helps you get up to speed fast when you’re taking over new cases (and for new litigation paralegals who want to proactively manage their cases from the start). You can download it here.

Don’t forget to send us your questions for next month’s Q &A: Paralegal Job Search Questions!

For additional resources, please visit our podcast page  and blog.

In this guest episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann Pearson talks with Molly McGrath of Hiring and Empowering Solutions about hiring and retention trends in the legal industry. Don’t miss Molly’s “blunt compassionate” style of straight talk because she sees both sides. As a paralegal, attorney, or manager – have you really listened to the other side?

Molly gives us her insight into the hot practice areas, but more importantly, she talks to us about how to reevaluate your soft skills and what kind of lifestyle and work/life balance you want.

Show Highlights

• How courageous conversations can excel a paralegal career
• The importance of the good ol’ fashioned cover letter
• The MOST sought-after practice area specialties for paralegals now
• Do you know what your “why” is?
• What red flags to look for when working with a recruiter

In this podcast episode, Ann Pearson wants you to check out some of the articles, podcasts, books, and blogs mentioned in the episode. If you would like to connect with Molly McGrath you can do that here.

The podcast episode “Why Employees Don’t Want Your Lousy Law Firm Job” is here.

The books mentioned in this episode (Don’t Be a Yes Chick, The 66-Day Law Firm Turnaround, and Intrapreneurs in an Entrepreneur’s World) can be found here.

Molly’s Blog and other resources from Hiring and Empowering Solutions can be found here.

Head over to the podcast page for more info. 

In this solo episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann Pearson talks about the struggle that some new paralegals feel, like “my school didn’t prepare me for this” and “maybe I’m just not cut out for being a paralegal!”

Instead, what if you’re just in the wrong practice area? Or working for the wrong attorney?

Don’t give up on being a paralegal! It can be such a rewarding career for you if you choose the path that’s best for YOU.

Show Highlights

• Some days you might be doing boring work – but that doesn’t mean it’s boring to be a paralegal.
• It’s going to be harder to land that first paralegal position than they tell you.
• You are not learning the paralegal SKILLS to be successful, you are learning the FOUNDATION to build upon.

3-Step Roadmap for Litigation Paralegals:  https://paralegal-bootcamp.com/3Steps 

Paralegal courses to fast-track your career:  https://paralegal-bootcamp.thinkific.com 

Paralegal Resources:  https://paralegal-bootcamp.com/paralegal-blog 

Please visit our podcast for your actionable strategies.  

In this solo episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann Pearson talks about how one email of appreciation and an anonymous donation inspired her to pay it forward to other paralegals. Ann hopes that others will consider paying it forward to other paralegals. Listen to the show to hear some ideas on how you can pay it forward.

Show Highlights

• • How one small act of kindness from one paralegal is motivating others to act
  • The many ways you can pay it forward and lift up your fellow paralegals
  • Let’s start a movement! #paralegalspayingitforwardtoparalegals

Visit our podcast page or sign-up here for the donated Paralegal Bootcamp course or to win the monthly coaching call with Ann.  

In this solo episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann Pearson takes a deep dive into what it means to have career security and some methods paralegals can look at to achieve that.

Show Highlights

• Why your career security is just as important as (or maybe even more than!) your job security
• Additional professional certifications that can increase your career security
• Combining your paralegal skills with an area that you enjoy working in

Head over to our podcast page for additional resources and a free download of our sample Career Development Plan

In this Q and A style episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann answers some burning questions from listeners on the topic of billable hours.

Show Highlights

• Are you ghosting your billable hours?
• 5 questions you can ask yourself to determine whether your work is billable.
• How to increase your billable hours by 10% in one easy step.
• How to use our free billable hour calculator tool to meet your goals.

The Billable Hour Boot Camp course.

Paralegal Blog for more resources:  https://paralegal-bootcamp.com/paralegal-blog 

The Billable Hour Calculator:  https://paralegal-bootcamp.com/billable-hour-calculator/ 

Head over to our podcast page to get your actionable strategies mentioned in the podcast episode.

In this solo episode of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, Ann gets candid with some examples from her own paralegal career and what it takes to become a mindreading paralegal.

Show Highlights

• Wouldn’t it be great if you could read your attorney’s mind?
• 3 key behaviors you need in order to be a proactive “mind-reading” paralegal.
• What does a workaround look like in the paralegal profession?

Head over to our podcast page to get this week's actionable strategies and to watch a free webinar replay of our 7 Habits of the Indispensable Paralegal.