...Rashann Melton Degree and specialization: PhD in Criminal Justice – General Specialization • Personal/Professional Goals Each day I enter into a court room, I am reminded about the gift of the judicial system. This system teaches the importance of understanding one's rights. My daily contribution is evidenced by my passion for criminal justice and the understanding of my protective capacity. Being currently employed as a Family Court Paralegal (Child Support Division/Juvenile Delinquency) has prepared me for the next step of obtaining my doctorate. Daily I am collecting, retrieving, and analyzing information, drafting, filing, and serving legal documents such as discovery and motions as well as managing and organizing cases. Deciding to return back to school is never an easy decision, but I believe I can one day contribute to the future minds that wish to study criminology. I recently had a daughter and I often think about the society in which she is now a member. The other day I voted and I took my daughter along to witness our beautiful system of democracy at work. I am interested in graduate school to advance my career and to obtain the additional skills to empower a world unknown of its ability. In October of 2010, I had to honor to help the attorney I was working with in assisting her with a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to present to the other attorneys for their quarterly training. In 2011 I was a recipient of the NYC Law Department Legal Assistant Achievement...
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...Paralegal – A Career of a Lifetime The paralegal field has evolved into a profession that requires preciseness and a basic degree of knowledge. According to one source, a paralegal is a professional who assists attorneys in their work. These individuals perform many different functions in law offices, although they cannot perform duties considered to be within the practice of law. (What is a paralegal / what does a paralegal do?, 2015) Paralegals have been around since the 1970’s when Attorneys realized basic file and research needed to be performed by lower salaried workers. (A short history of paralegals, 2015) By hiring paralegals it freed time for the attorneys’ to perform other duties. Paralegals have become the arms of an attorney, and...
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...Paralegals are one of the fastest growing careers in the United States. Regardless of this growth, many individuals who do not work in the legal field, and even those who do, are confused by the paralegal’s role. The volume of responsibility an attorney has on their caseload may overshadow the lawyer’s ability to handle all parts of the cases personally. Behind the scenes, a paralegal achieves a lot of functions that attorneys could not complete independently. In her article Haworth, NFPA and the Paralegal Profession- a Partnership explains that paralegals are in demand and have a positive outlook for the future and employment of paralegals is to rise by 20 percent into 2020. As law firms try to decrease costs and increase the effectiveness of legal services, they are expected to hire more paralegals. Haworth discusses that with the partnership between the...
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...The Paralegal Profession Ruth Keith Everest University According to Paralegal Today (2011), a paralegal is “a person qualified by education, training, or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work, for which a lawyer is responsible” (p. 3). This paper will show the various duties of the paralegal. It will also prove what a valuable asset they are to the legal profession. Paralegals mostly work for law firms, government agencies, and corporate legal departments. They do a variety of tasks to support lawyers. They conduct legal research, draft documents, and organize and maintain files (Unknown, 2012). Interviewing clients, witnesses, and conduct legal investigations are also part of the job description. The specific tasks vary depending on the size of the office, the type of law the firm practices, and the amount of experience the paralegal has. Even though they gain a great deal of knowledge in the law, they are not authorized to give legal advice (Miller &Urisko, 2011). As a paralegal, I would like to find a position in a family law office. Working for an attorney who helps clients in either adoption proceedings or child custody cases would be the most intriguing for me. Knowing that I had a hand in helping a couple receive a child that they so desperately deserve, or removing a child from an abusive situation, would be...
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...We often hear the phrases: “Why Do I Need a Paralegal?” and “What Does a Paralegal Do?”. The American Bar Association (ABA) defines a paralegal as: A person qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. Paralegals are employed in various organizations, including law firms, corporations and governmental agencies. The role of a paralegal can vary depending upon the size and practice area of the law firm. For example, in the sole practioner setting, a paralegal may be responsible for increased administrative duties and case management in addition to drafting documents and legal research in a broad range of practice areas. In the mid-large law firm setting, a paralegal may be a member of a legal team with specific responsibilities tailored to one particular practice area or skill set, e.g. pre-litigation, discovery or trial. The role of a paralegal is evolving to include more substantive legal tasks and responsibilities. This...
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...The Paralegal Profession and Ethics Based on the reading for this week, describe the role of a paralegal and the skills necessary to be a paralegal. Why are these skills important? Are paralegals able to represent clients? What is attorney-client privilege and how does this relate to the role of a paralegal? Summarize the Biblical Model as presented by Professor Bern. Post: The role of the paralegal: I would say that the role of a paralegal is primarily to assist an attorney, law office, or government agency. But there can be other roles as well that are less common, such as but not limited to assisting individuals in matters involving the social security administration. The roles of the paralegal and what duties they perform can vary widely from the common conception of working under an attorney or law firm by preparing for hearings, trials, meetings, real estate closings, helping draft documents, and even maintaining financial records; to working for federal, state, or local government agencies collecting and analyzing data for internal use as well as preparing information for use by the general public. Thomas F. Goldman & Henry R. Cheeseman, The Paralegal Professional 4, 5 (3rd ed. 2011). The skills of the paralegal: The skills of a paralegal very widely depending upon the type of work the paralegal is specialized in or engaged in. But there are some common skills shared by most paralegals and are very important. These common skills are also known as soft skills...
