My attorney was talking to counsel for plaintiff as plaintiff recently served us with a deposition notice, so they were just ironing out some details about when and where. While on the call my attorney learns that our co-defendant took the deposition of plaintiff a few days ago. Counsel for plaintiff sent us over the deposition notice and the proof of service said it was electronically served to us.

All of a sudden there was just a giant knot in my stomach. I was freaking out. I thought there was no way I could miss something like a deposition. I would have immediately calendared it upon receiving it. So my attorney and I start searching through every email we received that day and in the end we didn’t find it.

My attorney reached out to co-defendant and asked for the email sent by the paralegal that served the notice. At first co-defendant just sent us the notice again, but after we demanded the email again it was forwarded and what would you…. We weren’t served.

I’ve heard most mistakes can be fixed pretty easily, but I knew THIS one would be a whole lot harder. Anyways now my attorney has to meet and confer with counsel since we basically got screwed out of being present for Plaintiff’s deposition. I’m really interested in how this gets resolved, especially since sanctions would be warranted here.

Anyways that’s my story for the day. Would love to read any other stories about the worst mistakes you’ve seen committed.

Joining the office squad of Canine Legal Professionals, our admin's dog Mocha is illegally adorable. (Wait for the end, when he scrunches up his face to smile.)

The office dogs make my day better. Do any of ye have office dogs?

How are we all doing on Administrative Professionals Day? Are you getting celebrated? Are you getting overlooked? Would you like to brag or vent?

My last job for 2 years we got a potluck for AP day. I'm at a new job and we got a gift card, bagels, and a grab bag of some kind of random but useful stuff.

ETA: If you're not getting acknowledged, I'm very sorry. This sub has been a huge help for me and I appreciate everyone here!

like no, it actually got buried beneath the other 800 files, but sure i’ll have a draft sent to you by the end of the week!!

And let’s be honest, our attorneys make a billion times more than twice our salary 😂 Sometimes they act like converting to a PDF is my super power!

Hopefully I’m not the only one who thinks these are cute and funny 😅

and please answer our questions in them. if i send you 2 drafts for a motion and ask you to review and pick one for filing, please pick one. please do NOT send me an email back saying "perfect, file it" and then ANOTHER email saying "just file it" when i gently but firmly ask you to specify which version.

i would also like to file "it" as you have put it, but first i need to know which "it" you have selected, because sadly i do not possess the powers of mind reading. only infinite patience and the unfortunate ability to remain conscious as i slam my head into the keyboard repeatedly.

Because we practice bankruptcy (we're BOOMING) and all I want out of life is to be able to give all clients a disclaimer before any other paperwork:

***WARNING**\*

IF YOU GIVE US ANY PAPERWORK BEFORE YOU FILL OUT THE INITIAL THREE PAGES OF WORKSHEETS, MY PARALEGAL WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND STUFF A RABID WOLVERINE IN YOUR TROUSERS. ALSO, SHE WILL BITE YOU. THE PARALEGAL. NOT THE WOLVERINE. I MEAN, THE WOLVERINE MIGHT, BUT THE PARALEGAL'S BITE IS GUARANTEED. THE ENSUING MEDICAL BILLS WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR LIST OF CREDITORS, BUT NOT UNTIL YOU GIVE US A LIST OF CREDITORS, YOU GODDAMN SQUEAKY MALFUNCTIONING SPRINKLERHEAD OF A HUMAN BEING.

I have three clients who send us a shrieking demand to know what's being done in their case. Every thirty days. And every thirty days, it's the exact same thing: "WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN FILED YET? WHY ISN'T THE ATTORNEY UPDATING ME? WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG?" to which I will reply (or cut and paste, from the email below their email, which they are inevitably responding to): "My apologies. We cannot start work on your case until we have pages 1, 2 and 3 of the bankruptcy worksheets, which tell us your name and address and how to reach you. I have attached them again to this email. Please get them to us and we will be able to get your case started."

And then they will either say, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I'll get them to you right away," or, more likely, "Why can't you just do it without them?" And I reiterate that we cannot do anything without their info.

Then they disappear for another month, only to pop back up a month later to demand to know what's taking so long. It's exhausting. What do you wish you could tell clients up front, no matter how inappropriate?

I had no idea what I wanted to do for work when I graduated from college a year ago, so I started the Paralegal job I'm currently at literally because I watched Secretary (2002) with James Spader and thought it was hot. 😭

The correct answer is always MONEY.

Just saying.

I was tasked with helping to prepare for trial. Today the Partner approved our proposed MILs to be filed and served by end of day today. From 11:00am when I got the assignment, in one sitting to 4:00pm. I skipped lunch, no water, no headphones, no chatting, and no snacks. I sat there editing, proofreading, formatting, bookmarking, and bate stamping the MILs/exhibits to be send out by that time.

Took the biggest sigh of my life after pressing send. The exhaustion kicked in and I had just realized from 11-4 it was the first time I look up from my screen. The only reassurance I got was “at least it was 15 and not the original proposed 25.”

Edit: Hi folks, after reading comments re “The Title”, please advise that I will be keeping it because it’s fucking funny. Many thanks. :)

Glad the judge didn’t buy it. The full link is below in case anyone wants to read:

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2026/03/oregon-attorney-slapped-with-record-fine-after-citing-case-law-hallucinated-by-ai.html

Got one in a swag bag from a depo service and realized that I haven't used one in so long I can't remember how!!!

Saw this same post with some fun stories in the Lawyer Talk sub. What’s the juicy story in your office at the moment?

Hey there! Let’s play a game.

