Week 1 - First Impressions

First off I would like to say that I miss everyone so much :( , however, the last two days have been pretty awesome. When I arrived at the firm on Monday morning, I was met by the office manager who went through my orientation with me. She gave me a manual that has all sorts of information in it like lawyers names and areas of law they practice, hourly rates, office protocol, employee login information, employee extensions and so on. I was then introduced to Bryanna, the girl who is training me on the Legal Assistant Real Estate position I have taken there. She gave me a tour of the office and I was introduced to everyone. I met A LOT of people. Everyone was super friendly and offered their help whenever I may need it.

This is a very big firm, they have about 30 lawyers and practice all areas of law such as litigation, real estate, wills and estates, criminal, employment, corporate, and even farm law. Their slogan is "Excellence in our Community".

All the documents I am creating are through Conveyancer. There is not a lot more formatting that happens, but what is cool is there is a short cut to attach the letterhead to the document. Just a little code plus "F3" and there it is! So simple and easy. I am basically preparing client files for the law clerks who will take over and complete the necessary tasks in Teraview. I open the files in PC Law and Conveyancer, and then once I am done that I assign the file to a clerk. I have been busy, but not to the point that it is overwhelming. Today we had a team meeting to go over everyone's workload. Most the clerks have an average of 70 client files assigned to them at the moment, and it will probably only get busier!

I am currently working from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. I am not really supervised, besides from the girl that is training me, it seems that you are expected to complete your tasks on your own. This is fine with me because I am a self-motivated person, so I don't require someone checking on me to make sure things are being done. My work area is very nice! I have my own cubicle, with a computer, chair and telephone. I gathered some supplies today that I need like file folders, stapler, note pad, pens etc. They also have a catalog that I am able to order things from like mouse pads, keyboard pads etc.  

What I have observed about this firm is that they take employee morale very seriously and put a lot of effort into making people feel appreciated and welcomed. When I arrived I was given a welcome package that consisted of a blanket, mints, chap stick, and a coffee mug. I thought that was so nice. They also offer free hot beverages, pop, and water in the lunch room for all employees. I also noticed they are doing some sort of Easter contest in the office in the next couple days to win a prize. I think that kind of thing is nice.

I have to say that what I am most surprised about is how prepared I was coming out of the Office Admin - Legal program and into this position. There were times in Real Estate class where I felt lost, but now that I am in the workplace I feel confident and understand what is going on. I remember speaking with a past graduate and she had told me that you know a lot more than you think you do. She was definitely right, that's exactly how I feel.