Certification

Well, I did it!  I passed NALA's CP exam on the first try!  The new electronic testing options are great.  You do not have to sit for the entire exam in two days; you have an entire month to take each section of the exam.  You still have to wait to receive your results (it would be nice to receive them instantly), but going to the mailbox and opening that letter from NALA and seeing "Congratulations..." is the best feeling in the world!  Now it's on to the Advanced certification exam!

Pro Bono

I recently offered to do pro bono work on behalf of our local paralegal association.  What a great feeling to help out in this way!  Of course all work is reviewed by an attorney at the legal aid society, but it is nice knowing that I was able to work on something to help speed up the process for certain individuals who would have otherwise needed to wait a very long time before their case was worked on.  I would like to see all paralegals participate in pro bono at some point in their careers.  Utilizing their knowledge and expertise for the good of others is something to be proud of and to be respected. 

Annual Convention

I had a fantastic time at the NALA Convention in Dallas/Plano, Texas.  NALA consistently manages a well-organized convention.  I am very impressed by the staff and the volunteers who are dedicated to the success of their fellow paralegals. The educational institutes and the networking at this conference were great.  Imagine so many bright paralegals, authors and speakers together in the same room.  What an exciting time!


I made some new friends and we made sure we got out and had some fun.  We had dinner, drank some wine at the wine bar, and danced during our week in Plano.  Another paralegal and I stayed an extra night so we could see some real-live bull riding!  I really enjoyed the entire experience and I look forward to next year's convention!

Perception

Being a hard worker is not always the best thing for your career.  What I've found among office politics is the fact that you have to learn to play the political game, and play it well.  You also have to socialize well in order to be perceived as a team player.  Keeping your head buried in your work, effectively completing your job, can ruin your chances for advancement if others complain about it.  It shocks me that the business world prefers to award those who play the game well rather than award those productive workers who don't have time to socialize.  It is what it is.  You just have to know how to manage others' perception of you along with working hard.  Once that is done, the sky's the limit!

Upcoming Annual Convention

I'm very excited about attending the upcoming NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants) convention in Dallas/Plano in July.  There will be a Corporate Institute, an Essential Skills Institute, an Estate Planning/Estate and Trust Administration Institute, a Litigation Technology Institute, a Personal Injury Institute, a Real Estate Institute, and a Social Security Institute.  Wow!  So much to choose from!  It is going to be a great, educational week with lots of time for networking. 

The Fear of Change

Working for the same company for over ten years can become very comfortable.  So comfortable that you don't want to start over again.  However, what do you do when you become bored?  Is there an easy way to advance in your career within the same job?  My experience as a paralegal has made me realize the difficulty in growing within the same company that doesn't understand how to utilize the changing needs of ambitious paralegals.  There are paralegals who love what they do and don't want to change a thing.  That is wonderful!  But for those paralegals who want to continue to learn and grow, a decision may need to be made as to whether to "rock the boat" and make changes to their career, or to retain their loyalty to their company/firm and stay put.

Any type of change is stressful.  Searching for a job is extremely stressful.  You have to determine if you are ready to go through these changes and face the uncertainties of the future.  Only you can make that decision.  But when is a good time to make a change?  You are the only person who can answer that.  You have to feel it in your heart, that it's the right time to do it.  Don't make the change for money alone.  Make the change only if you have lost your passion in your current job and don't enjoy going to work any more.  You don't want to live with that feeling day in and day out.  Change is scary, but sometimes it's the best thing you can do to boost your passion and your career.

Good luck!

Information Overload?

As I spend more time online researching blogs and businesses, I am overwhelmed by the information that is available.  It is easy to get swept up in the articles and blogs and in clicking on links within links... you could spend an entire afternoon surfing the web.  But be careful of what you read.  Not everything is accurate nor is it reliable.  Anyone can set up a website.  Anyone can set up a blog.  You must be sure you check your resources when researching for your business.

Wikipedia is an excellent source of information but educational institutions do not always allow citations to come from this site because it is updated by users like you and me.  Entries are monitored, blatantly incorrect information is removed, but there are still some incorrect entries that may be overseen and not removed.

Remember to narrow down your research by using good search terms.  Be diligent in your research and remember to check out the source to confirm that the information you are reading is reliable.

