The Reporter E-Letter Articles

14Nov2017

Top Tips for Getting Along with Colleagues in your Law Firm

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[This article was originally posted at onelegal.com and is printed here with full permission of the author.] Getting along with colleagues can sometimes be easier said than done.  While everyone’s job is focused on the practice of law, personal differences sometimes outnumber similarities, and disparities in temperament, work ethic, efficiency, and general work habits can cause friction among colleagues and undermine the success of the law firm.
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23Mar2016

Thirty Days to Success

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A powerful personal growth tool is the 30-day trial. This is a concept I borrowed from the shareware industry, where you can download a trial version of a piece of software and try it out risk-free for 30 days before you’re required to buy the full version. It’s also a great way to develop new habits,
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24Feb2016

Do You Truly Give 100 Percent at Work?

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If you took any employee to one side and asked them whether or not they believe they truly give 100 percent to their work, I wonder if they would answer affirmatively. Let’s try to delve into the inner depths of our beings here and evaluate just how committed you really are to your work.
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24Feb2016

The Happiness Avoidance Problem: You Sure Do Know What You Don’t Want

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We all want career happiness. So why, for some people, is it so hard to get? It is remarkably sad that so many people end up devoting their careers to jobs that don’t make them happy. They don’t start out that way, of course. It just ends up that as they get further along in their chosen job they discover they’re not very happy.
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23Dec2015

How to Introduce Yourself to Others at a Business, Social, or Networking Event

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Knowing how to introduce yourself to others and engage in conversation is a vital part of business, social, and networking etiquette. Using a process and employing a strategy will help reduce anxiety and increase your confidence. First, try to arrive to the event early. It’s not so daunting to walk into a room and approach people and introduce yourself if the room is not so crowded.
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23Dec2015

Being an Achiever

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You become an achiever by achieving your goals. If you achieve your goals, you’re an achiever. If you don’t achieve your goals, you’re not an achiever. This is a simple, binary way to think about achievement. To achieve means to reach, attain, or accomplish. What you choose to reach, attain, or accomplish is up to you.
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23Sep2015

Tips to Stay on Track and Reach Your Goals

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Working as a Legal Secretary will require you to be extremely focused and organized in order to adhere to tight deadlines and to keep up with the fast-paced legal industry. Dividing your work or objectives into specific goals is an important part of managing your workload and achieving your overall ambitions.
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19Aug2015

How to Identify Your Weaknesses

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We are often much better at identifying our strengths than looking objectively at our weaknesses, but knowing the areas in which we struggle most is usually the most beneficial piece of information we can have in terms of improving our performance. Whether you are not receiving the marks you were hoping to achieve on a course or not getting the recognition or results you want in the workplace,
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19Aug2015

How to Stay Motivated During the Hot Summer Months

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Social media is blowing up with pictures of all your friends at the beach, you can’t get a solid night’s sleep due to your antique AC unit, and it seems like there is a long weekend every other week. Summer is definitely not the easiest time of year for anyone to be productive,
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10Jun2015

Comfortable with Uncomfortable

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I don’t believe in fads. Usually, I’m too tuned out from them to notice, but even if I were aware I think I’d still turn the other cheek and let the trends roll off my face like rainwater sloshing off impervious surfaces and into the gutters. For this reason, I avoid all diets and “get fit quick” pledges and opt instead for routine fitness.
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10Jun2015

Nine Ways Smart Admins Nurture New Ideas

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Most of the people in your office do a good job, and many of them excel. To really stand out, you need to be known for something beyond your job description. Think of the most successful admin or assistant you know–someone you emulate or who is doing what you’d like to do.
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06May2015

Benefits of Joining a Professional Organization

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Joining a professional organization is extremely important to your career if your main goal is to learn, grow, and network with other like-minded individuals. It exposes you to things you might not have been aware of and keeps you informed about current trends within the marketplace. I have heard many complain about not getting much from the professional organizations they join.
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15Jan2015

The One Who Changes EVERYTHING. It Could Be You.

