The Empowered Paralegal: Effective, Efficient and Professional

Every day thousands of paralegals and legal assistants leave their office feeling frustrated, overworked and under utilized. As an attorney and professor, author Robert E. Mongue, J.D. hears from paralegals who, despite their education and professional training, feel poorly equipped to meet the real challenges of today¿s law office. Too often paralegals are taught law and procedure but not how to effectively manage their time, workloads and clients. Too often they feel ineffective and powerless when dealing with attorneys, clients and court personnel, inside and outside the office. Over thirty years as a litigator employing, training and teaching paralegals, Prof. Mongue gathered and developed clear, concise and easy-to-use techniques to teach paralegals how to become a critical component of an effective legal team. He used these techniques in his own law practice and in classrooms, seminars and workshops. These techniques are now together in a practical guide, entitled The Empowered Paralegal. Employment for paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. Those empowered with the skills and confidence required to be true professionals will dominate the field. The Empowered Paralegal provides step-by-step, easy-to-understand techniques, written in a friendly, accessible and sometimes humorous way, for managing time, docket calendars, files, clients and litigation. In addition to these management techniques, The Empowered Paralegal provides sound guidance on managing the work relationship with attorneys and on being a professional. The Empowered Paralegal provides important practical office strategies while giving paralegals the empowerment, recognition and respect they and their profession deserve. A useful adjunct to any course, especially ¿Introduction to Paralegalism,¿ The Empowered Paralegal is designed for the student in an internship seminar, the established paralegal, or those entering this fast-growing field.

Robert E. Mongue is a professor in the legal studies department at the University of Mississippi.