How to Get Work Experience in the Legal Field

How to Get Work Experience in the Legal FieldHow to Get Work Experience in the Legal FieldMore legal employers are looking for job candidates who can hit the ground running as law firms and corporate legal departments cut costs and operate with leaner staffs. You might have the education, the ability, and the ambition, but you might well need work experience as well to get your foot in the door How to get legal experience? Fortunately, you have numerous options. Do Contract Work Contract workers have become a hot commodity in todays market as law firms and corporate legal departments look for ways to reduce litigation costs. The sheer volume of documents produced in e-discovery these days has prompted firms and companies to seek more cost-effective solutions to document review. Theyre hiring contract attorneys, paralegals, and litigation support staff to handle this time-consuming, labor-intensive task. unterstellung workers arent employees of a company. Theyre independent contra ctors, hired to work on specific projects on a contractual basis. Contract employees review the thousands of documents produced in litigation and mark them for relevance, confidentiality, materiality, and privilege. Contractors might handle discovery requests, subpoenas, and regulatory requests. Contract personnel usually bill at rates far lower than employees, so firms can net significant cost savings by using them. Theyre usually hired through legal staffing firms. A contract employee is usually discharged at the end of the project, but these projects can range from several days to several years. Those who perform well and who impress their employers might use this as a stepping stone to full-time, permanent employment with the firm. Try Temping Temporary employment is another method of gaining valuable work experience. A temporary employee (temp) is usually placed in short-term assignments through a legal staffing agency. Temporary employees generally earn less than their per manent counterparts because the legal staffing agency takes a substantial cut of their hourly pay. Temps arent employees of the company or firm theyre doing work for, so they dont receive benefits or other perks of employment. Benefits might be offered through the legal staffing agency, however. Temporary work is a great way to explore opportunities within a particular company. Some firms hire temporary employees as a way to recruit permanent staff by first testing them out on a trial basis. These temp-to-perm jobs can result in job offers at the end of the temporary project. Legal Secretary Positions These positions often depend less on legal experience than administrative experience. Consider taking a secretarial position if you know your way around an office pretty well, then work your way up from there. Required skills typically include a familiarity with computers, software, and clerical duties. This is a foot-in-the-door option, but legal secretaries often work hand-in-han d with their attorneys, particularly in smaller offices. Youll gain some valuable, hands-on experience to go with your degree. Think of it as a temp job that pays a little better and offers benefits. Part-Time Legal Jobs Many law firms have a host of high-turnover positions which they must continually fill, including file clerks, messengers, court filers, data entry clerks, copy room personnel, and clerical staff. File clerks organize, catalog, and manage hundreds of case files.Court filers file motions, pleadings, briefs, and discovery documents with the court.Messengers deliver documents to outside parties, including court personnel, co-counsel, opposing counsel, vendors, and experts. These jobs arent typically high-paying, but theyll give you an opportunity to get your foot in the door. Internships, Externships, and Clinics Internship and externship positions are available with some law firms, corporations, banks, insurance companies, non-profit organizations, and governm ent offices. These positions are usually unpaid, although you can sometimes earn school credits for them. And, of course, you can include them on your resume. Internships arent always advertised, so you might have to do a little digging and research to locate one. Your law school, paralegal school, or legal secretarial programs career service offices are some of the best resources for locating internships. Do Volunteer Work Many non-profits, public interest organizations, legal clinics, and legal aid offices are desperate for volunteers. This is another unpaid opportunity, but volunteering is a great way to get quality legal work experience. Public interest organizations wont assign meaningless busywork. Theyll give you substantive tasks that make a difference in the lives of people and their communities. Contact your local bar association, legal aid office, or legal association for volunteer opportunities in your area. Extracurricular Activities Extracurricular activities c an provide useful experience that might help if youre still in school. Law students can participate in moot court competitions to sharpen their oral advocacy skills through mock oral arguments before a judge. Strong writing skills are necessary for many legal professions, and students can gain writing experience through writing competitions, writing clinics, and school-related journals and newsletters.