Filing - love it or hate it, it must be done

Is there anyone who actually enjoys filing?  I'm the first to say I do not enjoy it, but I'm sure there are few people who tolerate it more than I.  There are those people (note I said "those," which doesn't include "me!") who are good about making sure everything is put in its place at all times.  I think that is a wonderful trait to have.  I am not saying that I enjoy clutter, but I can certainly find other ways to enjoy my day, whether at work or at home.

But honestly, filing is a very important job.  Think of a law office where the filing gets behind.  Would you want to work in an office where you spend hours looking for a file that is laying around somewhere on a desk?  Or worse, be a client of a firm who doesn't appear to have their act together?

I recently read that interviewer's may ask the question, "Do you like to file?" to determine how truthful their potential candidate is being.  If they say yes, then the interviewer would decide that they are untruthful and would dismiss them from consideration of the job position.  I must object to this.  When I was younger, I actually did enjoy filing.  I liked getting things organized and having everything in its place.  As I have grown older and found more complex tasks to fill up my day, filing has become a chore.  So I do not think it wise for a potential employer to dismiss a candidate if they think they are lying about enjoying filing, because they could be missing out on so many other great qualities of the candidate.

There are quite a few ways to minimize filing.  One way would be to only print out and save documents that must be printed.  If you have a soft copy of the document, you may not need to keep a hard copy at all.  There are plenty of online repositories to store your documents.  Just make sure your online files are labeled correctly and you have a good indexing system.  Also, make sure you know your company's document retention policy. 

One tip to remember when you receive a piece of paper on your desk is to touch it only once.  Do not place it in a pile to take care of later because it is inevitable that the pile will continue to grow.  Having to spend a Saturday afternoon working on your filing is not a fun activity, trust me.  If you can keep up with it on a daily basis, you're one step ahead of the game.

Freelance Paralegals

I found a great blog, Paralegal Support 101 by Kris L. Canaday, that discusses the benefits of hiring a freelance paralegal.  With the fall of the economy and with many paralegals out of work, some paralegals have decided to start their own freelance business.  Whether they are able to run a lucrative business is based on how much time they are able to put into their business and how serious they take it.  Being a freelance paralegal can certainly become a full time job, but it takes time to build regular clients.  If you have the passion, the commitment, the time, and the resources, you can begin your own freelance venture. 

Do you own a freelance business?  If so, please comment with suggestions for those thinking of starting their own business.

What is an "Annual Report?"

For those of us who work in corporate law, we have a familiarity and a soft spot for annual reports.  Although they can become tedious, they are very important in maintaining compliance for our entities. For those of you who are not familiar with annual reports, let me explain.

A company, whether it is formed as a corporation or an LLC, is required to register with the Secretary of State.  It is important to note that this division may have a different name in different states.  For example, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, this office is called the State Corporation Commission.

After a decision has been made to incorporate, your papers are initially filed with the Secretary of State in the state of domicile (home state).  Upon acceptance of your filing by the state, your company becomes active.  Depending on your business, you may have a need to register to do business in other states as well.  This registration is completed with each states' Secretary of State's office.

Most states require your annual or biennial report to be filed on the anniversary date of incorporation, within three months of the end of your company's fiscal year, or at any other time they desire.  The purpose of annual/biennial reports is to update your records with the Secretaries of State and to pay a fee to continue doing business.  Most states require an updated officer and director list.  Some states require financial information (assets and liabilities).  Most fees are set fees, but some states base fees on your company's paid-in-capital (i.e. Illinois).

Although filing an annual report is not the most complex task, it is a very important one.  Failure to file can result in administrative dissolution/revocation along with fines and penalties.  If your company has been administratively dissolved or revoked, you must contact the state (or your registered agent) to determine next steps for reinstatement.

Finding Your Passion

While I am passionate about education and I am passionate about the paralegal field, I struggle with figuring out my strongest passion as it relates to my career.  So many questions run through my mind -- How do I want to spend my days?  Do I want to continue working for a large corporation, dealing with office politics?  Do I want to change jobs and work for a law firm?  Or do I want to start my own freelance business?  Am I strong enough and confident enough (and smart enough) to pull it off? 

On the radio talk show, "Girlfriend We Gotta Talk!" (Sunday, March 20, 2011), Kerry Hannon (journalist, author, speaker) discussed the importance of finding one's passion. Her topic was "What's Next For My Career?"  One of the things Kerry mentioned was determining what you are good at and what you enjoy doing.  Knowing these things will help you find your passion.  But most importantly, you must have confidence in and believe in yourself.