Week 3, Post 2

1. Discuss how, through this program, you changed from a Year 1 student to a pre-professional. What specific elements in the program helped to develop you as an emerging legal assistant? You may wish to relate your new sense of professionalism to, for example, research you have done - explain how 'real' you think your classroom/lab experiences have been; why it is that you have come to feel more mature in your attitudes/thought processes/people skills. These are only examples of what you may wish to discuss. You may choose your own topics but please be specific - how, why, what, when!

a. I believe it was the demand to have something done by the teacher’s that helped with being under pressure (not that they were always 100% done correctly.) An example would be when Mrs. Stewart demanded we write a Consent to Travel letter for our ‘client’ on the spot that was due within a half hour or so. That has helped with me emerging as the pre-professional legal admin that I am. Since I have been working at Caron Family Law, I have had to search through a lot of client files so that I could flesh out a Case Conference Brief for an upcoming CC. I feel like I am more professional because I’ve had to adapt my way of thinking opposed to how I was taught. Real world experience is much more different than my school experience because all we had to use was our textbooks; here, we are required to dig for the information and to decipher our lawyer’s unintelligible writing.

2. Were there benefits to blogging - both writing about your experiences and reading others' blogs, over the last three weeks or would you prefer to submit a private written report at the end of the three weeks? Explain.

a. It was difficult for me because I am the only one doing the field placement in this point in time; I have no idea if what I am blogging about is helping the other student’s or making them apprehensive. I will know more in April when everyone else is completing their placement.

3. How prepared were you for work placement following completion of the program?

a. I felt like I was very confident and prepared, but like I stated in question 1, it is very different from school. The way to write correspondence is, basically, the same. I’m just finding it difficult to write it out correctly because I have no experience aside from emailing with Mrs. Bradley. Once the task is repeated, I shouldn’t have any issues in regards to anything.

4. Have you chosen the career path that's right for you? Explain why or why not.

a. I believe I have, but again I just need more than the 90 hours I’ve been working to really cement that I chose right for myself. Three weeks is too short.

5. Have you developed your own 'standards of excellence'? Describe what you expect of yourself with respect to your approach to a work assignment/formatting documents/etc. Describe some of the standards you have developed over your two years of study.

a. I expect myself to find all the information out personally, either through browsing the client files, HRC’s notes, previous Orders/CC Briefs etc., and the scanned items/correspondences that we have saved electronically before I ask someone else. I think once I work for more than three weeks at a firm, I will be even better than I am now. I wonder what the lawyer has to say when she evaluates my performance.

Week 3, Post 1

1. Give examples of oral and written communication used in your work placement.  Did you draft your own communications?  Are you using 'clean formatting'?  Are you using Outlook.  If so, what features are you using?

a. They don’t really use precedents like I am used to from school. They go into the correspondence file for the client, choose a letter that looks vaguely like the one you need to write, save it as the new date and a brief description of what’s in the letter, then finish writing the letter. There’s no blank letterhead like at school. I do draft my own communications, but I am required (reasonably) to submit it for review with Sandy or Heather before I can finalize it. For Outlook, the only real features we use is the attachment and the signature at the end of the email.

2. Provide an example of a problem you encountered and describe how you solved it.

a. I had a real estate appraisal disclosure from the respondent that I had to copy and scan into the system for our electronic files but the paper jammed a couple times. I didn’t have time to rectify it that day but I did the next day; I went page by page through the copy and compared it to the original. While I was doing this, I realized I was only missing 10-15 pages for the one tab, but everything else was perfect. So I simply just recopied the original documents that I was missing, slotted them in, made sure everything was 100% before binding both the original and the copy.

3. Are you using a To-Do List/notebook to prioritize your work to meet deadlines.

a. I have not been given a client to complete from start to finish, so I’ve simply been doing the work that has been handed to me.

4. What is one of your weaknesses?  How did you overcome this in your work placement?

a. I get very anxious/nervous, so whenever someone gives me instructions, it feels like it just goes in one ear and out of the other. I made myself breathe while I was given instructions, and I also actively listened to what was being told to me. I am still not perfect by far, but it’s better.

