Today is my birthday. It’s one of those Big-O numbers. It's the kind where AARP tracks you down. I don’t mind, really. I feel more confident than ever – nothing much shakes me up too much anymore. With things the way they are in this upside- down world, the day has caused me to review my current situation: My business, legal staffing, is the third largest industry to be hit next to hospitality and retail. Everything was going so well in the first quarter. In fact, it was going to be one of my best years ever. Then, along with... Continue reading

JOB ALERT!! JOB ALERT!! Are you seeking a position in Los Angeles? It may be a tough market out there but firms are still looking! Our clients may have just the job you are looking for. Take a look: Personal Injury Litigation Paralegal - Must have at least 2 yrs. PI exp. Legal Assistant - Personal Injury Firm - Must speak fluent Spanish Intake Paralegal - Personal Injury Firm - Must speak fluent Spanish Receptionist - Must speak fluent Spanish Class Action Attorneys - work remotely - Must have Class Action exp. and CA license Class Action Attorney - Sherman... Continue reading

It's finally happened and it took a pandemic to bring it about: Law firms are finally recognizing that allowing employees to work remotely does work. Law firms have always been slow to change. That's a fact. Back in the days when computers were just coming about, lawyers felt they didn't want them because it would interfere with billable time. Fast forward several years later, and law firms did not want to send their documents to outside vendors because they wanted to keep the documents close to them - even if they never visited the vendor who was processing the data.... Continue reading

PRESS RELEASE National Legal Staffing Organization Announces Formation of MediSums, Medical Records Summarizing, Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic Estrin Legal Staffing Expands to Include Medicolegal Services in New Division LOS ANGELES, CA – Tuesday, May 19, 2020 – Newly-formed MediSums, a division of Estrin Legal Staffing, adds chronologies and medical record summaries prepared by licensed doctors and legal nurses to its client services. The launch comes at a critical time as the COVID-19 global pandemic adds pressure with personal injury, med/mal, products liability, mass tort, healthcare, workers comp cases and insurance claims on the rise. “The best Plan B's are different, but... Continue reading

Correction: The Stress Seminar for Attorneys is tomorrow, May 15rh at 10am Pacific/12 Central/1pm Eastern: Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2523407080072810252 Continue reading

Join Estrin Legal Staffing and MediSums, Medical Records Summarizing for a dynamic free webinar: How Attorneys Can Deal with Stress During Covid-19. Presented by Mark Gorkin, LICSW, The Stress Doc, a renowned speaker and author. Tomorrow, May 14 10am Pacific/12:00 Central/1pm Eastern. Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2523407080072810252 Continue reading

Finally. Some movement. Whether you are anxious that it is too soon to physically return to the office or you are ready, willing and able, it is inevitable. We are going back at some point. It's been a long and difficult haul for most people! Some have adapted nicely to WFH while others are struggling with overwhelming pressure to handle family, kids in home school, parent caring, added workload, and staying inside and creating a working space in their home that should be in a 7x10 foot cubicle located in the Firm complete with plastic unbreakable walls. I spoke with... Continue reading

Announcing MediSums, medical records summarizing. Here's the most economical and efficient way to get your medical records summarized. MediSums medical records summarizing is completed only by licensed doctors and legal nurses. You get a complete and very accurate summary or chronology. Most of all, our doctors can provide medical opinions and design deposition questions. Reserve your team now! www.MediSums.com chere@MediSums.com MediSums, a division of Estrin Legal Staffing. Experience the difference. Continue reading

It is incumbent upon you to be flexible. I have had candidates whose jobs are in peril and insist on making a lateral move or improve upon their salaries. One candidate told me he would definitely not move for "less than $100,000, work remotely several days a month and match his vacation of six weeks." Right. Clearly, the message was not filtering up to the penthouse. Continue reading

Join us for a dynamic webinar: Nice Girls Don't Speak Up or Stand Out. Our speaker, Dr. Lois Frankel, is a best-selling author and noted speaker. This highly important webinar covers 7 communication techniques you need to know now. May 1st 10am Pacific/12:00 Central/1pm Eastern. Register now. It's free. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1320565548406930191 Continue reading

It's amazing what we can do without. This Covid-19 horrible situation is bringing a lot of things home. Boy, looking back on it, I realize how spoiled I was by taking a lot of things for granted. Take, for example, the fact that you can't get your hair dyed. Now, it's true I'm not exactly going anywhere where people can see me but hey, I still want to be well groomed. We signed up for a toilet tissue club. God forbid, we run out of toilet tissue. Continue reading

