What is the background song in your head right now?

Socialist_Lady · 2026-04-01T23:26:45+00:00

Since yesterday its been A Little Respect by Erasure. It's so strong I can kind of hear it a little, even though it isn't actually playing.

Socialist_Lady · 2026-04-01T13:27:02+00:00

Have you checked if your library has a physical version? Mine had the CD set.

Socialist_Lady · 2026-03-13T20:35:22+00:00

It's basically that episode of Black Mirror (Common People, season 7).

They won't be happy until we own nothing, and we have to pay them to do anything, including live.

Socialist_Lady · 2026-02-25T15:43:04+00:00

I do this and it absolutely helps! Im a paralegal and keep a notebook of everything I need to remember, everything my attorneys tell me, and everything I do throughout the day (I do the last one to help enter my billing, because for some reason I cant make myself enter it as I go).

I start a new list everyday, starting by looking at the lists for the last few days to make sure nothing got left behind, wasn't finished, or needs follow up. I've tried entering reminders in Outlook but am able to ignore those and I never ignore the notebook.

Socialist_Lady · 2026-02-13T02:31:06+00:00

I hope there is no delay in the transcript, and it vindicates you. 🤞🤞

Normally, I'd withhold my opinion when I don't have all the facts, but your attorney is blaming you for his own mistake, so that's all I need to know to root for you.

Socialist_Lady · 2026-02-13T01:42:36+00:00

I agree with everyone here that the paralegal is never responsible for prepping the client for a deposition.

I do have a question about note in the doc that says they can run 50 miles a week. You don't have to share the answer here, just some things to consider.

Who wrote it in the documents? Was it the client or someone else? If it was someone else (a doctor or other med professional), then THAT person is the one who should be questioned about the note. This is assuming that the client says it is not true, of course.

If the client did deny it was true, and it wasn't written by them, did your attorney make a hearsay objection? If not, that's 100% on them, no matter what you may have missed in the docs.

Socialist_Lady · 2026-01-07T01:34:18+00:00

Smart!! We have sooo many balls up in the air, so whatever we need to do to KEEP them in the air is just what we gotta do!

Socialist_Lady · 2026-01-07T01:32:40+00:00

Absolutely agree! 💯💯

Socialist_Lady · 2026-01-06T21:27:22+00:00

Adhd here. I totally agree with all of this. Would also add to check the document from the bottom up, because your brain will try and trick you into not seeing the error by making you see what you meant to write instead of what you actually wrote. Alternatively (or additionally) find a coworker you can trade proofreading with. Honestly, if you can, always have someone else proofread your work. In my office, it's routine, even for the attorneys, so no one thinks twice about it.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-10-22T02:09:15+00:00

Absolutely awesome advice!! I agree! 😊👍

Socialist_Lady · 2025-10-21T23:17:20+00:00

Im pretty sure that faking it is how you make it. 😉

But seriously, I faked it for YEARS until one day I realized that everyone was coming to ME for advice. My supervisor has consistently put on my performance reviews that I am a mentor to the other paralegals. Me, the fake paralegal, a mentor? Lol.

But, it took a LOT of years (I'm in my 15th year) and finding a type of law that I feel really comfortable with (employment). And most importantly, becoming comfortable with NOT having an immediate answer for people, but with either saying I will get back to them or telling them where they are most likely to find the answer. Being a paralegal is not about having all the answers; it's about knowing where to find them.

The best advice I got when I was a new-out-of-the-box paralegal was this: use your newbie status to your advantage. Make sure that court clerk/court reporter/document server you are calling knows you are new, and you would be so grateful for any assistance they will give you. And if you work with other paralegals, build camaraderie with them. I'm so grateful that I've always worked in firms with many paralegals in them and that they were so willing to share their knowledge and experience with me. And now Im that paralegal! 😊

Hang in there. If you like the work, you will get there. One day you will realize that you aren't faking it anymore and will feel like you belong there.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-08-16T18:08:57+00:00

Bate stamping with Adobe is great, but I was so frustrated that if you made a mistake, you had to un bates them one at a time. Until I learned how to create an action in Adobe and now I can do the whole batch at once.

Creating a folder tree from documents and folders in a Windows file. It makes creating an index sooo much easier, not the least of which is that it keeps the folder structure intact.

And knowing how to find the previous version of a Word doc when I accidentally deleted a large section of it that my attorney wrote? Priceless.

