If there was a name to describe my first few years as a litigation paralegal, I would have called myself the Panic Mode Paralegal. Not because I was having literal panic attacks.
It was because every time my attorney would assign something for me to do, it sent me into panic mode to try to figure out what exactly it was that he really wanted and I desperately wanted to get it right and figure it out this time. And yet, it was all just guesswork…I think this is the right way or that is the right way.
In other words, I was just hoping I’d get it right.
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What is Panic Mode Paralegal?
You could be Panic Mode Paralegal if you’re doing at least one or more of the following things.
- You wait for the attorney to tell you what needs to be done because no one has ever shown you the step-by-step process to know how to manage litigation cases.
- You’re sitting at your desk thinking to yourself “what the heck am I supposed to be doing here?” And you don’t want to bother the attorney because you know they’re busy, so you sit and wait for the next rush project.
- You ask the attorney if there’s anything they need help with, and the answer is no, so you go back to your office and find some busy work to do and wait to put out the next fire.
- You’re told by others in the industry that you just need to give it a few years and things will eventually get easier. So you patiently put in your time (like you’re serving a jail sentence), and wait for that moment to finally come. It’s been a few years, and you start wondering if that day will ever come.
- You watch YouTube videos, ask Google, Reddit, or ask for advice in a Facebook group only to realize that an hour has gone by and you’re still not clear on what that deposition notebook or whatever is supposed to look like.
- You wait for the other paralegals in the office to show you how to be a great paralegal, but they don’t have to time to help you and the ones who do have the time might not really want you to be better at your job than they are.
- You’re afraid to ask the attorneys too many questions, so you white-knuckle your way through every day and every project, making your best guess under pressure, and most of the time that best guess is wrong. And the attorneys don’t hesitate to point that out to you.
You might be asking, how do I fix it? I don’t want to be the Panic Mode Paralegal!
I don’t want you to be either. I want you to be the Confident Case Strategist.
If you’re a litigation paralegal and have raised your hand for any of those, you can join the Litigation Paralegal Boot Camp. It’s where I use the Litigation Paralegal Career Accelerator Framework to move you from Panic Mode Paralegal to the Confident Case Strategist. It’s open for enrollment right now. It closes on Thursday.
Do you have to? No, of course not. You can keep doing what you’ve been doing and hope the results are different by next year this time. But why would you want to wait a few years when you can get there now?
You can listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos, jump into Facebook groups, go to your association’s lunch and learn events; you can do all of those things for the next couple of years, but if you’re not getting any structured on-the-job training that’s showing you the step-by-step process of how to manage your litigation cases, you will stay stuck in Panic Mode Paralegal for a lot longer than necessary.
That would be a shame because it doesn’t have to be that way.
Litigation Paralegal Boot Camp
Are you tired of being the Panic Mode Paralegal who spends your days playing whack-a-mole with last-minute rush projects because you’re waiting for someone to show you what it takes to be great litigation paralegal?
This is the only program of its kind that provides litigation paralegals with all of the tools to master litigation cases from the complaint through the trial, and everything in between.
You will be the Confident Case Strategist faster than you ever imagined possible.
This litigation paralegal says it all
Sarah Davies took the Litigation Paralegal Boot Camp a couple years ago and said:
The challenge I’ve encountered since completing my paralegal certificate 2 years ago is…how shall I put this? Really just not knowing what my job is supposed to be, trying to reinvent the wheel without confirmation of whether I’m doing it correctly.
“On-the-job-training” has meant I’m going to make my best guess under pressure with little or no guidance, and that’s been hard for me because I care deeply about doing good work.
Providing legal support feels like trying to assemble a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without the picture on the outside of the box. I was looking for that picture on the box. The tools provided in this course are helping me understand where to focus my energy. Good on you, Miracle Worker!
How is this paralegal training program different?
You might be asking – what is it about the Litigation Paralegal Boot Camp that is so special that it can move me from Panic Mode Paralegal to Confident Case Strategist?