5. Provide recommendations for refinements to the curriculum (i.e. are there specific elements we should spend more time on to better prepare you for the work place).  What is right about the curriculum?  What needs to be improved upon?  Which courses did you prefer - explain why.  Which courses did you not prefer - explain why.

a. I really don’t think this should be a two year course, I think it should be longer. The fact we only briefly touched on personal injury litigation when there’s so many potential employers in the Tri-City alone speaks for itself. Family law should be a whole year, considering we only briefly touched on that as well. I enjoyed family law because it was a field I was determined to work in after the fact, and because it was quite comprehensive this time around instead of the first time I took the course. I didn’t like corporate because it was rather boring; necessary, but boring.

7. How will you continue to learn and develop professionally?

a. If I happen to work at a firm that offers to pay for continued education of their employees, I would take advantage of that. The law is always changing, and though I have no wish to be a lawyer, I do want to understand the area of law better.

Tuesday but feels like Monday

Work is starting to slow down. There already wasn't a whole lot to do when Mona was working here, but there's even less now that business has slowed down significantly. I file correspondences when they're available. Mind you, it's only 15 minutes after the start time so it may pick up.

On Friday, I was able to take calls. I did two new client intake forms, and I communicated with another person who wanted to have their Post-Sec. diploma certified for CIC - Immigration. Due to the time constraints and the fact he needed it for Tuesday morning, I recommended he'd try to get another lawyer to do it.

I went to the courthouse today to see if I could shine light on a confusing situation. Because of the change in staff over the last year, there are some things that haven't been translated to the next person taking over. I had spent a half hour trying to see if the Ministry of Finance or Ministry of the Attorney General had processed a $19 cheque to have a Divorce Certificate issued. Neither were able to confirm if it had been. After that was revealed, I went to the courthouse directly to see if they had any receipt for that $19, which they did not. After asking some questions, there are three steps that I can take:

1. Check the Trust account to see if the cheque was processed; if it was, we would need to write another cheque;
2. Send a letter to the courthouse asking them to do a thorough search; and
3. If the cheque wasn't processed, and the courthouse has found nothing, then we would need to cancel the cheque and write another one.

Wednesday in the life of...

I did something new today!

I went to the courthouse and filed our client's Reply and Affidavit of Service re: Reply. I was so worried about crinkling the documents so I decided to put it in a manila file folder while I took it to the Courthouse.

They physically made me write in the title of the document, the date of the document, the filing date of the document, and the volume and tab number which I found surprising.

I also learned that there is a fee for anything in the Continuing Record (the red volume(s)) at a $1.00 per page, while all Endorsements in the Endorsement Record is free to copy (if there's an Order in the Endorsement record, you will need to pay a $1.00/page.)

I actually really enjoyed speaking with the Clerks at the counter and I am considering a career there; I would be surrounded with legal documents and I'll also be able to help people. I am hoping that, if I don't continue on here at Caron Family Law, that I could work at the Family Law counter since I am still very passionate about this area of law.

Week 2, Post 2

School-related reflection:

1. What resources are you using at your placement?

a. On the first day of my work placement, I was given two manuals – one on the family law legal process, and one for new hires which informed me on how they colour code their files, and the daily routine.

2. Have you discovered resources on the Internet that were/are useful to you, other than those introduced in class?  If so, please share the URLs.

a. I have not.

3. Review the list of responsibilities submitted by you before your placement.  Indicate whether the list was accurate or whether you were exposed to different responsibilities or did fewer than were listed.

a. I am doing fewer than I listed simply because I am very limited in what I can do right now due to my computer not being hooked up to the legal programs server.

4. What do you consider two of your strengths?  How are you using them to your advantage at this placement?

My first would probably be that I usually don’t need to be told how to do a task after successfully completing it the first time, which is good because who wants to repeat themselves? My second would be that I am a good problem solver if given enough time to process the problem.