Is your firm asking you to periodically go to the office? Among the many and varied serious situations brought about by the Covid-19 world crisis, are the growing number of employees asked by their firm’s partners to periodically and physically go to the office. I have heard from numerous legal professionals that they are expected to show up at the firm on a regular basis in order to gather the mail, deposit checks and more. Is dying for the job part of your duties? To say that this is not only outrageous and dangerous, it is a serious indication of:... Continue reading

Some people tell me that they are "safe" in their job. Trust me. No one, absolutely, no one is immune to these big bumps in the job market. No one. Unless you have a crystal ball and can predict what is going to happen, you have to act as if the worst will occur. If it doesn't, consider that a windfall. Continue reading

We all make mistakes. However, there are degrees of mistakes, some very bad, some, well, not so bad. Here are 5 scenarios that might sound familiar to you: How bad is it to...... 1. Agree to a phone interview with a staffing organization recruiter and ghost or stand them up. Recruiters are professionals. They take the time to answer your application. They set aside time in their very busy schedule that could have gone to someone else. Recruiters can be your best friend because not only do they know where the jobs are, they have intimate details of the firm... Continue reading

Sometimes, things happen in life that were totally unforeseen. Your job seems to be going well and it looks like there is lots of security. Then, before you know it, you’re thrown off course and your world is turned upside down. Suddenly, everything is in jeopardy - how you go about daily life has changed dramatically. We have been experiencing a candidate tight market in the past couple of years. Anytime the unemployment rate falls below 4%, there are more jobs than candidates. Future employees have not only had their pick of jobs, once in, it felt like you could... Continue reading

"Sometimes, you just don't know it's time to leave your job and wake up one morning either in a career crisis or in a firm that just sunk. What stops you from leaving?" Continue reading

the book is a survivor’s anthem. It’s about Jessi’s struggle during the time she spent crawling through three decades of trauma and tragedy that claimed her life, and her journey trying to find her way to reclaim what was lost or stolen. We told it in an raw and authentic way. And we didn’t sugarcoat a thing. Our souls are on those pages. Continue reading

Ghosting: The act of not showing up. It happens all the time in the dating world but a new phenomenon has hit the job market. The new Beige Book from the Federal Reserve Bank now contains this millennial slang to describe a rising trend in the workplace. The mention in the Fed publication, formally known as the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions, gives us a descriptive definition: "A number of contacts said that they had been ‘ghosted,’ a situation in which a worker stops coming to work without notice and then is impossible to contact." Until recently, the... Continue reading

"Working with a good recruiter can help make your career. Here’s the inside scoop: Recruiters, and I am talking about the staffing agency kind, hold the keys to literally hundreds of contacts they have built up over the years. They have the ears of the hiring authorities of the very firms you want to get into." Continue reading

Change your attitude! Don't give up! It's worth the extra effort. Really. It's who you know. Networking. No matter how you tweet ‘em up, link ‘em out or face ‘em down, if you are not professionally networking on a regular basis, you are clearly committing career suicide. And, let’s not leave out the importance of the old-fashioned, rarely done, one-on-one, face-to-face, in-person meeting, the one where you busted your budget by purchasing the latest designer jeans with built-in dirt and precise structured torn knees for the discounted price of $469.00 so that you can send the message that yes, you... Continue reading

When you work as a Virtual Legal Assistant, you can choose to work as an employee or you can set up your own business. There are pros and cons to each arrangement. When you work as an employee, you don't have to invest any money up front or find your own clients, but your pay rate, work hours, and how you work will be more restricted. When you work as an entrepreneur, you face other challenges. Over in Decatur, Georgia, Katrina Johnson sits back in her chair and smiles broadly. Her eyes are bright as she recounts her success story... Continue reading

There is a major difference between how amateurs and professionals train. An amateur just does more of his sport. For example, Kate plays more soccer or tennis or Brian runs more often. By doing so, they may improve slowly, but will never progress past their amateur level. We call this “victims of empty-loading.” It is the same as saying, “I am going to upgrade my career.” So instead of summarizing six depositions a week, you summarize twelve. More of the same with no improvement or upward movement. Continue reading

Networking demands skill, talent and a knack for risk taking. Networking. How many times have we heard it? It’s like saying, “bless you” when you sneeze. It has, in a sense, lost its real meaning. No matter how you tweet, link, face, or gram, you have to succumb these days if you want to avoid career suicide. With all this online socializing, however, your knack for meeting strangers one-on-one (probably the best networking tool of all) gets rusty and pushed into the background of your skills. There's no such thing as accidental networking. Networking is a mission. When you're headed... Continue reading