Tampons, Teenage Boys, and Work-Life Balance

Tampons, Teenage Boys, and Work-Life BalanceTampons, Teenage Boys, and Work-Life BalanceTampons, Teenage Boys, and Work-Life BalanceWork-life schmalance I defy any parent to show me even one day when their work and personal lives are in balance. Its a constant, grueling tug-of-war. I submit, as evidence, my experience of yesterdaythe day I almost ruined my sons life.My son (well call him Tom) is 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. Hes taking a course called TV and Video Production (or something like that). On Thursday night at about 8 pm, Tom tells me he needs to bring in a mini-DBV tape (or something like that) for the course the next day. I told him too effing bad, I wasnt going out searching at 8 oclock for something he wasnt even sure how to say or spell.So he went to school Friday without the mini-DVB. Later that morning, he calls me at work to tell me the teacher wants all the parents of kids who forgot their mini-BVDs (or whatever) to email him, saying we would have o ur kids bring onein on Monday. So that kind of pissed me off, but whatever. I emailed the guy. And then the weekend came, and I forgot all about it until late (as in, stores-are-closed late) Sunday night.The class wasnt until 1045 Monday morning, so I told Tom Id stop at the drug store on my way to work, and if they had one of these mystery items, I would get it and drop it off at school for him. So I did. I bought a mini-video cassette thingy that seemed like it might be right, and grabbed some other necessities while I was there. I drove back to the high school, wrote Toms name on the brown bag, and dropped it off at the desk in the lobby.Relieved that Id done my motherly duty, I resumed my commuteand stopped at Dunkin Donuts for my morning caffeine.As I stepped out of my car, I had the horrible realization that along with the mini-video tape I had just delivered a box of tampons in a brown paper bag to my 15-year-old sons school.My flosse flew reflexively to my mouth and I gasped audibly (there may have been an element of evil laughter in there, too). At that same moment, a little person came out the door of Dunkin Donuts. I felt horrible because it probably looked like I was gasping at him But what could I say... Im sorry sir, you are totally non-gasp-worthy I was just gasping because I accidentally delivered tampons to my teenage son at school?Two minutes later, coffee in hand (first things first), I sped back to the high school, fully expecting a call at any moment, saying, Mom, WTF is wrong with you??The happy ending is that I was able to get back to the desk in the school where Id left the bag, make a quick switcheroo of the you-know-whats from Toms bag into my Dunkin Donuts bag (which Id brought in for that purposeplanning ahead, I was). I didnt even want to think what Toms football teammates would have nicknamed him if hed opened that bag in public.When I got home from work, Tom was none the wiser (until I told him all about it, at which point he jus t rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.) But Im proud that my quick action saved him from the trauma of thinking his mothers sense of humor is even more sick and twisted than hed imagined.So now I have an extra hour of work to make up, and (true to Murphys Law), the mini-tape thing I bought was the wrong kind.

5 Tips to Build Killer Communication Skills (Even if Youre Shy)

5 Tips to Build Killer Communication Skills (Even if Youre Shy)5 Tips to Build Killer Communication Skills (Even if Youre Shy)Sending emails, fielding queries and interacting with colleaguesmay come effortlessly to some admins. But what if you tend to be shy or introverted? Weve got some thoughts on how you can develop mora assertive communication skills.Are you an introvert or a shy person who longs for stronger communication skills - especially in stressful situations? Well let you in on a secret The key to being an excellent verbal communicator is confidence. Take something like asking for a raise. A Robert Half survey shows that many employees are lacking in confidence to such an extent that theyd rather have a root canal or an IRS audit than ask for a pay raise.If that sounds familiar, read on. Weve got five tips you can use to boost your confidence and your verbal communication skills.1. Speak upWhen youre asked to participate in meetings, dont try to melt into the wall. Offer your opinion. A common tendency is for shy people to think their perspectives arent valuable, but this simply isnt the case. You wouldnt have been asked to participate if others werent interested in your point of view.2. Practice presentingDo you have to present a summary of new office procedures to the entire administrative team? Spend a few days rehearsing at home before taking your presentation public. Practice really does make perfect when it comes to communication skills.Have your spouse, partner, kids or even the cat listen to you rehearse. Having your presentation down pat before the big day will make you more confident once you stand at the front of the room.Another tip Dont forget to make eye contact throughout your rehearsal and presentation. It will feel awkward at first, but you will come across as more authoritative and in command.3. Let it goDid you stumble over your words on the phone or send out an email with a typo? Forget about it. Everyone makes mistakes at work. Of course, you want to learn from your stumbles so you dont repeat them. But theres no need to replay conversations in your mind or frantically stalk your inbox to see if anyone critiques your writing skills. Focus instead on how youll improve your communication skills going forward.4. Join a professional organizationYou may feel more comfortable speaking up around fellow professionals if you dont see them 40 hours a week. And youll find that networking is a great way to help you build confidence over time. Eventually, the habit of offering your point of view or making suggestions will follow you back to the office.5. Take small stepsSlowly ease yourself outside of your comfort zone by setting small goals for yourself. For example, Mondays objective could be to ask a question in your weekly staff meeting. Celebrate once youve met that goal and then set a new one, like asking colleagues to join you for a working lunch.Each time you successfully meet ansicht goals in overcoming your s hyness, your confidence will grow until you notice youre not really shy at work anymore.If youre naturally shy or introverted, it may be painful to employ these tips at first. But sticking with them will pay off. Youll find your confidence increasing over time, and one day - as youre wowing the team with your communication skills - youll wonder why this was ever a worry in the first place.Read these 12 quick inspirational quotes to help you build confidence at work.