Week 2, Post 1

Week 2

1. Describe the software and versions, tools, and equipment used in the office.

a. The software we use:

i.   Amicus, which is used for booking appointments and docketing phone calls;

ii.  OutLook, which is used for emails and will be taking the place of Amicus;

iii. DivorceMate, which we are familiar with; and

iv.  PC Law, which we are also familiar with.

b. The tools/equipment we use:

i.   Xerox copying/scanning/faxing machine;

ii.  Three computers, two new and one older;

iii. Lots of sticky notes, highlighters, permanent markers, and paperclips etc.

2. Are you using/will you use any of the legal software learned in your program?  Explain.  If you are using new software, was it easy/difficult to adapt to.  Why?

a. The only new software I was unfamiliar with was Amicus, but it’s essentially like Outlook and very easy to use.

b. I have not personally used PC Law, or DivorceMate since my computer is not hooked up with it. I do use DivorceMate documents that are saved in the DivorceMate – Shortcut folder, just not the program itself.

3. Describe some of the documents you have been preparing.  Do not use client names.

a. I have collaborated on a Case Conference Brief, completed a Form 15, Financial Form, and Settlement Conference Brief on my own, as well as a Cumulative Table of Contents.

4. Do you have any accounting responsibilities?  Explain what they are.

a. The only monetary responsibility I’ve had so far is to deposit General and Trust cheques into the account.

5. Have you been assigned a specific project?  Explain your role.

a. I was assigned the role of scanning, copying, saving the document in a specific folder that I made, and creating an Excel spreadsheet for a Respondent’s Disclosure. I have also been assigned the responsibility of procuring a Cumulative Table of Contents from the courthouse, which I used to create our own updated one after confirming what documents we were missing (mostly from the Respondent.)

6. Are you feeling more comfortable?  Why or why not?

a. I am feeling more comfortable. The first week was a balderdash of new information which made me feel a little overwhelmed. They did not do things as I expected or anticipated; but I adapted, and learned to listen better to their instructions after a few failed attempts of mishearing on my part.

7. Is there any subject matter you wish we had covered in class?  Explain.  How are you managing to become more knowledgeable about this subject?

a. Everything I have experienced so far has been covered in my 2.5 years taking the Office Administration – Legal program with the exception of Form 15, but it is understandable why we didn't cover it as Family Law is just too extensive to cover in one semester.

8. Are you drawing on skills learned in interpersonal communications, office procedures, math, bookkeeping or legal classes?

a. I have drawn on information gleaned in Office Procedures, the legal classes and Interpersonal Communication, but I have had no need to use the information learned in Math or the Bookkeeping classes as of yet.

9. Have you had an opportunity to interact with clients?  How? Was this easy or difficult?  Explain.

a. I don’t really have anything to do with the clients aside from showing them to the boardroom and offering them refreshments when they are here to see Heather. But as of yesterday, I was given the opportunity to speak with a potentially new client on the phone while I asked him intake questions.

Happy Valentines Day! ❤

I was so productive today that I kept forgetting that it was Valentines Day today.

Aside from the usual filing and housekeeping that I do, I also worked and finished a form 15 and Financial Statement (it took three drafts but it's done.)

Sandy (the new Office Manager/Legal Ass.) sent me to the court house for a client's updated Table of Contents, which I referenced to the three volumes of Continuing Record to see what we did have and what we were missing. Tomorrow I will be editing the table of contents to reflect on what I found.

New day, new tasks!

I already knew what I needed to do as Heather had left me a to-do list.

My morning started with fixing the issue I had Friday with the copier machine. Essentially I just needed to copy half of the documents in one tab since that was all that was missing. After that, I needed to bind the original and copied disclosure which was something new for me (it's not hard, just tedious.)

After that, I spent some time on a new form that I don't think was mentioned: Form 15 - Change Information. Heather's instructions were very vague and they also had a form started from August 2015 that I used to flesh out the blank one I was working on. I feel like there was a lot of conflicting information and I'm not entirely sure if it was done correctly.

