Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants
Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants Entire Issue - National Association of Legal Assistants
Practice Tips: Behold the Power of the Internet continued from page 43 Public Records Resources. Starting Points: www.nfoic.org (for details on how to obtain information under state and federal Freedom of Information laws). Also try www.knowx.com/ which is a large database of public records, including searches on individuals and businesses, adverse filings involving bankruptcy, judgments, liens, lawsuits and the UCC. Note that only summaries are provided on this Web site. www.inlink.com/~nomi/vitalrec/staterec.html (vital records information) www.companylink.com (cross-indexed access to data on 45,000 U.S. companies) www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm (SEC data gathering and analysis database of U.S. public companies) One final note: let past editions of Facts & Findings be a guide for articles which contain Web sites specific to various areas of law, tips on how to use the Internet, and for other electronic data information. There’s a wealth of information included in these editions that will no doubt enhance your legal research efforts. Answers to test at the beginning of the article: 1. ARPAnet 2. U. S. Department of Defense 3. Late 1960s 4. Academic institutions and government 5. Worldwide Patricia J. Gustin, CLA, CFEI is a freelance paralegal and investigator based in Harrisburg, PA. She specializes in assisting expert witnesses and law firms in both criminal and civil matters involving product liability, personal injury, negligence, arson, origin and cause determinations, and industry codes and standards. She is also a transformative mediator and non-lawyer representative before the U.S. Social Security Administration. Ms. Gustin holds a BA in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University as well as certifications from NALA and the National Association of Fire Investigators. PGustin713@aol.com. F& F 44 FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003
PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT Technological Impact on Workplace Culture by Charlsye J. Smith, CLAS In 1992 I got my first job as a legal assistant because I knew a few things about computers. At that time, employees who could finagle successfully through a database were in demand. Few attorneys had computers on their desktops, and electronic mail accounts were almost non-existent. Now, virtually everyone knows how to use a computer, and as computers have become commonplace on every law firm desk, technology has changed the practice of law. What used to be an impressive section on a resumé is now the norm. The expectation is that law firm employees know how to use technology, including database-driven software, cell phones, digital cameras, and the highly annoying keypad that grants permission to make even a single copy. This expectation has changed the practice of law and the culture that influences the law firm environment. Two influences technology has over our day-to-day work lives include the way technology affects our interpersonal relationships and our own methods of communicating at work. Interpersonal Relationships Most of us learned to navigate workplace relationships through interpersonal communication techniques. We learned to observe body language and to try to pick up on conversational styles and speeds. We learned to build relationships at work by complementing or by adjusting our behavior to the work styles of others. Most of our efforts focus on communicating and getting along; we rarely think about how technology influences these interpersonal relationships. Next time you have a workplace conflict, examine the situation through a technical lens. Workplace conflicts could be rooted in a person’s need to stand still rather than to move forward with technology. As well, a conflict may result when one person wants to forge ahead and use cutting edge—and often untested—technology and another person wants to use the most reliable technology available. The nature of the legal profession dictates that no one has time for the accidental wrecking of a database or the breaking of a digital camera, and therefore, being uncomfortable with the technology can cause a lot of stress. No one wants to be the cause of a technological glitch—or worse— a technological failure. If the project from which tension abounds involves technology that may be frustrating or uncomfortable for the person who seems to be causing the conflict, try to remove the technological source of frustration from the person’s work life by offering additional training or encouragement. If you find yourself tensing up when faced with a technology-driven task, ask yourself how you can relieve your own frustration and seek out the solution. Improving your own comfort level or someone else’s may vastly improve the workplace environment. Communication and the Art of Argument A second way that technology has changed the way we work is that it affects the way we communicate, including the way that we construct arguments. For example, if we need to ask for something—new equipment, a raise, a day off, a quieter office, etc.