Briefly Noted

When I began my career as a legal secretary in 1981, I had just graduated from Sullivan Junior College of Business with a diploma in their Executive Secretarial Finishing Course. I had to be able to type 70 words per minute and take shorthand at 120 words per minute. Even though I had worked at a law firm on Saturday mornings during my senior year of high school, I hadn’t really intended to look for a job in the legal field. I had always pictured myself in the business world.

To my good fortune, the law firm I had worked at during high school had a secretary who was leaving, and they offered me the position. The office was fortunate enough to have word processors (electric typewriters that would actually store keystrokes). In pre-PC days, that was a Godsend. I prepared a lot of real estate closing documents, though, that required the use of carbon paper. I really didn’t mind the black fingertips and occasional streaks on my clothing, as long as it meant I didn’t have to continuously type the same information over and over just to get through one closing.

Copiers have made one of the biggest impacts on our career choice, but there are numerous others. The inter-office memo has been replaced by email, the switchboard has been replaced by an automated answering and voice mail service, shorthand has been replaced by dictation, journal ledger sheets have been replaced by computerized spreadsheets (that do the math for you), and typing has been replaced by keyboarding.

My all-time favorite is the personal computer and all of its trimmings (software, internet access, media capabilities, etc.). As a hoarder, I love its storage capability. My job is pretty much dependent upon my PC, and I don’t know how I’d survive without it. Still, it’s only as good as its operator. The old saying still stands true: “Garbage in, garbage out.” I’m very proud of my knowledge, skills, and abilities that help me create the vast number of documents that I produce each day.

What does the future hold? Our office has begun using electronic files. The attorneys can now carry a laptop to court and have the entire file at the touch of a button, including audio and video recordings. Getting a message to an attorney at the courthouse is as simple as sending them a text message. Some judges are now emailing their signed Orders to the parties involved.

I look forward to the changes that are still to come in our career choice. The advances made since 1981 are mind-boggling in themselves. I can’t imagine what we are in for over the next thirty years. I hope you’ll join me in embracing the changes as they arrive.

We are the state headquarters of The Texas A&M University System, located in College Station, Texas.  The Texas A&M System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, composed of a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center.  The Texas A&M University System is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to excellence.  

We currently have a posting, online at https://jobs.system.tamus.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=50858 and would appreciate your assistance to post and/or distribute this link.  In addition, please forward this information to any other appropriate individuals.

(The following information was obtained from news articles and from printer.com.)

 You can cut printing costs by choosing another font!  Printer.com tested ink usage in two different printers at the default setting of 600 x 600 dpi.  Changing only the font resulted in considerable savings, especially for businesses using multiple printers.

Testing ten frequently used fonts, Century Gothic proved to be the most economical.  Ecofont (specifically designed with efficiency and cost in mind) was a very close second.  Times Roman placed a respectable third, followed by Calibri, Verdana, and the ever popular Arial.  Switching from Arial to Century Gothic could save you approximately $80 a year per printer–nothing to sneeze at, especially if you’re operating hundreds of printers throughout your office.  Even if you’re operating only one printer, $80 would cover the cost of almost two rolls of stamps . . . which brings me to another subject, cutting the cost of mailings . . . be watching for that post soon.

I attended the Annual Meeting of LSI last week in Hartford, Connecticut.  I must say the Connecticut ladies did a wonderful job.  The educational seminars were very informative and the speakers were entertaining.  Mr. Burich gave us all a lot of disaster information to think about.  I had heard about ICE on the cell phone before, but just hadn’t taken the time to do it.  By Friday afternoon my ICE was set.  Pamela Williams presented information on finding the hidden assets with her seminar on forensic accounting.  Ms. Williams practices accounting mainly with family law attorneys - she definitely leaves no account untouched.  I’d definitely want her on my law team!  I went with many misconceptions about reverse mortgages and Carolyn Dionne convinced me they really aren’t bad.  Sharon Robles reinforced my thoughts on title insurance.  Abby Demars made biology fun again with her presentation on DNA and Stem Cell Research, she even brought her toy ladder with her.  Again, many of my thoughts were questioned and corrected.  I really enjoyed all the seminars but then, I love to learn!