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...student loans. I must say this would have been a welcome site two years ago when I started with school at the age of 39. I could have been done and in my chosen occupation without the $30,000 in debt. 2. What did you think of the occupations O*NET suggested as matching your skills? Was the occupation you are in or preparing for among those listed? The number one suggested occupation was Chief Executive which honestly made me laugh. I have never aspired to be a C-Level Executive though I know I could do it, the pressure of those types of positions is not something I wish to introduce into my life. Number 13 (I realize they are not actually numbered) is Lawyer. I am a legal assistant working my way up to Senior Legal Assistant/ paralegal so that isn’t too far off from my goal. Being a lawyer is...
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...the LSAT that I plan on taking this December in hopes of meeting the deadlines to apply at my selected law schools of Stetson, Barry, and FAMU. Ideally, I would like to get into either Stetson or Barry more, but given that I'm a single father, the FAMU part-time program they have instituted would cater to my needs much better, but the downside of utilizing that program would add an additional year in completing the course of study. As far as my professional career is concerned, I currently work as a server at Bahama Breeze, a Darden owned concept that does offer room to advance, but I plan to only work there when necessary. To help in assisting in gaining some experience in the legal field, I see myself working in a law firm putting my paralegal degree to some use. The fields of law that interest me the most are personal injury, worker's compensation, medical malpractice, and property and estate. My hope is to...
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...WHY MY EDUCATION IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME In the world today Paralegal is a dream for me. My reasons for this choice of a career is for that Paralegals get to work along the side of an attorney, and they end up learning a lot from the attorney about the law. I will be discussing about why my education is so important to me. And for one on who inspired me, my goals, dreams, motivation, and what also aspire me to keep on going to school help to do better for me and my family. The definition of a paralegal is a person trained in legal matters, who performs routine tasks requiring some knowledge of the law and procedures. A paralegal, like a lawyer, can be employed by a law office or work freelance. An unlicensed paralegal is supervised by a lawyer and cannot engage in the practice of law. Usually, paralegals have taken a prescribed series of courses in law and legal processes. Paralegals often handling much of the paper work in probates of estates, divorce actions, bankruptcies, investigations, analyzing depositions, preparing and answering interrogatories, procedural motions and other specialized jobs. First, I aspire to be the best I can be and to go through life without causing harm or distress to either myself or to others. I’m going to continue the human race and provide abundantly for my daughter and raise her to be thoughtful of others and to have aspiration. My dream has always been to support myself and my daughter...
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...The movie Erin Brockovich is based on a true story of a heroic paralegal, who uncovers that a California utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, polluted the ground water around Hinkley, California. Pacific Gas and Electric Company used Hexavalent Chromium to control corrosion in their cooling tower. The wastewater dissolves the Hexavalent Chromium from the cooling towers and then discharges to unlined ponds at the site. This wastewater went into the soil and contaminated the ground water. The families who lived in that area had no suspicion that their illnesses were the result of the water contamination. Everything started when Erin gets some medical records from a real-estate file. As the story unfolds, Erin is using a direct approach with her appearance, dedication, kindness and hard work to unveil a massive water contamination cover-up. Also, there are a few ethical issues arising in this movie about her appearance and the approach that she is choosing to find the truth. She is convincing her attorney Mr. Masory to take the risk and fight against the big corporation. Erin Brockovich took an unconventional path to her profession, uses her fabulous looks to persuade, all while maintaining the professional conduct. First of all, Erin became a paralegal by forcing her way to Mr. Masory’s office to extort a job from him. In order to get a job at Mr. Masory’s office, her path was to act like a new staff member. Next, Erin starts to research and investigate...
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...NATIONAL FEDERATION OF PARALEGAL ASSOCIATIONS, INC. MODEL CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND GUIDELINES FOR ENFORCEMENT PREAMBLE The National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. ("NFPA") is a professional organization comprised of paralegal associations and individual paralegals throughout the United States and Canada. Members of NFPA have varying backgrounds, experiences, education and job responsibilities that reflect the diversity of the paralegal profession. NFPA promotes the growth, development and recognition of the paralegal profession as an integral partner in the delivery of legal services. In May 1993 NFPA adopted its Model Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility ("Model Code") to delineate the principles for ethics and conduct to which every paralegal should aspire. Many paralegal associations throughout the United States have endorsed the concept and content of NFPA's Model Code through the adoption of their own ethical codes. In doing so, paralegals have confirmed the profession's commitment to increase the quality and efficiency of legal services, as well as recognized its responsibilities to the public, the legal community, and colleagues. Paralegals have recognized, and will continue to recognize, that the profession must continue to evolve to enhance their roles in the delivery of legal services. With increased levels of responsibility comes the need to define and enforce mandatory rules of professional ...
