Individuals working in or interested in a particular field can turn to blogs for various kinds of information and a way to network with others interested in the same field. The following blogs help both paralegal professionals and aspiring paralegals to stay current on topics concerning the community.
Digital Paralegal Services
Paralegals are often responsible for keeping law firm partners and lawyers current with news and trends in the field. This includes new and emerging technology. Courtrooms are increasingly wired for technology and judges are therefore expecting fewer paper exhibits and more digital ones. It is not uncommon for judges to require lawyers to bring laptops to trials to interface with the visual system installed in the courtroom. This expedites the trial process and provides judges and juries with a generally more efficient way to view evidence. In most firms, it is the paralegal who will have to do research on the judge and the courtroom to find out whether digital displays are required. If they are, the paralegal will need to convert current hardcopy exhibits into digital ones that can be presented using the available technology.
Paralegal Alliance
This blog focuses on the career of a paralegal. Each post is listed in one of three categories: Learn, Advance, or Win. There is also a Find a Job category, which addresses topics such as resume writing, interview techniques, using social media to find a job, and internships.
The Empowered Paralegal
This blog hosts a discussion forum in which readers can interact with other paralegals about issues in the legal field. Topics include education, licensing, scholarships, stress management, time management, recommended books and book reviews, as well as volunteer and networking opportunities.
The Estrin Report
Chere Estrin, a founder of magazines and associations within the paralegal industry, started writing The Estrin Report in 2005. Blog categories range from advertising, boutique firms, business development, and document management to bankruptcy law, the IRS, identity theft, and jury selection. The homepage tagline for The Estrin Report reads: Created for professional paralegals – not of a certain level, specialty or firm – but of a particular attitude.
The Paralegal Society
The Paralegal Society’s blog was launched in 2011. It contains hundreds of posts with tags and categories like advice, answers, articles, education, inspire, mentorships, and social forum. The blog’s founder, Jamie Collins, typically posts a few times per month. The tagline for the site introduces the blog as ‘a forum created to educate, motivate and inspire paralegals to engage in the pursuit of excellence for all paralegalkind.’