I'm not sure if this is done at other firms, but the way they review documents is that once one person has finished a document/letter etc. they print it out, stamp it with DRAFT, and someone else reviews it. Once the corrections are made, the printing and stamping process is completed before it's sent to Heather to review and edit as she sees fit.

Can anyone else comfirm if this is how it's done at their firm?

Week 1, Post 2

The office environment:

1)      What are your work hours; how are you supervised.

a)      I have alternating work hours based on whether or not I am working that evening at my paying job. This week, I worked 9-5  on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and 9-2 on Tuesday and Friday. Next week it will be the same, but different for week 3. Mona and I work in close proximity. She’ll delegate a task to me, and once I’m done it to my satisfaction, I’ll print it, stamp DRAFT on it, and let her review and make corrections as needed.

2)      Describe your work area.

a)      I have the desk that closest to the door. I have a phone that I have not been given leave to answer, and a modern computer that doesn’t have DivorceMate or any of the other legal programs. I have the necessary tools ie. StickyNotes, highlighters, pens, stapler, paperclips etc. all within easy reach.

3)      Describe your daily routine.

a)      I’m in the door by 8:45 am. If I have nothing I’ve been working on since the day before, then I will file any paperwork that’s in the tray on Mona’s desk. After that, I do whatever is delegated to me.

4)      How is work initiated? Is it dictated, written out in longhand, sent to you by email or do you write your own correspondence, emails, etc.

a)      So far, Mona will just randomly ask me to do something. If it’s something new (like the disclosure) then she’ll give me some extra instructions. Most of the tasks she gives me is filing, scanning, and copying aside from whatever client I’m working on.

5)      Have you done anything this week you particularly enjoyed or did not enjoy.

a)      I did enjoy going through the huge Respondent’s disclosure because I handled a lot of different documents and, basically, I was given leave to be as creative with the Excel Worksheet as I wanted. I did not particularly enjoy copying and scanning that smaller disclosure simply because it was a very frustrating hour or so.

6)      Do you check voicemail?  Do you record your own voicemail greeting?  Do you answer the telephone?

a)      Because of the way the computers are set up, there really is no reason for me to answer the phone because 98% of the phone calls are clients trying to book appointments, and since I can’t view Amicus on my computer, I wouldn’t know what availability Heather had. I have no separate phone line, so I couldn’t record my own voicemail.

School-related reflection:

1)      In some courses, in place of exams, you have had quizzes, tests and portfolios. These were often completed outside of class, allowing you the opportunity to review your textbook and other resources.  Upon submission, you received instant feedback.  Would you have preferred an exam instead of the smaller, more frequent tests/quizzes/portfolio?  Did the quizzes/tests/ portfolios assist you in learning the theory?  Explain your answer.

a)      I prefer the smaller tests because you’re not trying to cram half a semester’s worth of information into your head only to forget half of it once the pressure of completing the exam gets to you. I enjoyed making the portfolios because it forces you to be as correct as you can be when creating the document, thus making the theory you learned apply more than if you just learned it and not done anything with it.
 

2)      Was it helpful to have answer keys on the bulletin board?

a)      Yes, because I was able to look at the answers I had wrong, see the correct answer and have a lightbulb go off that says ‘I actually did know that answer, I just second guessed myself and used a different answer.’ I don’t know if that applies for everyone else, but that’s how my brain works.

TGIF

Today has been an exercise in frustration.

I'm not even sure how to put it into words, but I'll try. I spent about 1.5 hrs this morning confirming that I had listed all the corrects documents from the Disclosure I was working on Thursday into the Excel Worksheet. Then I spent about 10 minutes trying to remember how to make an Excel Worksheet print properly (if you don't use the information, you'll lose it.)

After that was done, I was tasked with the job of copying and scanning another, smaller, disclosure that we had gotten for a different client. Because the thicker manila letter tabd\s don't go through the system easily, I had to carefully replace the manila ones with these pink ones we made. Once that was done, I finally got to copying it - it was going fine until the paper jammed, three times! It wasn't until I was comparing the copy to the original that I realized some documents were actually missing in the copy. All that work, and it didn't even come out properly.