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...The ethics rules governing conflicts of interest are based on the duties of loyalty and confidentiality. These duties are threatened when a paralegal has an interest that is adverse to a client’s, whether personal or business one. A lawyer is responsible for ensuring paralegal conflict of interest does not exist. p. 68. NALA code of ethics Canon 8 states a paralegal must disclose to his or her employer or prospective employer any pre-existing client or personal relationship that may conflict with the interests of the employer or perspective employer and/or their clients. p. 204. A long standing rule strongly disfavors gifts from clients to lawyers, therefore the same rule applies to a paralegal. The inherent conflict in a lawyer’s dual role of adviser to a client and recipient of a gift from a client establishes this disfavor. A paralegal should be aware of this conflict leading to a challenge to the gift or allegations of unethical conduct. Especially in the case of a substantial gift from an elderly or otherwise vulnerable client. The supervising attorney would recommend the client seek advice from an independent counsel and ask the paralegal to refrain from working on the gift document. A will or trust is potential for undue influence, fraud, and overreaching. Courts frequently void both inter vivos (during life) and testamentary (after death) cases, even without showing of undue influence. An attorney may be subject to discipline for accepting such gifts (ABA Model Rule 1...
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...Having a job and having a career means two different things to me. For the last three years I have held a job as a customer service rep. For me in this field I really don’t see much growth unless you are willing to be a very extreme and repetitive person. I have learned in the last two in a half years of being in this profession that it is not something I would continue to do. To compare what I am in school to do and what I have done over the last two in half years is a big difference. Far as the customer service field I can say that it is job security and that I have benefits but not much more. I don’t have leadership that is really driven for the best other than meeting quotas and stats. I have the repetitive and simplicity of the job and the same atmosphere. I have given my all and best to my current job and everyday grow to hate it more. For the most part the atmosphere is very open to any type of person to work in the field. There is not much that goes into screening for a customer service position. Which for me I feel makes for a not to safe environment. I have meet some great people who work at my current job but they are not happy with the overall working conditions either. The pay is not the best and not may incentives that are given to strive to be better. The opportunity for promotion is given not because of your job performance but more for if management feels that you are a good candidate or not. So for me this is not a good job or working situation for me at all...
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...applicable, the area of specialization. One of the jobs I would like to obtain would be a family law paralegal. Family law paralegals typically work for private firms or government agencies that deal with domestic relationships, such as marriage, children, and parents. Family law encompasses such matters as prenuptial agreements, same sex domestic partnership, divorce, adoption, establishing paternity, child custody, child welfare and domestic violence. The second job title would be Real Estate paralegal. Real estate paralegals work alongside lawyers, helping with any preparation regarding property sales. Real estate paralegals are responsible for preparing documentation necessary to any case, including real estate purchases or sale closings. This may also include reviewing amendments, leases, subleases or purchase assignments. It is important for paralegals in this specialty area to be able to accurately work on items such as title insurance and tax bills. In addition to working with lawyers, real estate paralegals may also coordinate with landlords, housing managers or other real estate personnel. 2.List the skills needed for the job, taken both from the job description and your own analysis of the job. Be sure to list at least five skills, three of which are specific skills in the legal profession. The skills needed to work within Family and Real Estate start off with a Paralegal basic background which includes an associates or certificate. Certain electives are to work directly...
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...Paragraph 1 My pending degree in Paralegal studies, along with my solid ability to express myself persuasively, verbally and in writing would enable me to add value to a positon as a litigation county clerk with the City of San Antonio Municipal Court. This position seems tailor-made for my education, experience, and career interest. I’m ready to augment your organization’s team with my enthusiasm, industry savvy, and work ethic. I have a strong desire to assist my fellow paralegals in the quest for excellence. I have spent countless days preparing myself for the qualifications to obtain my career of choice. I’ve had my share of mentors in life who have helped me discover my strengths, talents, passions, and often to find my path. There is one woman in particular whose name is Sharon Cassidy. She has been the most influential women in my life. What she provided for me was a standard- a high one. In doing so, I’ve stretched my capabilities, helping me to also stretch my boundaries and explore our world. I’m in a better path, with increased confidence and skills, which will surely qualify me for the position I’m looking to obtain. Paragraph 2 Dear Jane, It is with great pleasure that I’m recommending Greg Swanson Motor Company in San Antonio, Texas. I have been employed with this company for 8 years. They are currently seeking a reliable assistant for Mr. Swanson, and I’d think you’d be great. As a personal assistant you’ll be helping out with Mr. Swanson’s needs,...
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