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Legal Assistant
Law Office of James Zier • Full-time
Jul 1988 - Dec 2017 • 29 yrs 5 mos
Most of my adult life employment history has been working with and for attorneys, some were sole practitioners and others were either the founder or one of the partners in law firms. I started out as a receptionist. That is why I wanted to become a legal assistant, so I went back to school for training. I took 2 courses consecutively, legal secretarial and legal word processing. A few years later, I went to court reporting school. I used to type 120 words per minute, and I always take great pride in my work. I proofread everything and look for my own mistakes - to correct them before anyone else ever sees them. I dot all my "i's" and cross all my "t's", and am in the habit of double checking everything I do. I am meticulous when dealing with details. Once, I made a mistake when I was rushing to fax a document (I know, that dates me), and the attorney (Steve) signed it quickly so I could get it out as soon as possible. Then, Steve came to me and pointed at the date on the document. It was the wrong date. Some word processors don't automatically change the date, and neither of us thought to look at the date. So I pointed to his signature. It was my mistake, but he signed it. From that point forward, I always reviewed everything prior to showing anyone my work, from the top of the page to the bottom. Never again did I make such a silly mistake; but, again, we all learn from our mistakes. That was early in my legal career and I will never forget it. I provided that honest mistake to demonstrate that yes, I may make mistakes, but as a result, I am extremely cautious and double check everything. My last employer was grateful that he didn't have to correct my work product, knowing that everything was ready to sign. Once, he asked me to create a Last Will & Testament for each of his parents before going out of town. I told him when he returned, he would not find a single error... and he smiled knowing or anticipating that that statement was probably the case.