—we consider whether we should ask in person or in writing and whether we should ask first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Sometime in the last decade, we also started considering whether we should ask casually by e-mail or elaborately through a memorandum and a four-color graphic. How has technology changed the way you communicate? At the annual convention this year, NALA stressed the importance of “getting wired.” One goal NALA has is to communicate with its members through e-mail. The purpose of electronic communication is to strengthen the organization through communication. This enormous undertaking of NALA to add electronic communication to its current strategies for talking with 46 FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003
- Page 2 and 3: Departments President’s Message -
- Page 4 and 5: Call for Proposals 2004 Convention
- Page 6 and 7: Anatomyofa Construction Paralegals
- Page 8 and 9: Anatomy of a Construction Defect Ca
- Page 10 and 11: Resources & Opportunities Reviewed
- Page 12 and 13: Automotive Product Liability contin
- Page 14 and 15: Po Windows er Can by Robert M.N. Pa
- Page 16 and 17: Estimated Number of Persons Injured
- Page 18 and 19: The Digital Millennium Copyright Ac
- Page 20 and 21: Get ‘Wired’ for Savings by Robe
- Page 22 and 23: Get ‘Wired’ for Savings continu
- Page 24 and 25: y Ann Marie Verity Paris may be the
- Page 26 and 27: An American Paralegal in Paris cont
- Page 28 and 29: CONVENTIONSNAPSHOTS July 9-12, 2003
- Page 30 and 31: CONVENTIONSNAPSHOTS NALA Board and
- Page 32 and 33: Experts on the Internet continued f
- Page 34 and 35: Experts on the Internet continued f
- Page 36 and 37: EDUCATION A Road Worth Traveling Th
- Page 38 and 39: TECHNOBITS Use the Technology Elect
- Page 40 and 41: PRACTICETIPS Knowledge Really IS Po
- Page 44 and 45: members demonstrates the importance
- Page 46 and 47: y the United States Bankruptcy Cour
- Page 48 and 49: AFFILIATESCOLUMN Making the Most of
- Page 50 and 51: ility of course content and materia
- Page 52 and 53: & NEWS INFORMATION Phyllis L. Dunha
- Page 54 and 55: & NEWS INFORMATION NORTH DAKOTA Red
- Page 56 and 57: & NEWS INFORMATION Alicia L. Castil
Practice Tips: Behold the Power <strong>of</strong> the Internet<br />
continued from page 43<br />
Public Records Resources.<br />
Starting Points: www.nfoic.org (for details on how to<br />
obtain information under state and federal Freedom <strong>of</strong><br />
Information laws). Also try www.knowx.com/ which is a large<br />
database <strong>of</strong> public records, including searches on individuals<br />
and businesses, adverse filings involving bankruptcy, judgments,<br />
liens, lawsuits and the UCC. Note that only summaries<br />
are provided on this Web site.<br />
www.inlink.com/~nomi/vitalrec/staterec.html<br />
(vital records information)<br />
www.companylink.com<br />
(cross-indexed access to data on 45,000 U.S. companies)<br />
www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm<br />
(SEC data gathering and analysis database <strong>of</strong> U.S.<br />
public companies)<br />
One final note: let past editions <strong>of</strong> Facts & Findings be a<br />
guide for articles which contain Web sites specific to various<br />
areas <strong>of</strong> law, tips on how to use the Internet, and for other<br />
electronic data information. There’s a wealth <strong>of</strong> information<br />
included in these editions that will no doubt enhance your<br />
legal research efforts.<br />
Answers to test at the beginning <strong>of</strong> the article:<br />
1. ARPAnet<br />
2. U. S. Department <strong>of</strong> Defense<br />
3. Late 1960s<br />
4. Academic institutions and government<br />
5. Worldwide<br />
Patricia J. Gustin, CLA, CFEI<br />
is a freelance paralegal and investigator<br />
based in Harrisburg, PA.<br />
She specializes in assisting expert<br />
witnesses and law firms in both<br />
criminal and civil matters involving<br />
product liability, personal<br />
injury, negligence, arson, origin<br />
and cause determinations, and<br />
industry codes and standards.<br />
She is also a transformative mediator<br />
and non-lawyer representative<br />
before the U.S. Social<br />
Security Administration.<br />
Ms. Gustin holds a BA in<br />
Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University as<br />
well as certifications from NALA and the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>of</strong> Fire<br />
Investigators.<br />
PGustin713@aol.com.<br />
F&<br />
F<br />
44<br />
FACTS & FINDINGS / AUGUST 2003
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