The Paralegal Voice

Host Jill Francisco is joined by NEW Paralegal Voice cohost (and a longtime friend of the podcast) Tony Sipp. Together, they kick off the new year with a rundown of upcoming events and news in the paralegal profession.

We’ll also take a look at the current state of paralegal work with the NALA jobs report. How has the profession changed in recent years? You’d be surprised at how technology affects the tasks we all do and why it’s so important to stay current. You never know when you’ll be asked to step up to something new. The paralegal profession is never dull.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Los Angeles Paralegal Association

NALA

American Heart Association

2023 NALA Conference and Expo

NCCA

PSI Exams

NALA Job Analysis Survey

Advanced Certified Paralegal Exam

NALA Webinars

Black History Month

Embracing Diversity Through Inclusion: Round Table

In 2022, so many things changed. If you don’t love your job, this is your year. Find out if your pay, and job, measure up. Is your work arrangement still fair? Get out, join associations, network, and learn new skills.

The pandemic showed us we can work from home if that’s what we want. Firms requiring workers to come back to the office risk losing valuable paralegals. It’s a job seeker’s market.

If your firm is looking for paralegal help, you can poach from employers who aren’t adapting to the new reality. And if you’re a paralegal professional, polish your resume and be ready when an opportunity knocks. Start the new year by writing down your goals, personal and professional, and ask yourself, what’s holding you back? (But be careful, not all jobs are created equal. Know what you really want). New laws in some states require “pay transparency.” Job listings must list pay ranges. Even if you’re not looking, look. Know where your salary stands in the market.

Let 2023 be your reward for making it through the Great Pandemic. You’ve earned this.

A year-end farewell as co-host Carl Morrison steps away from the mic. It’s been a great ride for the past five years, and Carl closes with a look back at 2022. Have no fear, co-host Jill Francisco stays with the podcast and will continue to deliver important insights in 2023.

We’re watching so many changes to the role of paralegal professionals: more responsibilities, better tools, improved processes, and more options than ever.

How can we make the legal profession more efficient and deliver more value? Think of paralegal professionals as “revenue protectors” not a “cost center.” By adding value, paralegals let firms keep more of what they earn. Process management remains key.

Carl also revisits “DEI,” diversity, equity, and inclusion. How are we doing in the legal profession? And then there’s ALSP, alternative legal service providers. Did that turn out well for paralegals? The creativity of paralegal professionals continues to improve the process and drive the profession.

No matter if you’re new to the profession or a seasoned vet, paralegal professionals can never know too much.

Guest Cathy L. Davis is an assistant professor and department chair of the criminal justice and legal studies programs at Alabama’s Faulkner University. She’s a champion of continuing education and the lifelong pursuit of new skills.

Make your job your passion, and make learning your passion. Lexus, Clio, Mycase, Microsoft Office, local paralegal associations, and others all offer opportunities to learn and demonstrate competencies. Get every certification you can.

For those new to the business, start with:

Offer to attend hearings or assist at the courthouse, even if some tasks are outside your scope. Consider volunteering at a legal aid office, neighborhood associations, and community causes. Ever thought about teaching or speaking at a local college? Never stand still.

In a very special, and very personal, episode host Jill Francisco is joined by her good friend, NFL star and Super Bowl champion Vinny Curry of the New York Jets. The power of positive thinking.

Paralegal work is stressful and at times emotional. There are deadlines, complicated problems, and even difficult people and situations. It’s OK to feel frustrated, sad, even angry. But as Curry explains, the key is to acknowledge those feelings and work through them with the help of the positive, supportive people you surround yourself with.

Curry was a standout college player and enjoys a productive, rewarding career at the highest level of the most popular league in the country. But even a star goes through rough patches. Hear how Curry faced down a scary health issue that threatened his career by thinking positively.

The paralegal profession takes a special kind of person. Take a moment to step back and recognize your contributions, abilities, and expertise. Feel good about yourself and your work. Take a breath, get some rest, and be thankful a 300-pound lineman isn’t going to try to knock you to the ground on your next trip to the copier.

Be sure to visit Curry’s foundation,Rush2Victory, dedicated to helping economically challenged students through motivation, mentorship, and empowerment.

Guest Memme Onwudiwe was a speaker at July’s NALA 2022 Conference & Expo delivering a presentation titled “Corporate Paralegals in the Age of Contract AI.” It’s an exciting topic as the role of corporate paralegals shifts from generating contracts to overseeing, managing, and validating contract data.

