Position Opening

Paralegal, #2011061

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: April 29, 2011

Job Summary:

Provides support to corporate attorneys by assisting with development of factual information, conducting research, and handling routine matters under the direction of the attorneys.

Job Qualifications:

Associate degree in paralegal studies from an accredited college or university, and 3-5 years experience as a paralegal or legal assistant. 

Experience in preparing fact statements and preparing discovery requests/responses.

Proficient with Word, Excel, Lotus (or other email system), Windows operating system, and Westlaw research or similar research tool.

Ability to apply math concepts to practical situations, ability to critically read documents and interpret and draw conclusions from written data, ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed and involved verbal instructions, and ability to resolve problems involving several concrete variables in non-standard situations. 

Ability to interact effectively with all client levels, handle multiple priorities, perform under pressure and meet deadlines.

Must have a valid Kansas driver's license.

Excellent judgment concerning personal and professional conduct.

Strong oral and written communication skills.

Strong analytical, reading comprehension and organizational skills.

Ability to work independently and be a self-starter.

Strong interpersonal skills.

Ability to understand the legal significance of work performed on behalf of the corporations attorneys.

This job is located in Topeka at the main campus, and interested candidates will need to apply online at www.bcbsks.com/careers

WPA Meeting Notice - April 13, 12:30 p.m. Menninger Room Benton Hall

The Washburn Paralegal Association will hold it's April meeting on Wednesday , April 13, at 12:30 p.m. in the Menninger Room of Benton Hall. 

Registration for KPA Annual Seminar NOW OPEN

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

2011 Kansas Paralegal Association Annual Seminar

Friday, June 10, 2011

Johnson County Community College

12345 College Boulevard

Overland Park, KS

Be sure to Register Early and Take Advantage of Discounted Rates Through May 15, 2011!  Register online and choose from Bill Me or pay with your Debit/Credit Card payment options.  (When using the Bill Me option, please include a copy of your registration confirmation or confirmation number with your check.)

Don’t miss a great line up of speakers and topics, including:

(When Registering Online at www.ksparalegals.org, don’t forget to go to Page 2 to select the rest of your afternoon sessions!)

Luncheon Speaker: Steve Howe, Johnson County DA

4th Amendment: Search & Seizure Updates

Kimberly A. Rodebaugh

Ethics

Joe Colantuono

Health Reform In A Nutshell: What Employers Need To Know

Al Martin

Liability - Green Design and Construction

Chris Burger

Kansas District Court Record Search (Subscriber & Instant Access)

Shane Myers

Inventions and Patents

Marshal Honeyman

Appellate Practice

Chris Reedy

Death Penalty Defense

Melanie Freeman-Johnson

Medical Malpractice

Bryan Smith

Practical Tips to Effective Social Media Use as a Legal Professional

June Casalmir

Insurance Litigation

Zach Dyer

Military Divorces

Tim Keck

Washburn Paralegal Association April Meeting Notice

The Washburn Paralegal Association will hold the next meeting on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 12:30 in the Lincoln Room of the Washburn Student Union.  Program to be announced soon!
Plan to attend and see you at the meeting!

Adapting to change - New Technologies

Learning new technologies can be such a problem, so annoying, and so frustrating, and even stressful.  Learning and implementing new systems can be time consuming, and without a "help desk" we can sometimes be left out in the cold as to what to do.  It is important to know where your resources for help are when you are changing or upgrading new technologies.  Just who do you call?  Can yo rely on a network of others who have been through the upgrades and changes?  Do you have a help desk number you can call, with help from a real person? 

Know your resources for assistance and help.  The person in this video relied on the best of help for training and support while learning and implementing a new technology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tYCrm6PKmI&feature=related

Thomson Reuters Scholarship Application

The NFPA has announced the availability of the Thomson Reuters Scholarship.  Applications and accompanying materials must be postmarked by July 1, 2011.  The materials can be accessed at:  http://www.paralegals.org/associations/2270/files/2011content/2011_Thomson_Reuters_Scholarship_Application.pdf

WPA March 2011 Meeting Notice and Reminder

The Washburn Paralegal Association will meet Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 12:30 p.m. in the Thomas Room of the Washburn Student Union.  The speaker will be Tamara Mapes, Legal Secretary at Payless - Topeka, KS.  Tamara is also an instructor in Office Management and Editing and Grammar at Washburn University.  Refreshments will be served.  The meeting is open to all members of WPA, and those wishing to become a member of WPA.  See you there!

Sevice of Process over Facebook?

Some countries are accepting this!  Nothing from the U.S. yet, but look at the list: 

Service of Process via Facebook

The article takes a look at the reasons to and not to do this.  Take a look and see what you think. 

7 Tips to Get Retweeted

Retweeted?  Is that even a word?  Is that the correct way of saying it?  At any rate:  

Twitter is not going away.  It has already been said "the Tweet is mightier than the sword."  And, we are watching that statement become true fact, in history, right now and in our lives.  Tunisia, Egypt, and, well, your own law firm may even find that Twitter has the power you want and need.

