Kern County Paralegal Association announces their new board for 2010-2011:
President: Kayleen Wills
Vice President: Trinette Lidgett
Secretary: Allisha Banks
Treasurer: Tammy Bresette
Programs Director: Leslie Larson
Membership: Janett Coats
Teen Court/ Pro-Bono: Starlene Parson
Newsletter: Kayleen Wills
Community Affairs: Leslee Vincent
Webmaster: Makala Colemen
CAPA Primary: Tina Anderson
CAPA Secondary: Barbara Haubrich
Public Information Officer: Barbara Haubrich
The Kern County Paralegal Association’s May luncheon featured Brian Panish, trial attorney and partner of Panish, Shea & Boyle, and the 2010 California American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Trial Lawyer of the Year. Introduced by both David Cohn of Chain Cohn Stiles and Warren Paboojian of Baradat & Paboojian, Panish began his presentation acknowledging and thanking paralegals for all their efforts and hard work and “for making lawyers look good.”
With a stellar career consisting of 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of one million dollars, and 14 verdicts in excess of 10 million dollars, Panish shared his thoughts and ideas on trying cases to the new juror, i.e., the Millennial or Generation X juror. He shared the following tips that he called the “Tools of the Trade”:
• Interactive Graphics
• Powerful Story Themes
• Bring the Event to Life
• Powerful Photographs
• Passion
Today’s jurors are inundated with information and they want their information instantaneously, and that is the biggest difference in trying a case in front of the “new juror.” Whatever the case, Panish says, it’s important to captivate the jury. What better way than interactive graphics to captivate and to deliver a visual and instantaneous message.
After sharing several great stories about some of his most successful cases, and even using the Gerry Spence line from the famous Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee matter, Panish illustrated the importance of having a powerful story theme. He believes that it’s not the greatest lawyer who wins the case but the best story. In the Silkwood case, he says, Gerry Spence interchanged the deadly plutonium that Karen Silkwood was exposed to with a vicious tiger. He repeatedly came back to that theme and repeated to the jury, “If the tiger gets away, Kerr-McGee must pay.” Well, of course, Kerr-McGee did pay.
Panish also stressed the value of bringing the event to life. He played a chilling 911 call at an accident scene and the last radio transmission of a passenger jet before it crashed. It had quite an impact on the KCPA audience. One can only imagine the impact to a jury.
Photographs can also be a powerful tool, Panish says. He cautioned not to overuse them, though, as it may desensitize a jury. He said to use a disturbing photograph sparingly for more impact.
He believes that the most important tool of all, though, is passion. After all, he says, juries gravitate to the better story so you better be passionate about delivering the story. He played a video of a passionate closing argument by an attorney in a high profile case to illustrate his point. Passion is definitely the hammer in the Panish toolbox.
In closing, the audience was captivated by Panish’s stories and presentation. They laughed, they cried, they winced, they shuttered. Panish definitely brought his tool box out to bring these stories to life. This was a great presentation. Thank you, Kern County Paralegal Association, and thank you, Brian Panish.
Stenograph has another great machine for court reporters, the Diamante. They say it’s the most exquisite machine ever made. I know that the touch and look is dazzling. In addition to some great colors, they are also offering a Limited Edition Pink Ribbon Diamante. For each Pink Ribbon Diamante purchased, Stenograph pledges to donate a portion of the proceeds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. This limited edition Diamante will only be available through October 31, 2010.
Interested in updating your writer, please check it out at http://bit.ly/dmndlT or www.stenograph.com.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is actually making headlines this week by switching the font it uses in its emails. The school says that printing out documents in Century Gothic rather than its old font, Arial, uses 30% less ink. Check out the full article at http://bit.ly/cyesnT
“Power of Commitment” is the theme for 2010 Administrative Professionals Week, which is April 19 through 23, with Administrative Professionals Day observed on Wednesday, April 21.
Power of Commitment means something different to every person. What does Power of Commitment mean to you, individually? After pondering that question and trying to figure out what it meant to me, I Googled “Power of Commitment.” There are multiple sites using this phrase to sell books and discuss religion, philosophy, relationships, and many other topics.
A portion of the Merriam-Webster’s definition of “commitment” is:
· an agreement to do something in the future
· something pledged
· the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled (a commitment to a cause)
You don’t need to wait for New Year’s Day to make a resolution (another word for commitment). What do you want? Do you want to further your education? Make a commitment to yourself that you will sign up for that seminar in a topic you have wanted to explore. Enroll in a class in the upcoming quarter (or semester) at the college.
It could be that there is something you have been promising yourself. It may be something simple as losing ten pounds by summer, begin exercising, seeing your friends more often, getting to work on time every day. Commit yourself to it and do it!
You think that a certain organization is worthy and you have always wanted to do something to help. It could be KCPA (elections are around the corner), the SPCA, Teen Court, CASA, Boy or Girl Scouts. Commit to volunteering one day a month.
Once you have committed yourself to a specific goal, you will find a whole world opening up before you. Where you have always said “that would be nice to do,” you will now say “I can’t believe how many opportunities are out there that I’ve never taken advantage of.”
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Happy Administrative Professionals Day (and week) to each and every one of you. Be sure to wish each of your co-workers and assistants the same, thanking them not just during Administrative Professionals Week, but every day! (That could be your commitment for this year.)
Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”
(W.N. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition.)