How is it any different than some litigation CLE webinars you found online?
First, it’s not just an online course. It includes coaching with me. Once a month, I’m live in a Zoom meeting room with anyone who wants to jump in and ask me a question, get some advice on a situation they’re dealing with at work, or help with streamlining their case management.
I promise you, you’re not going to find that in any other litigation training room anywhere on the internet. You’re not going to get that going to a paralegal conference. And you’re definitely not going to get that attending a NALA webinar or a free YouTube video.
Just as important as that is what’s inside the course. I use my proprietary Litigation Paralegal Career Accelerator Method to ensure that you have a clear path to success by moving you through three key areas of growth: your mindset, behaviors, and skills.
At the top of the Venn diagram is Mindset. In the mindset area, students come out with a project manager mindset when it comes to managing their cases, they also feel more empowered and confident about their paralegal career and the path it is on to see success now instead of 10 years from now.
MINDSET
In mindset, I also help you to become the problem-solving ninja, because the #1 trait or skill that attorneys reference when asked why they prefer to work with one paralegal over another or why they refer to this particular paralegal as their rockstar paralegal, they answer: because that paralegal solves my problems.
BEHAVIORS
Then, on the left side of the Venn diagram is the behaviors section. With that section of the training program, I show you how to be the master of time management – not just with some tips and tricks, but with actual methods that will have you completing more work every day so that you can get your butt out of the office sooner and enjoy a better work/life balance.
In the behaviors section, I also give you research-backed methods to increase your attention to detail so that you can reduce or eliminate mistakes that can be detrimental to your career growth. And last but not least, in behaviors I give you a sure-fire method for being able to stay on top of your case deadlines so that you’re not spending every day playing whack-a-mole, just putting out fires.
LITIGATION PARALEGAL SKILLS
And then finally, the last part of the Litigation Paralegal Career Accelerator is the skills section.
In that section, it’s all about what the step-by-step process is that you can be doing in every phase of your litigation cases, from the pleadings and motions to the discovery phase – like getting ready for depositions, drafting discovery requests, etc. And then, we move into preparing for trial and what you can expect inside the courtroom as a trial paralegal.
The first question I get is, why do I need all that other stuff? Can’t you just teach me the skills?
I used to do that when I first started the Paralegal Boot Camp back in 2010. Lots of litigation paralegals saw success with it – but not as fast and not as much as they do with this training program that covers all three of those key areas: mindset, behaviors, and skills.
You probably know or have met some paralegals who have top-notch skills, but if they make a lot of mistakes or don’t manage their time and take twice as long as they should to get things done, they’re just not going to see success as fast or as high as the paralegal who has all three of those areas.
I believe that with the right training, every paralegal can have a very successful career. My mission is to help paralegals earn more money, feel empowered in their careers, and enjoy their work. I’ve been doing this for a long time.
There is nothing more rewarding to me than hearing from people like Sarah, whom I just told you about, and the hundreds of other paralegals who email me and tell me things like, “I know part of the success the firm saw this year was a result of what I was able to contribute” and “this program was a game-changer for me.”
What's Inside the Course?
When you enroll today, you’ll get immediate access to:
● 6 Modules with Video Lessons that walk you through every step of the litigation case process. You’ll have 16 hours of video lessons that you can watch on your own schedule. If you want to see the details of what’s inside each of those modules and the results, download the course brochure above or go here to read more.
● Monthly Group Coaching Calls so you can get support from me as you work through the program and for the entire next year. I jump on Zoom and answer your questions, discuss next-level career strategies, and more.
● Dozens of Templates and Done-For-You Checklists – I’ve put together a ton of resources for you to download, edit, and customize for your own cases. Everything from a Trial Prep Checklist to a Deposition Prep Notebook.
● On-demand access for an entire YEAR so you can work on the lessons at your own pace.
● 24/7 Online Support in our Private Paralegal Community to ask questions and connect with other paralegals.