Today's post is about Retweets:  Here are the 7 Tips for getting your Tweets to be Retweeted

The goal is to be informative, remarkable, humorous, opinionated, sharing, engaging.

Your firm can be all of these things, and it will attract. Show that over Twitter, know that by the Retweets.

Does Your Firm Practice...?

Does the firm/attorney you work for practice certain areas of the law, such as Personal Injury, Probate and Estate Planning, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy, Mediation (Family or Commercial)?  Have you or your attorney ever wondered what the latest issues are in that area? 

There is a way to find out. It is by starting a Twitter Chat - whether it is an online or offline meeting with others interested in the same topic, it might be time well spent to discuss issues and the current thinking on those issues. 

Here are 6 Tips to starting a Twitter Chat:   6 Tips to Run a Successful Group Twitter Chat

Don't think of chat as a teen thing that is a waste of time with a lack of substance.  It can be a useful learning tool! 

Using Twitter and current technologies as a bona fide learning tool may save you time, money, and even promote your firm in positive ways.  It may require a shift in your thinking, but one well worth looking into. 

Hot Off the Press! U.S. Supreme Court Decision March 2, 2011

Here is the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Snyder v. Phelps:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/09-751.pdf

Is Your Firm Insured for Data Loss - Data Theft? What are the issues?

Have you ever thought about what would happen if you lost the data in your law firm, or if it was even stolen - cybertheft?  Are you insured? 

Here is a good article on insuring your data:  Is Your Organization Insured Against Data Loss? 

One of the issues this article discusses is whether or not traditional insurance coverage is sufficient.  Also, find out what the courts say about data loss.  Is data loss considered property loss by the courts?  Where do you stand if you are "cloud computing" and your data is housed by a vendor?  Is the vendor's policy covering your data?  Where will you get your guidance in determining what kind of policy for data loss you should have? 

Good and informative article. 

Video Game Bar Association Established

Video Game Bar Association launched recently.  This is a relatively new area of the law that is being practiced and it is international.  The new group allows for networking and sharing of ideas for attorneys who take on suits specific to copyright issues and video games, and will work with video game developers world wide. 

Libya's Constitution Issues: An article

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/conlaw/2011/02/libyas-constitution.html

Riding the Waves of Change - What is Singularity?

Have you ever heard the term "early adapter?"  It means someone who has the ability to see change happening and adapt to it quickly, to utilize what the change has to offer significantly sooner than most others would be able to make that change. 

Emerging technologies and rapidly changing technologies have placed all of us in a position where if we don't change or grasp on to what is new in technology, we will be left out of the loop.  

Ray Kurzweil is a futurist and inventor, paying close attention to what where technology is taking us. In fact, some of his inventions are taking us into the future faster than we know.  His book on technological singularity and super-intelligence is just plain scary. What is singularity?

What does this have to do with the law and the law office?  Check out Singularity, Computers, and the Law if for no other reason than to see the videos Singularity and e-discovery Did You Know?

What does a Polygraph look like?

Polygraph Measures

How accurate is a polygraph?

http://www.truthorlie.com/accurate.html

Physiological Arousal to an applied stimulus:

Heat Rate/ Blood Volume
Sweat Gland Activity
Respiration or Breathing


How to detect lies:

http://www.wikihow.com/Detect-Lies
Can drugs effect a polygraph test?

http://effectofdrugsonpolygraph.blogspot.com/

Polygraph FAQ's

http://www.polygraphks.com/faq.htm

http://www.polygraphis.com/WebsiteFAQ.htm

http://www.omegapolygraph.com/polygraph-faq.htm

http://www.imbordinopolygraph.com/faq_examiners.htm

Difference Between Confession and Admission

Must give people a chance a reason to explain why they are sitting there to take the test.  

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/197308/evidence/28378/Confessions-and-admissions

Are polygraph tests admissible in court in Kansas?

Kipp Low - Topeka Police Department: On Polygraph

Kipp Low with Janice and Donna
http://www.topekapolygraph.com/polygraph.htm


Polygraph Today

• Exciting technology and techniques

• The use of polygraph in treatment has brought polygraph back into court

• More private examiners than at any previous time since around 1988

http://www.polygraphplace.com/docs/information.shtml

• Still the most valid from for testing of truthfulness  

Utility v Accuracy Rates:

• Why do we conduct polygraphs?  

• The utility value of polygraph

          Confessions  admissions
          Exclusion of suspects
          Development of evidence/dues
          Monitoring of behavior
          Treatment

Where are Mistakes Made?
There is no Universal Lie Response
There are numerous emotions which produce physiological responses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygraphy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_stress_analysis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometrics

Only one Polygraph Issue
 Process is from the time the person comes in the office through the test and after

Pretest interview - No difference between a small lie and a big lie - if one thing is being hidden there will be a trip-up in the test

http://www.policetest.info/police_polygraph_exam.htm

If the exam is mixed issue and the person has a significant reaction-
Administrator has a specific issue test to resolve the reaction
Interview the subject after the mixed issue
Must "weed" through the issues in the pretest exam