Paralegal 411

Being a litigation paralegal in the 21st century can be a very stressful job. Paralegal schools usually teach a lot of esoteric material but not always practical skills that will come in handy daily. Litigation paralegals just out of school or litigation paralegals in their first year or so of working will find this book loaded with useful advice. Dee Thompson has been a litigation paralegal for almost 40 years and she has worked for large firms, small firms, and corporate legal departments. Early in her career she had to learn how to actually function effectively in her role, and meet her performance goals, and she got very little help from anyone. She made mistakes, and learned.

By studying this little book, new paralegals can get the benefit of her hard-earned wisdom without making the mistakes.She also figured out some shortcuts for things like how to keep files better organized, the best ways to organize and analyze information, how to get along with the attorneys, and the importance of being professional at all times. (New computer programs really can't take the place of old-fashioned diligence and hard work.) Inexperienced attorneys may also find this book useful -- much cheaper than a CLE course and more practical than any law school class.