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This article takes us back a few months into the middle of baseball season for “the little man,” otherwise known as Gavin, my elementary age cutie. Gavin’s team found themselves playing one of the best teams in the league, a team that actually went on to win the championship later that season.
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01Oct2014

Goodbye Comfort Zone – I Bid You Farewell

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Earlier this year, I made the decision to step out of my career comfort zone. In doing so, I knew I would have to be willing to do whatever was necessary in order to reinvigorate my career and save my sanity. I found myself in the complacency zone.
While I have always loved the law and found it intriguing,
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01Aug2014

Career and Commitment

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By Steve Pavlina
How committed are you to having a career you absolutely love? Your level of commitment plays a key role in the process of creating a fulfilling career.  When people are undercommitted to their careers, they tend to get lousy results.  When they get clear about what they want and commit themselves to creating it,
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23Apr2014

Why Am I the One Who Has to Find the File?

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By Grace Thoreau
I am often amazed at the complicated systems law firms have in place to keep thousands of bulging client files organized, accessible, and within arm’s reach of at least a dozen people at any given time. Whether it’s a numerical system, an alphabetical system, or one that arranges files based on client eye color and dietary preferences,
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01Mar2014

How to Build a Strong Work Ethic

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By Steve Pavlina
There is no fatigue so wearisome as that which comes from lack of work. – Charles Spurgeon If you’ve been stuck in a lazy rut lately, here are some suggestions to get yourself working productively. Accept That Many Results Require Hard Work Remind yourself of the simple causality chain from decision to action to results.
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01Mar2014

Become More Emotionally Intelligent in 2014

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The new year is a great time to make a fresh start and focus on what you would like to do to improve your life in both personal and professional ways. You may think about behaving more mindfully with your family, friends, or colleagues; working more efficiently in your job;
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23Feb2014

25 Questions to Ask Yourself in 2014

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Beyond the festivities, travel, celebration, and joy of the holiday season, December was truly a time of reflection.  I experienced this myself as I was home with family.  Amidst all the chaos that is involved with kids running around, a sick husband, and spending time with loved ones, I had the chance to sit back and really reflect on all that happened in 2013.
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01Nov2013

Spotlight: National Association for Legal Professionals

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NALS is a leader in the legal services industry offering professional development by providing continuing legal education, certifications, resources, and training to those choosing the legal services industry as their career.  NALS was formed in 1929, was incorporated in 1949, and has been dedicated to members of the legal community ever since.  
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01Oct2013

Technology Is Making the Role of a Legal Secretary More Secure Than Ever Before

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While the world continues to change with technological growth, keeping in step with technological growth is required in every profession. With radical changes taking place in the entire dynamics of information storage, access, retrieval, publishing, and search and indexing mechanisms, apparently a lot of secretarial work that can be done either more efficiently or cost-effectively by software is being delegated to software.
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01Aug2013

Do Work and Life Ever Balance?

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By Stephanie Potter
Many of us lawyers are Type A, competitive perfectionists, and these traits don’t fade away when we become mothers.  While our aggressive natures can serve our clients well, I question how well they sometimes serve us. Recently, a good friend of mine who is also an attorney asked me how I “do it all.”  I was flabbergasted. 
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01Jun2013

Eight Work Traits of a Successful Secretary

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So you’ve mastered the core skills of a legal secretary.  How do you set yourself apart as a stand-out secretarial professional?
Here are eight traits of a successful secretary. 1. Reliable Since a legal secretary is the attorney’s right-hand person, reliability is crucial.  A secretary who is punctual, timely,
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01May2013

How to Be Irreplaceable in a Tough Economy

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By Ruth M. Schaub, PP, PLS
I began my first law office job 25 years ago as a receptionist for a small firm. Along the road I learned the value of becoming the type of employee no boss wants to be without. Read my suggestions and find a way to make them apply to you and your work situation.
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01May2013

Improving Profile and Visability

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By Des Whitehorn
In a perfect world people would judge us by results and the quality of our work. However, life isn’t perfect. People who work hard and are loyal can be overlooked for promotion or pay raises, while those doing a good PR job on themselves tend to be thanked and appreciated more often.
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01Apr2013