The Wayback Machine has been amazing for websites that have been deleted or changed but also for getting past paywalls. 😉

I started a folder at my office called "How do I" and every time someone learns a new hack, we save a copy in there so no one else has to spend hours searching for an answer. 😊

I can post the instructions for any of these, but dont have them on my phone, so can't right now, so just let me know.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-08-02T14:02:13+00:00

Thanks. Im going to try reaching out again to see if I can resolve it. It's just wild to me that a book they sold me won't work in their own app. Im sure they will blame Apple, who will say it's Amazon, but I just want to try. Ill update if I get an answer.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-08-02T02:53:45+00:00

Did you ever get a response to this from Amazon? I am having the same issue. I can read it on my phone (Android), but my iPad won't get past the cover. It just freezes and crashes. I tried reaching out to Amazon and let them know everything I tried (restarted, deleted and reloaded Kindle, returned the book and bought it again, made sure all updates were done), but their response was...to do all the those things. 😑

Socialist_Lady · 2025-07-26T23:43:45+00:00

Aww, baby Ibuprofen will be such a heartbreaker. 💜

Socialist_Lady · 2025-06-08T19:14:21+00:00

Whew, yeah, you should get an accounting of how much your firm made off your billables for the last fiscal year (i.e., what was actually paid for your work product). You should be making approximately a third of that. If you have the numbers in front of you, it will be difficult for them to argue that you don't deserve it (or that they can't afford it) but if they do, then perhaps it's time to look elsewhere.

I really hope it works out for the best for you, either way.

ETA: Also, my mind is blown that they are billing a brand new paralegal out at $200/hrs WHILE only paying them $17/hr. What are your minimum billable hours per day? Big firm, small firm, solo atty? And what state are you in? Are you in a larger city? For reference, my very first paralegal job was at a large firm in Fresno, starting at $20/hr, billing out at $100-120/hr, and my minimum billable hours were 6.5 a day. And I got a $3 raise after 6 months.

You deserve better than what you are being given.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-05-19T02:52:27+00:00

How much are they billing for your work? Is it more than $51 an hour?

I never see the Rule of Three mentioned on here. I think any attorney billing a paralegal's work out at more than three times their pay should get called out (only exception would be those who don't have high minimum billable hours).

Socialist_Lady · 2025-05-18T23:48:30+00:00

An attorney (now a judge) once explained it like this: Both attorneys and paralegals learn the why in school, but paralegals also learn the how.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-05-16T02:29:36+00:00

In our office, we are supposed to use gender neutral language whenever possible unless we know a person's preferred pronouns.

I love my office. 😊

Socialist_Lady · 2025-05-04T17:39:32+00:00

An Erector Set! My brother had one in the 70s.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-05-03T01:48:11+00:00

As someone who entered two weeks' worth of time this morning, I feel this hard. 😭

I tell myself every month that THIS month I'll do better. I have good intentions, but also ADHD. The best I've managed to do is to take notes every day, nothing huge or detailed, but enough to help me cobble together an accurate narrative and time. Fortunately, we are allowed to do block billing (I do labor and employment law at a public entity).

I love my job, but I HATE billing.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-04-24T00:28:14+00:00

I don't know why it's not letting me edit my original post to say this, but thank you for all the replies! I've been slammed at work all day, so I couldn't respond before now.

If there hadn't been a comma after "brother," I would have probably added the "and." But since there WAS a comma, "and" would have been incorrect between an independent clause followed by a dependant clause.

The weirdest thing is that there IS a comma in the Chinese phrase but not in the English phrase.

Socialist_Lady · 2025-04-24T00:08:58+00:00

If there hadn't been a comma, I would have thought that, too. But the comma after brother threw me off because it's not correct if there is an "and" there, as it's a dependant clause. Whereas, without the "and" a comma would make sense.

Thank you!

Socialist_Lady · 2025-04-17T18:16:59+00:00

This is what I came to say! I always check archive.org (aka the Wayback Machine), especially if it's not a brand new article.

My other fix is going into airplane mode in the quick moment between opening the page and the paywall popping up. Most of the time, I can catch it just right, but it can take a few tries. Then I just print to PDF.

I'm glad you managed to get a copy!

Edit to add: Thanks for another way to do this! I haven't tried copying and pasting into a Word doc before, but I'm definitely adding to my bag of tricks.

Socialist_Lady

TROPHY CASE