January 2007, Week 1 Make 2007 Your Best Year Ever!
For Staff...
It's a New Year and time for resolutions! I don't know about you, but I always make one resolution -- not to make any resolutions.
But this year, let's try something different. Not resolutions, but business goals. What do I mean? Some suggestions:
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Earn that legal designation you've been thinking about (i.e., certified paralegal, PLS, ALS, etc.)
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Get to know the co-worker that appears to be difficult. You never know what good things may come of it.
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Take a communication course and use it to improve your relationship with your attorney(s).
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Learn a new skill that will make you even more valuable to your firm.
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Think of 3 ideas to market your firm and suggest them to your administrator/attorney. Then do all that you can to make at least one of them happen.
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Volunteer to help out another staff member when they're swamped.
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Join one of the local legal associations and get to know others in your profession.
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Improve your listening skills. There is a big difference between hearing and listening -- and people appreciate a good listener.
I'm sure you can think of a few of your own. Give one a try and work on improving yourself and your firm in 2007!
Not Enough Time to Do All the Reading?
For Administrators...
I purchased a program recently that is going to help me keep up on my reading (which is always behind). It's a software from Natural Readers and is a text-to-speech software. It reads text aloud from email, webpages, Word, pdf, and e-books. Best of all, it will convert to mp3 files to download on an MP3 Player. And the voices don't sound computer generated.
By the way, I don't receive anything from the company for this tip. I just think it's a valuable time-saving method for anyone that might need it.
Texas Supreme Court Tips (Continued)
For Attorneys...
- On your pleadings, make the case number bold and 48 font.
- Don't put sealed documents in an otherwise unsealed filing. You would be surprised at the number of people who include a sealed document as part of an unsealed appendix.
- When the Court requests a response or brief, let them know if you decide to stand on previous filings.
- Be aware that you can join in or adopt by reference other filings in an appellate Court filed by another party in the same case. Tex. R. App. P. 9.7.
From Andrew Weber of The Weber Report.
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