This doesn’t mean corporate paralegals will lose their jobs, instead Onwudiwe expects they’ll be more valuable than ever, applying their expertise more productively. Imagine, no more "fire drills” when someone needs a specific data point buried deep inside complex language.

Automated content extraction is only one use. Consider automated reviews, language management, and datapoint classification, freeing paralegals to apply their expertise to the highest-level tasks. Imagine legal turning the corporate library of contracts and all that information into tools that help the bottom line, prioritizing customers during supply chain snarls or spotting opportunities to boost profit. With AI, legal turns from a cost center to a revenue center.

Hear how to integrate AI into your workspace and how to avoid missteps. For corporate paralegal professionals, this changes everything.

Mentioned in This Episode:

2022 NALA Conference & Expo

Article, “Finding New Pathways in your Legal Operations Career”

Guest Debbie L. Overstreet, the incoming NALA president, gives an overview of the upcoming NALA conference – a return to the in-person gathering after two years of virtual, but with a remote option as well. Plus, the state of the job market for paralegal professionals and the role of the paralegal in government organizations.

Now is a great time to be in the paralegal field. Jobs abound, and the field is transforming with new options for flexibility, including working from home. But every new step requires a willingness to embrace change. The field is never going back.

What’s new for NALA? Overstreet vows to continue national outreach to affiliates, working with colleges to supporting students, and looks for NALA to reach out to government-affiliated paralegal professionals who need national support in a niche that can get lost.

Don’t miss the upcoming conference, chances to network, meet vendors, and earn continuing education credits. Hot topics include the legal side of social media, modern policing, climate change, ethics, and motions in limine.

Mentioned on this Episode:

NALA

2022 NALA Conference & Expo

NALA Keynote Speaker Melissa Zabor

Q&A With NALA Board, 2022, Including Debbie Overstreet

USAjobs.gov

U.S. Department of Justice careers

CIA careers

DEA careers

FBI Jobs

IRS Jobs

BIA Jobs

Judiciary Jobs

Oklahoma Northern District Bankruptcy Court (each District has own website)

Army Civilian Service

Defender Services Office Training Division

Federal Government Jobs

Government Jobs

When it comes to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), our guests believe legal organizations want to do what’s best. But they don’t know where to start, or even have the data tools to point out shortcomings. The issue can seem so overwhelming the process falls into analysis paralysis. 

But as host Carl Morrison hears, even beating a problem so overwhelming can be done with the right tool, one bite at a time, like eating the proverbial elephant. 

Where can firms get the data they need? Where to start? Guests Mark Harris and Emmanuel Smith of JusticeBid explain how data from JusticeBid analytics helps the legal community progress, build diversity, and leverage available talent by expanding opportunities to all. 

And because one of our guests is an NFL Super Bowl Champion (hint: Smith), we hear what the legal community can learn from the NFL’s struggles with DEI and the so-called “Rooney Rule” that’s been in the news. 

In an inspiring edition of The Paralegal Voice, guest Bobby T. Rimas shares his experiences as a paralegal professional, lifelong learner, author, and adjunct professor. Rimas shares his views on networking and staying current. Stand still and risk being left behind. 

Rimas follows the latest trends in legal tech and procedure and leans on his ever-growing network of paralegal professional colleagues to boost his team with resources that span state lines and jurisdictions. Even the most introverted can learn something from his experiences. Start small, join a local paralegal organization, attend the meetings and conferences, gobble up those CLE opportunities as they arise, and soon you’ll find yourself not only learning, but also sharing what you’ve learned with the next generation of paralegal professionals. 

 Build your network and take advantage of the “hive mind” around you. Your colleagues are a rich resource to draw from. Don’t know? Ask. 

Special thanks to our sponsors NALA, ServeNow, and Infotrack.

Host Carl Morrison is joined by guest Ben Hengels of Ligl.io for a deep dive into the Evidence Lifecycle Management (ELM), e-discovery, and data flow management that law practices run on. 

With so many moving parts, taking proper stock of every component – from email and cloud systems to legacy on-site servers – is crucial. So is working with providers who understand how each piece works with the other. 

Recognize early warning signs of common problems, mistakes that find their way into the process and grow. Avoid inefficiencies and costly snafus. 

E-discovery and data management are not static processes. Technological advances continue yearly. Learn to collect, produce, and preserve the data you need to keep up with a busy caseload. 

Plus, “The Listener’s Voice.” Your content, comments, and questions matter. In this episode, tips and tricks on making the leap from paralegal to legal operations careers. What’s on your mind? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Special thanks to our sponsors NALA, ServeNow, and Infotrack.