(Reprinted with permission from the April 2010 Paralegal Post)
Wood & Randall would like to congratulate Makala Coleman for recently becoming the latest Certified Paralegal in Kern County. Makala has passed the Certified Paralegal exam given by the National Association of Legal Assistants. This two-day exam tests applicants in five critical areas: communications, ethics, legal research, judgment and analytical ability, and substantive law. It is wonderful to see the dedication of our Kern County paralegals, putting in the time and effort to continue to educate themselves and further their careers in this great profession!
Videoconferencing can be much more economical than traveling out of town for depositions, but how you prepare will make all the difference.
Attending depositions over videoconference has become commonplace for many law firms whether they do so to save travel time, to save costs, to go green, or simply to avoid the hassle of air travel. Videoconferencing is not what it once was. The technology today is a good proxy for physically being somewhere else. Wood & Randall’s videoconference suite is interconnected with a reliable network that is specifically in place for taking remote depositions at literally hundreds of locations throughout the country. Moreover, the Wood & Randall deposition suite can connect to thousands of videoconference suites around the world.
So what do you need to know to book a videoconference deposition? Here are a few tips:
1) Give Clear Notice. The notice to take deposition should clearly state the time, time zone and location where the witness will appear. It should also note the time, time zone and location at which the attorneys will be attending. The way to achieve clarity is to break this out as separate paragraphs on the notice.
2) Plan Ahead For Exhibits. If you are not able to ship pre-marked exhibits, make sure the location where the witness will appear can accommodate heavy volume faxing or can print emailed documents during the deposition.
Other alternatives include using a document camera to show paper content via the videoconference. Or, if the content is electronic and exists on a laptop, it can be shown electronically by connecting the laptop to the videoconference unit. However, this requires a savvy user and should normally be handled by a second chair or a paralegal at the deposition rather than the taking attorney. Showing content over videoconference requires specialized equipment, so if this is important you should confirm this capability when scheduling the videoconference room. You would also need to have the exhibits scanned and available on a laptop prior to the start of the deposition.
3) Arrive Early and Schedule Precisely. Videoconference time is valuable and arriving late costs everyone money. Get an accurate estimate of the likely duration of the deposition to maximize your savings. Videoconference rooms are rented by the hour.
5) Check Your Protocols. Is the site you are calling using the same communication protocol as your system? If your videoconference system is running over IP and the room you are renting has only ISDN, you will need to run the call through a gateway service. Also, if there are more than two sites connecting, you will need a bridging service. In either case, Wood & Randall can set up these services for your call.
6) Know Who’s Where. For videoconference depositions, the court reporter is usually hired at the witness location. If a video record is needed, a videographer can be hired also at the witness location, just as you would do if there were no videoconference. However, it is increasingly common (particularly for international depositions) that the court reporter by stipulation is not at the witness location but rather takes down the testimony via the videoconference. It is also not uncommon for a videographer to monitor a videoconference remote from the witness and make a video recording from the videoconference itself.
Videoconference technology has sufficiently matured that high quality, reliable videoconference depositions are executed without a hitch around the country every day. By keeping a few simple planning points in mind, you can use videoconference technology to save money, save time, avoid hassle, and even bring in additional minds without additional cost. Now, that’s something to LOVE!!!
I’m sure that many of you have already contributed in one way or another to aid in the Haiti catastrophic earthquakes. However, if you’ve not done that yet, please consider pledging your financial support. Just a $40 donation will provide a family with the basic necessities (food, bottled water, healthcare kits, et cetera) for 10 days. We take what we’ve been blessed with for granted, and this is an opportunity to share our good fortune with those in dire need.
You can donate in support of the relief effort in Haiti at www.redcross.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS, or mobile donors can text “Haiti” to 90999 to make a contribution.
Wood & Randall has always strived to stay ahead of the competition when it comes to technology. Well, we can’t ignore the new social media craze. Although some law firms are using these networks, most people are still confused about what it’s all about.
The following is a short synopsis for those interested:
Twitter: This is a free microblogging site. It’s been around for a few years, but its popularity recently has exploded. It asks a simple question: What are you doing? Twitterers can only use 140 characters to answer that question. Responses are short and to the point. Twitter has a philosophy to pay it forward. Law firms are using Twitter, and it’s a great way to communicate with a fellow reporter. It’s also a great way to give advice or to pass on helpful information. It’s probably not a place to sell a service or a product.
Facebook: Facebook is a social networking website intended to connect friends, family, and business associates. It is the largest of the networking sites. Facebook is extremely active in the reporting and attorney population. The rule of thumb on Facebook is that if you would not want it on a billboard that you should not post it on Facebook. Some suggest that you have a personal Facebook page for your family and friends and then have a separate company or firm page that would just be for clients and business associates.
LinkedIn: This site is more business oriented and is actually better than a resume. It asks a simple question: What are you working on? This site is focused on business. It should be noted that executives from every Fortune 500 company at the board level are represented on the site. LinkedIn sends out weekly updates informing your contacts what you are working on, who you have connected to, etc. It’s a great way to stay “top of mind.”
MyLegal.com: This is a professional social network exclusively for litigation support professionals. It’s the first one of its kind. This site includes forums, blogs, industry news, and it even has great articles. Members have the ability to learn about technology, share experiences, and to build relationships. Visitors to the site will also have access to interviews with noted leaders in litigation support and how-to videos.
In closing, consider using these sites to build and maintain relationships. Just assess your goals, decide which site is best for you, create your profile and connect with others. It may be very rewarding and even profitable.