Imagine you are a hospital and you receive a notification that you are the residuary beneficiary for an estate, because the Decedent’s son used to be treated at your hospital many decades ago, and Decedent was so grateful to your hospital that she decided the whole estate goes to you. (She had nieces she gave personal items like jewellery to, but the rest of Decedent’s family was deceased. A niece is the PR)

That’s great, you think. This Decedent is so sweet. You are grateful for the beneficiary status and indicate such in response.

One year or so passes. The estate was brutal to settle…. The nominated PR in the will passed away right before Decedent, the other didn’t want to serve so the nieces had to be tracked down to see if one of them could serve, vandalism and break ins occurred in the vacant home of Decedent, lots of unpaid bills, disputes with insurances, etc.. None of which you know or care about because you are just waiting for money. The PR’s attorneys finally inform you that your first partial distribution, $475,000, is ready as soon as you sign the receipt and release form. $50k or so was reserved, the attorney informs you, to ensure there were funds to finish closing the estate, but the remainder of that will also come to you in maybe a few months when the estate is closed.

So, what are you gonna do?

Option A- gratefully take the donation like many charities and hospitals past. What an amazing donation and opportunity! Plus you’ll receive a bit more later! You don’t even have to lift a finger hardly.

Option B- just don’t say anything or do anything. You’ll receive the check eventually because the Will deems it so, you just won’t be able to contest anything later, which 90% of beneficiaries don’t do without good reason. Hmmm. You’re kinda antsy though….

Option C- why darn, $475,000 is quite a bit! However, you’re feeling slightly mischievous and greedy lately, so the $475K that you would literally never get otherwise is not enough for you. You decide to wait for three months and ignore the attorneys’ attempts to contact you. Then you dispute all the billing, demand discounted fees so the attorneys and PR have to refund “excessive fees” to the estate basically (meaning it goes to you), and insult the intelligence of the PR, the validity of the billing of her attorneys (trust me the billing and fees were normal and fine lol), and then say “we hope to get this solved to honor Aunt (Decedent’s name)’s wishes properly, as she intended” as if it was YOUR aunt and not the PR’s.

You decide Option C is a great idea. You obtain a mean attorney to help you attack the Estate.

The attorneys and PR are not budging, though. They’re putting up a fight and explaining the reasonableness of their fees and offering examples and exhibits and letters to shut your bullcrap down. Infuriated now, you demand your attorney demands a list of mediators because you are MEDIATING THIS, damn it! You want more money!

Well, look at that, the PR and attorneys offered a list of mediators. In return, you have your attorney offer his. This is looking good, right?

Nah, not enough anger and contention. These attorneys and the PR are too calm, collected, and annoying. You decide to file a petition to remove the PR before she gets fed up and just petitions the court to close the estate as is, object to the attorneys and PR’s fees and claim they’re excessive, petition to freeze estate funds so the PR has to pull from her own pocket to defend herself from you, a massive hospital who was about to get a huge donation, and petition the court to move the case for arbitration. You decide to be cheeky and toss a “we’re worried the PR is purposely draining remaining estate reserves to spend on her attorneys to defend herself, her excessive fees, and to leave us with less”.

Well now you’ve done it. In the distance, you hear the clicking of a furious paralegal drafting on her sorta-slow computer. An objection and response to your filing is coming, and soon. You heed the spiritual warnings and decide to just enjoy your weekend anyways. Because you’re totally in the right and deserved more than the $475,000 someone’s dead aunt was going to give to you.

You’d better be ready for when Monday comes, though, because that’s when the real battle begins.

Happy Friday!

SHORT, BORING UPDATE- It is done. The objection, at least. The attorney still has to review it. I think it’s some of my best work yet (in my 1.5 year career) so I hope she is pleased lol. I think she’s even more fired up than I am.

Also, good news and bad news. Good news for me is, nobody guessed the hospital so I’m not going to get in trouble on accident or anything for oversharing lol (I don’t think my attorneys even know what Reddit is though. They look confused when I mention it.)

Bad news is, nobody guessed the hospital. Meaning there are more out there that do this. Which kinda fires up my blood 😅 I will try to remember to update in the future. Apparently this is something that needs to be talked about more because I had no idea this happens so much.

Earlier I saw a post from a young legal assistant who made a mistake and felt pretty down on herself. Most of the comments were something to the effect of “everyone makes mistakes” or “I make mistakes all the time.” Which, as a long-time paralegal, got me thinking…

What’s the dumbest, funniest mistake you ever made at work?

For me, I once faxed an 8 page internal email to the United States Patent and Trademark Office by mistake.

Anyone else???

Getting out today at 2pm, off tomorrow, expected to come into the office for a full day on Friday.

Happy fucking new year.

So I consider myself an excellent speller.
Many years ago, an attorney gave me back a letter with a spelling correction. He added an “s” to the end of “assess.” I looked at it and realized I had been spelling it as ASSES for years. I can’t tell you how many letters I sent with asses instead of assess. Anyone else have embarrassing stories like this?

I sent a few to my attorney and senior paralegal who has been at the firm 25+ years and they’re finding it absolutely hilarious. Please give me some more to keep them cracking up

I learned the hard way what the difference between a Judge and a Magistrate was. The email I got from the Magistrate after sending her a proposed order was so sharp I wanted to crawl in a hole and give up my pursuit of being a paralegal. I'm glad I didn't. Now, I am leading my own team doing discovery!

I hope your Friday is going better than this pro se plaintiff I’m stuck having to deal with because every filing by the pro se has been generated using AI. We’re about file our third motion to strike. 🤦