Unfortunately I was unable to rectify this as I had to run to catch a bus to my paying job. Mona was fine with recopying the original, saying she's made this mistake before as well. I just feel terrible because the time I was supposed to be saving by taking care of this job ended up being wasted since Mona had to do it anyways.

I'm also very nervous for the next two weeks since Mona will be gone and the new girl won't have as much training as any of us would like before she needs to take the helm.

But for this weekend, I'm going to enjoy having it off - and potentially sleeping in!

Day Four on the Job

Day 4!

That Respondent's Disclosure I received on Wednesday was quite the task. Thankfully I had started un-stapling the documents before I left on Wednesday so they could be scanned in today. To make sure I didn't get them confused, I paper clipped the smaller ones before I even took the staple out and crisscrossed them on top of each other, face down, so they were in the same order as when they came in.

Once scanned into our system by using a docket code for the client, I saved them into a folder that I made (Respondent's Disclosure). I had quite a few moments of frustration because the opposing counsel had snuck documents into a larger document that I THOUGHT I had un-stapled, which caused a minor paper jam (this happened three times.) I also had to create an Excel worksheet that listed all the documents, the dates, and whether we received all the documents they supposedly had sent us. I also wrote a note on the side that showed a list of documents and the months that we were missing ie.:

MadeUp Co. Bank Statements for January 2014 - August 2016
2014 - Missing Months: Jan, Feb, Oct, Nov etc.

Now here's the kicker! All those folders and subfolders Mrs. Bradley is so fond of, Heather's office finds too confusing. So tomorrow when I get into work, I need to cut all the documents out of the subfolders and paste them into the main Respondent folder.

Aside from when Heather treated us for lunch (Mona is leaving on Friday for another position in Alberta), working on this Disclosure took the whole day and I will probably still need to work an hour or so on it tomorrow.

Tomorrow Mona has tasked me with filing both our open and closed clients (she needed to refer to some closed documents for her clients.) I have to take an accordion folder full of miscellaneous documents and file them in the basement where the closed files are housed.

That's just what I KNOW I need to do tomorrow, I wonder what else there will be.

Day three!

Mona's dire note about the amount of filing that needed to be done when I came into the office was not idle. It took me two hours to file everything; between finding the files in either the cabinet or the separate piles of boxes of client files that were too big to fit into the cabinet, and fixing the oopsie I made during my first attempt at filing on Monday. My oopsie being that I was very nervous and accidentally filed the client's most recent bill in the Correspondence (kirk colour) rather than the Accounts file (orange coloured.)

As far as I am aware, I finished the SETTLEMENT Conference Brief (mistakenly wrote it as a Case Conference Brief previously.) Because it was a new file, I had to refer to previous Settlement Conference Briefs, Pleadings, and Heather Caron's notes in order to fluff up the most recent SC Brief. It took a lot of reading and brain power to figure out how to fit what I read into the headings ie. Backgrounds, Custody Support and S. 7 Costs, as well as Spousal Support.

After reading Heather's notes, I learned that she wanted to file an SDO and SDOI with the court which led to me filling out these documents. So far, that was the simplest thing I've had to do with this file to date (notwithstanding the filing.)

Phoenix Courier delivered a huge Disclosure for a business file we have. Mona and I had to confirm what it was the opposing counsel have actually sent us, and what we already had. Despite everything being listed on the cover document, a lot of the things they said they sent us were, in fact, missing.

End of day three! I wonder what's in store tomorrow...

I'm exhausted, and it's only been day two!

My first day really wasn't anything to write home about, it was the typical first day of any job; orientation, menial tasks and confusion, but there was also a lot of learning! She (Mona, the Office Manager/Legal Assistant) instructed me on how to use Amicus, which is basically Outlook but in a different format. She  usually only uses it to book appointments and to docket phone calls. She took me with her to deposit Trust and General cheques into their bank account. We then sat down together to work on a Case Conference Brief. The biggest job was actually the filing! They have such a different setting than what I imagined: they uses these big accordion file folders to store each client in. They colour coordinate each file folder that fits into the accordion folder; kirk for correspondences, orange for accounts, dark blue for pleadings to name a few. Before I knew it, the day was done!

