3 Things Paralegals Should Know About 529 College Savings Plans

By Jillian L. Sherman, ACP, VCA

It’s time to celebrate!  Across the country, May 29 is recognized as 529 College Savings Day (also known as 529 Day). This initiative raises awareness about the importance of saving for higher education and the tax advantages of 529 plans. Paralegals are essential to so many things, including helping clients understand how their situation impacts or is impacted by a 529 account.  In honor of 529 Day, here are some of the considerations (just 3!?) paralegals should know about 529 accounts offered by Virginia College Savings Plan℠ (Virginia529℠).

4 Tips for Effective Internet Research in the Information Age

By Stephanie Meharg, CP

A typical case research assignment begins for me something like this: Stephanie, please find for me everything you can on this company, or industry, or potential expert, or lawyer, or judge.  I think they might be somewhere out west, maybe Arizona.  Now you know what I know. Go!

So where is a busy paralegal to turn when faced with this assignment?   Most companies have a website these days, most experts are affiliated with a university, there’s www.martindale.com for attorneys, Google, Wikipedia, Bing, and EVERYONE has a Facebook account.  Easy right?  Not always.  People, need I remind you that this is the information age.  There is a TON of stuff out there.  Finding what is relevant and useful in a vast sea of  “everyone’s got an opinion and a computer” is pretty daunting.  You can easily find yourself running in circles.  So where do you start?

2014 LegalTech NY

By Jillian Sherman, ACP

eDiscovery is the name of the litigation game these days.  There is so much more to legal technology though, and LegalTech NY is a great place to learn about it.  Each year, ALM puts on this conference in early February in New York and a West Coast conference later in the spring in Los Angeles.  LegalTech includes over 21 tracks and hundreds of exhibitors, all dedicated to legal technology and various law practices.  Lawyers, IT staff, law office managers, and paralegals come together for three days for CLE, the exhibit hall, a fantastic opening reception, and incredible presentations.

Pro Bono

By Beth Cheatham

What is pro bono?  If you work in litigation like me you have probably had experience with pro bono plaintiffs or defendants.  In that setting, pro bono indicates that the party is not represented by counsel.  Those cases can be a challenge because the opposing party is often unsure how to properly respond to pleadings and discovery and how to conduct themselves with the court.

Work/Life Balance

By Donna Strauss, ACP

As paralegals, we take our work very seriously and tend to take it home with us, either physically on our smartphones and/or briefcases, or mentally as we continue to think about work long into the evening.   In order to keep healthy, we must maintain a good work/life balance.   Trying to juggle a healthy balance is difficult.  Many of us not only work full-time, but take classes to better our career, volunteer with organizations close to our heart, raise children alone or with a spouse, and some even work a second job to make ends meet.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new blog for the Richmond Paralegal Association! This blog will not take the place of RPA On The Record, the association's official newsletter, but will enhance communication between our board and our members.  We will add posts monthly so be sure to check back often!

Cheers!