GOLDEN RULES ABOUT APPEARANCES Interviewers base their opinion of you in the first 30 seconds of any interview based solely on your physical appearance...... Read more   U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR - PARALEGALS & LEGAL ASSISTANTS While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, they often delegate many of their tasks to paralegals..... Read more  RECOMMENDED READING Hot Jobs & Amazing Careers: Smart Moves for Paralegals. A new and informative guide on hundreds and hundreds of paralegal careers..... Read more   Ten Reasons to Belong to a Paralegal Professional Organization   1) •  Receive updates about changing conditions in the legal profession, both locally and nationally. 2) •  Get informed about new developments in the paralegal profession (changes in job requirements, current status of “issues” within the paralegal profession, new resources for legal research, etc. 3) •  Network with your peers. Meet nice people who share a common interest with you, who offer an opportunity to interact socially with people who can relate to what you do, and who might just know of a job opportunity or two (if and when you might happen to be looking). Read more

1. Receive updates about changing conditions in the legal profession, both locally and nationally. 2. Get informed about new developments in the paralegal profession (changes in job requirements, current status of “issues” within the paralegal profession, new resources for legal research, etc. 3. Network with your peers. Meet nice people who share a common interest with you, who offer an opportunity to interact socially with people who can relate to what you do, and who might just know of a job opportunity or two (if and when you might happen to be looking. 4. Learn about new technologies. Gain insight into new and evolving hardware, software, and research tools to help you work smarter. 5. Gain access to other paralegals who you can use as information resources when performing your job. With access to a large pool of paralegal professionals in a wide variety of practice specializations, you can get many answers that might otherwise be unavailable. 6. Learn new skills. Regularly planned programs provide information that is helpful to paralegals in a variety of specializations. Some of these programs will give you access to knowledge about practice areas outside of your specialization. In addition, professional organizations provide information about CLE workshops that you can attend. 7. Find out about pro bono opportunities that are available to you. Take advantage of an opportunity to use your skills to help others enhance their access to legal assistance. 8. Learn what paralegals in other parts of the country are doing, what their job limitations are, and what they do to enhance their skills and help their communities. 9. Memberships to professional organizations usually include subscription to the organization’s professional publication where you can contribute articles to help advance your professional standing. 10. Join a listserv of others within the organization who have interests similar to yours to share and gain new knowledge.