Day two was more exciting, from my stand point. She tasked me with depositing some General cheques into their bank account. I updated a client's Case Conference Brief based on the Client's notes she had taken. Mona reviewed them and had to make changes; I wasn't elaborating enough on what the client had written. She also showed me where to find the closed files in the basement, and the corresponding booklet that stored what box the client files are in. Then, and this is the highlight of my day! She let me start a Case Conference brief on a new client. It took me four hours of dredging through the previous Case Conference Briefs (before Heather was representing her) and the pleadings to find the information. If I didn't need to leave early to go to my paying job, I think I may have just finished the whole CC brief.

That was my first two days! Mona gave me a dire warning of unending filing tomorrow, which means I get to learn the layout of their system even better by the end of it ;)

Week 1, Post 1

Monday February 6 was the first day at my three week unpaid field placement, and I feel like my head is going to burst with how much knowledge has been crammed into it. Did you know there was a platform called Amicus? I sure didn't. It has many of the same features as Outlook, it's just set up different. The lawyer, Heather Caron, is phasing it out soon, she's just not sure if she's going to use Outlook for everything aside from Email, or a different approach.

First Impressions

1.                 What areas of law are practised in the law firm you are working at?  Do they have a mission statement?  If so, what is it?

a.      Family law in the major field that Heather works in, but she also dabbles in Litigation.

b.      The mission statement for Caron Family Law is "Empathy/Dedication/Empowerment." 

2.                 Provide details of the orientation you have received. How were you introduced to other staff members?  Are you working with one or many staff members?

a.      The orientation was pretty heavy, to be completely honest. She basically gave me the run down of what she does as soon as she comes in the door (check emails and voicemail.) She then explained what Amicus was and what it was used for, which was informative as I have head nothing about it before now. Aside from Heather, the lawyer, there is an Office Manager/Legal Assistant by the name of Mona Bal. I had spoken only through her prior to February 6, and she was also the first face I saw as soon as I entered the office. I am only working with Mona at this time.

3.                 Were you provided with a manual of office procedures?  If so, what type of information was in it?  Is there a particular way to format documents?  If not, how will you keep track of all the details of the job?

a.      I was provided with the office procedures manual as well as a manual on the legal steps/process of Family Law. The information found in the office procedures manual has to do with colour coding file folders, the daily tasks, general information such as important folders, programs, how to book times, passwords and usernames, As to the formatting of the documents, so far the only difference I have seen is that the RE: line in cover letters/letters is underlined; they also CC clients.

About me and my aspirations

Hi! My name is Maryrose.

 I am the first person to complete high school, own my own car, and go to post secondary school in my family. Very shortly, I am hoping to be the first person in my family to have a career based out of college.

I have done all my law courses and now I just need to complete my WE Field Placement, which I am completing at Caron Family Law in Kitchener. Family law was the field I wanted to work in, because I would love to have a positive impact on a family's life.

The steps I took to gain this position was actually pretty simple; I looked on Kijiji and Indeed.com for any near law firms that were hiring. Once I chose the ones I was interested in, I emailed them and simply stated that I was a Conestoga Office Administration - Legal student and that I was looking for a three-week field placement. The one, Caron Family Law, got back to me rather quickly. The other, Harris Law, took a little longer; actually, I had already accepted the co-op at Caron FL before Harris Law had gotten back to me.

The interview at Caron FL was nothing like I had prepared for. She (Heather, the lawyer) asked none of the questions I had prepped! Those studious hours I had watched YouTube on the 'Top 50 Most Common Interview Questions and Answers' was for naught! She asked me how I organized, what precedents I have prepared, and what my NWPM was.

Regardless, I was a lot less nervous for having prepared than if I had gone into the interview blind.