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Since I became involved in the legal profession, some 15 years
ago, I have gained experience in almost every aspect of the
profession.
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Runner
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I
have been a messenger, a job more fondly referred to in the legal
industry as a runner. If you're unfamiliar with the term, a
runner is the bottom of the food chain. A runner does all of
those things nobody else will do. Run errands, deliver
letters, stand in line and file documents with the court.
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Process
Server
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I
have been a process server. These are the people who make
the lawsuit happen. When a lawsuit is filed it must be
served on the defendant. The defendant, for the most part,
does not want to be found. It is the job of the process
server to locate this person and give them a copy of the lawsuit.
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Paralegal
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I
have been a paralegal. A paralegal is the back bone of the
litigation attorney. Without the paralegal to prepare the
paperwork for litigation the attorney would not have time to play
golf, eat lunch, or leave the office on the weekends. As a
paralegal I prepared documents for Civil, Criminal and Family Law
cases.
For one attorney I prepared motions to defend clients against
foreclosures of their homes, for another I prepared pleading in
civil lawsuits, for yet another I prepared pleading in criminal
cases and for another I prepared billings.
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Other
As Needed
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Beside
all of the above, I learned the role of "and other duties as
needed". I have spent hours at the copy machine
duplicating files after an attorney has fired a client or visa
versa. I have answered telephones when the secretary is
sick. I have been the babysitter for clients during
trial. The list is endless. This part of the legal
profession is the most overlooked. These are the services
that really make the practice of law look seamless to the casual
observer.
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