Being Aware of Unhelpful Thinking Tendencies

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The Conscious (thinking) Brain and the Subconscious (emotional) Brain
Our brain is a complex and fascinating organ. The thinking (conscious) brain operates at an intellectual level, giving us perspective and good problem-solving capability. When it works in healthy harmony with our emotional (subconscious) brain, we function at our best and can be at our most robust and resilient in dealing with whatever life throws at us.
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01Apr2013

How to Motivate Yourself

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Staying motivated is a struggle. Our drive is constantly assaulted by negative thoughts and anxiety about the future. Everyone faces doubt and depression. What separates the highly successful is the ability to keep moving forward. There is no simple solution for a lack of motivation. Even after beating it, the problem reappears at the first sign of failure.
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01Jan2013

Challenging Negative Self-Talk

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By Sarah Jeffrey-Gray
There are times when we talk to ourselves critically. Perhaps we just think it, or perhaps we voice it out loud. “I’ll never get this right.” “I’m such an idiot.” Phrases like this are a sure sign that emotional hijacking is at work. If we become aware that this is going on,
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01Jan2013

Mentoring

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By Alexis Kessler
When people ask me what I do for a living, my answer is simple: “I’m a paralegal.” I then get the “I’ve always wondered what the difference is between a secretary and a  legal assistant/paralegal” question. I always respond that it depends on the structure of the firm and terms they prefer to use. 
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01Nov2012

Clear Your Mind

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By Sarah Jeffrey-Gray
We all carry around a fair amount of emotional baggage – things which have annoyed or worried us, whether they are to do with work, home or our social life. These things can create emotional clutter in the mind unless we develop healthy ways to clear them out so we can concentrate better on what is good for us.
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01Oct2012

Achieving Personal Objectives

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By Judith Di-Castri
Do you need to stretch yourself more in terms of development?  Do you wish you could achieve more?  Do you sometimes feel stuck in a rut?  Set yourself some personal objectives to achieve.  To help you achieve them, here are the top ten tips, including the SMART model: Specific  Make sure the objective you want to achieve is as specific as possible. 
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01Jun2012

In Search of the Rest of Your Career

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By Chere Estrin, KNOW Magazine
We all start out headed in one direction, and, darn it, if we don’t end up in another. There are estimates that people have three to five completely different careers in one lifetime. That’s a lot of time invested when including the decision-making process,
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01May2012

Big Time Small Town: Creating a Road Map to Success

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By Maggie Gregory, Contributing Writer for Ms-JD.org
This month, I’m going to show you how to make a road map to reach your goals in fifteen minutes or less.  Maps are important both for driving to physical destinations and for reaching your personal destinations.  While I might, possibly, eventually be able to drive to Portland,
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01Mar2012

How Productive Will You Be in 2012?

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By Katy Goshtasbi, Esq., Puris Image
Right around this time of year, some of us get serious about how we want to “be” in the new year.  Many of us may set New Year’s resolutions, but only some of us are genuine about it. Oftentimes, people set resolutions involving productivity and production. 
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01Aug2011

Why Did I Become a Paralegal?

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I currently work as a Litigation Paralegal in arguably one of the most renowned personal injury firms in the State of Indiana. Our firm’s founder, Louis “Buddy” Yosha, has earned legendary status during his impressive career as a trial lawyer, which has now spanned more than four decades. He is a fierce and dedicated advocate for the injured and has garnered himself a reputation as a witty,
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01Jul2011

The Value of a Paralegal Degree

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Ring the Bell! Above the Law Posts Postive,  Non-Caustic, Straight-Forward Article About  the Value of a Paralegal Degree.
Above the Law contacted me about 10 days ago with some very good questions about the paralegal field.  And, interestingly enough, they were not looking to do a sarcastic piece nor make offensive remarks about the paralegal career.
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01May2011

Steps to Being a Successful Legal Secretary

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By Seamus Ryan
“A well-known law firm is looking to recruit a highly motivated and skilled legal secretary. Work 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a competitive salary and the opportunity to develop your own professional skills in a challenging and fast-paced environment.” Does this advert look familiar? If you have been job hunting for any length of time,
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01Jan2011

10 Tips for Setting Work Goals

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By Jonah Isbell
Here are some great tips if you are thinking about setting work goals. Choose at least one long-term goal (minimum one year) Make sure your goals are achievable. If they are too easy you won’t have much success to show for them and if they are too hard you will get discouraged.
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01Jan2011

New Year’s Resolutions – How Planning Can Make A Difference!