Read the rest of this entry »

Hurricane Ike, the name still strikes fear in the heart of some of our members.  You would think being sheltered in Midwest America no where near the ocean I would not have been affected by Ike.  But you would be wrong - as I believe most of our members were affected by Ike.  Anyone who has been to an annual meeting is sure to remember some of our Texas members, Teresa Brown, Cheri Garcia, Edwina Klemm, Carol Wilson and Lee Schnabel, just to name a few.  The days before the storm and especially the days following, my thoughts and prayers went to our members living and working in the path of destruction.  Little did I know that my own Indiana and neighboring Kentucky sisters-in-law would also be facing the destructive winds from Ike.  Wanda Carlson and Mary Francis Klein were both without electricity for almost a week in Louisville.  Some of our Indiana members suffered from primitive living and being cut off from roads due to trees down.  Legal Secretaries of Indiana held their annual meeting the week following Ike and one of the main topics of discussion was sharing reports of our Texas friends, and others.   Even though some of our members suffered some major damages, as far as I know no one suffered personal injuries.  This natural disaster reinforced one of the main reasons I am proud to be a member of LSI - our members care about each other. 

Our President Jan Sullivan sent an email last week to the Officers and Directors reminding us it was time to submit our reports to be included in the Meetings Manual.  I spent some time this weekend reflecting on what I have accomplished as the Marketing Director this year.   Have I promoted Legal Secretaries International to the legal communities? Yes.  Have I reached out to new individuals?  Yes.  Could I have done more?  Absolutely!  Have a been a good director?  I believe so, but that is up to the membership to decide.  I’m interested in any projects you’d like to see LSI tackle or thoughts on how to further market our association.  If you feel I haven’t done the job I was elected to do please let me know how to improve.  Thanks for your input. 

Decisions, decisions! First, I hope you have decided to attend the Annual Meeting in Hartford Connecticut. I’ve made my room and plane reservation but my dilemma is in trying to decide which tour to take. The 3-story crystal mountain and waterfalls of the casino sound very inviting as well as the numerous places to eat. The Mohegan Sun Casino is not just for gambling. But, there is also the choice of the beautiful butterflies and quiet tranquility of the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens followed by the Yankee Candle Flagship Store. So, I’m still thinking….how about you? There is still time to make your hotel reservation and the registration will soon be in the mail. I hope you will join LSI in Hartford!

Have you reviewed the Bylaws and Standing Rules lately? Are you prepared to discuss the revisions at the meeting in Hartford? If you have misplaced your copy of the revisions, let Jan, Karen or any of the Board members know. Since we now meet only once a year, now is the time to review and ask questions rather than waiting until the meeting before you even look at the revisions. If you have a question, ask it! If you’ve found my purple cow send it to me. Thanks much!

If you haven’t made your reservations yet for the Annual Meeting in Hartford, CT please do so soon. If you are looking for a roommate to split the cost, let one of the directors know or post on the blog. We will do our best to find you a roomie. The Connecticut members have been hard at work - let’s reward them for their efforts by attending the meeting. Also remember to review the By-laws and Standing Rules - if you have any questions or concerns let Jan Sullivan know.

When I started posting on this blog back in February I had set a personal goal to try to post something once a week. Lately my free time has been taken up with other responsibilities and I haven’t been checking the blog very often. I am disappointed that no one else seems to be making use of this valuable communication tool. The purpose of this blog is for our members to ask questions, give suggestions, set goals, gripe, vent, inspire, send encouragement, etc. What do you need from Legal Secretaries International Inc? Are we meeting your needs? Any suggestions? Is there a topic of interest you’d like to see started on this blog? This blog is open to all our members - don’t be shy!