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By Andrew Papas
It’s another New Year. Many people greet the new year with enthusiasm and happiness, inspiring them with new hopes, longing and excitement. On New Year’s eve many people hold parties to greet the New Year ahead in the company of family and friends and to make resolutions which they hope to keep as they look forward to a fresh start by resolving to improve to make the New Year a better one.
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01Dec2010

Four Reasons Why Legal Professionals Succeed (or Fail)

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By Chere B. Estrin, Editor-in-Chief, KNOW Magazine
It’s around this time that most of us decide it’s time to change some aspect of our lives.  We decide that : We’re taking the train to Skinny-land – going on the final diet, the BIG one – the one that will mean that we’re finally,
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01Nov2010

Where’s the Glamour?

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Ten years ago, my favorite southern belle, Shelby (a/k/a Julia Roberts), lit up the big screen portraying a woman that I, for one, had never heard of. As a result of her performance, everyone in America got a taste for the paralegal profession’s sexy, mysterious, and seemingly thrilling job description. 
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01Oct2010

Developing Proactivity

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By Des Whitehorn
Pro-activity means not waiting to be asked, but having an ability to think ahead and anticipate needs, difficulties and different ways of achieving a necessary outcome. Pro-activity also means being able to identify and solve problems by making decisions. To do all this requires knowledge, which needs constant updating plus a conscious effort to seek it out.
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01Aug2010

The Distinguished Profession

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By Efoli Ekot, Dedicated, The Legal Secretary Journal
The word “Secretary” is derived from the Latin word secrenere meaning “to distinguish” or “to set apart” and the passive participle (secretum) meaning “having been set apart,” with the eventual connotation of something private or confidential. Therefore, a Secretarius was a person overseeing business confidentially,
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01Mar2010

If I Knew I Couldn’t Fail

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By Jane Faulkner for KNOW Magazine
What would you do if you knew you could not fail? We invited lawyers at a recent CLE to answer this question, repeatedly, until they connected with their creative sides. They were surprised at what opened up. One lawyer said, “Suddenly it dawned on me that if I stay true to who I am,
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01Feb2010

How to Find Meaning in Your Work

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You have days when there just seems no point to what you’re doing – where it all feels futile or meaningless. Your motivation is low, yet the work still needs to be done. You might work for an employer, or you might be self-employed. Your “work” might be paid, or it might be unpaid – being a full-time parent,
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01Feb2010

When to Say No to Your Dream Job

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Have you ever wondered what might have happened in your life if you had chosen one road over another?  I mean, what really might have happened?
I don’t make a habit of writing about my own experiences but…..a few years ago while minding my own business (literally), I was approached by a major staffing organization (big players – cool $5+ billion a year in revenue) to head up their $50 million legal staffing division.
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01Nov2009

The Importance of Setting and Achieving Goals

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By Elena Fawkner
With rare exceptions, nothing truly worthwhile in life happens by accident. Sure, you may win the lottery but what are the odds?  What if you could achieve everything you ever wanted without winning the lottery?  What if it was as simple as deciding where you wanted to go and planning the route to get there? 
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01Nov2009

A Chicago Paralegal’s Rewards and Challenges in Litigation

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By Barbara Lynch, Staff Writer
“What was one of your most embarrassing moments?” I think we all have been asked that question before. For me, quite honestly, besides accidentally pouring iced tea into a man’s coffee cup during my waitressing days, I really hadn’t experienced any red face-turning moments.
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