The Paralegal Voice

Bobby Williams is passionate about helping legal professionals find the truth in data. His lengthy career traces back to his natural curiosity in college for all things technical. He taught himself how things work and how digital tools can be applied to data analysis and reveal the clues.  “My job is connecting people to insights,” Williams says, sharing how facts buried in the digital jungle...

Host Tony Sipp welcomes back four insightful and inspirational guests as they share tips not only about work, trends, and tech, but also about taking care of your own health and wellness. Legal professionals work in a pressure cooker. It’s important to offload routine, draining tasks wherever possible. Join Kristine Custodio Suero, Eda Rosa, Ann Pearson, and Kelli Radnothy as the break down some o...

The annual NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations) convention is coming up September 24-27 in Bloomington, Minnesota, adjacent to the Mall of America just outside Minneapolis. Our guests on this episode are Lori Wagner, president of the NFPA, and Patty Meagher, who is chairing the NFPA convention. Both are paralegal professionals with more than 30 years of experience each. The NFPA is...

Get a look into a part of the legal world that paralegal professionals work with closely, but often don’t get to know: court reporters and transcription and documenting professionals. Guest Jennifer Hines, the founder of Hines Reporters and a 40-year veteran court reporter, chats with Mila Alcantar, a stenography student who represents the next generation of courtroom recording and transcription p...

There are many ways to live and grow through a career in paralegal services. Some chose to move from firm to firm in search of promotions. Others go freelance or establish their own firm. Guest Sabine Alexis’ career demonstrates how working for a long period with a single firm also offers a path to promotion, success, and personal satisfaction.  Alexis is passionate about the paralegal profes...

Everything changes, sometimes even you. Is the job you started out in still the job you love? Guest Cynthia Vasquez started out as a paralegal professional but made a pivot, earning her MBA and striking out on her own, founding her California-based eDiscovery consulting firm Propel Consulting. (She even ran successfully for city council and finds time to volunteer in professional organizations). S...

Our court system tends to draw in a diverse mixing pot of “customers.” Many of us will end up in a courthouse for some reason, a civil or criminal proceeding, a hearing, a deposition, a divorce, jury duty, even a marriage license. That’s why diversity and representation of all of us matters for those working inside the courthouse. Guest Belinda Handy is a commissioner in the Superior Court of Rive...

Can paralegal professionals really strike out on their own and set up a paralegal business outside the confines of a law firm or government agency? Guest Rashida Forbes did just that. She’s a veteran paralegal professional who turned her early boots-on-the-ground early experiences into her own firm wrangling the legal process in the high-stakes world of foreclosure and eviction. Forbes was working...

In a truly fun episode, co-host Jill Francisco is back with co-host Tony Sipp and longtime friend of the podcast, Vanessa (Vinnie) Finley, CEO of NALA, The Paralegal Association.  Finley dishes on all that is new this year at NALA for its members and shares insider details about the upcoming 2026 NALA Conference & Expo, July 16-18 in Denver, Colorado. The theme is “Transforming today’s paralegals...

Guest Jaclyn Foster was a paralegal struggling to make ends meet in rural Wisconsin with a new baby when she started her own paralegal services business, online only, out of her home and out of desperation. It took off, generating six-figure revenue and ultimately being acquired just three years later by a larger company, giving her the breathing room to pursue her passions. She founded the Parale...

Dig into the stressful life of a paralegal professional working in a high-stakes defense litigation firm. Guest Amy McGuigan is a senior paralegal with the San Francisco firm of Swanson & McNamara LLP, a firm that specializes in trial and appellate law. She’s no stranger to the stress of cases where literally a defendant’s life is on the line. She’s always been into stressful jobs, from her start...

In this jam-packed episode, host Tony Sipp welcomes four outstanding paralegal professionals and educators to share tips on balancing mindfulness, wellness, and self-care in today’s world of rapid tech advancements.  If it seems like the profession is bolting forward at light speed, you’re not wrong. It’s important to take care of yourself. Let tech work for you, not wear you down. At times, you n...

Guest June Hunter is a trained paralegal professional and legal technology trainer with a 35-year career in legal services that spans the profession’s growth from the days of physical, paper files to today’s legal tech AI revolution.  Hear how Hunter has come to feel that paralegal professionals are “the best project managers in the world,” juggling clients, lawyers, tech tools, and court schedule...

Once you’ve landed your first job as a paralegal professional, what next? How do you build your career, advance into management, and leverage affiliations and activities within local and national associations as you pursue your goals?  Guest Angela King is a successful paralegal manager at the national law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. Over more than two decades, she has advanced from a law...

How is the legal profession evolving, and what does it mean for your career? In this episode, host Tony Sipp welcomes a very special, nationally renowned, guest, Chere Estrin for a look into the future of the legal workplace. Estrin is a guiding force in the legal profession and a nationally recognized voice on career development in the field. She’s the CEO of Estrin Legal Staffing, the author of...

Ever think of hanging up a shingle and going it alone as a freelance paralegal services provider? It can be done and there is a demand. Working in a firm isn’t your only option. Guest Corrin Swintosky is a freelance paralegal professional at her own company, Lucid Legal Support LLC, who specializes in helping small and midsize law firms increase efficiencies by providing extra help with criminal l...

How do professionals in the legal community help protect and enhance the civil rights we all deserve? Guest Capri Maddox is the executive director of the Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, working to ensure Los Angeles is a city of belonging, justice, and a welcoming space for all.  She’s an attorney, but she also worked as a paralegal professional, and she recognizes how big...

Paralegals can find themselves on an island at the workplace, left without training, mentorship, and opportunities for growth and advancement in a sink or swim environment. It doesn’t have to be that way.  Guest Eda Rosa is a former paralegal who founded her own firm, Eda Rosa LLC, in 2017. The legal consulting and training company is dedicated to transforming the legal industry from the inside ou...

We’re at an interesting and dynamic point in time for immigration law, with Supreme Court rulings and presidential executive orders reshaping the field and challenging the system’s status quo.  The administrative area of immigration law is especially difficult for legal professionals. In an immigration hearing, the judge is essentially on the same “team” as the prosecutor, and because immigration...

The paralegal profession is evolving at breakneck speed, driven by emerging technology such as AI and the era of “video connectivity” brought on by the pandemic. It’s up to paralegal associations to keep up.  Guests Milady Cambare and Travis Chow are veteran paralegals and the respective presidents of the Orange County and Los Angeles paralegal associations. They share how their associations are w...

Guest and professional legal recruiter Tracey Perkins says in 2025 every paralegal professional should know the importance of technology, especially AI. But she stresses the best paralegals always manage the tech and never let the tech manage them. AI is a tool that can spur efficiency, but it will never replace the mind and analytical skills of a skilled paralegal professional. In the rapidly adv...

AI is coming, and it may be coming for your job. Guest Dan Lear, vice president of partnerships at the digital case management company InfoTrack, shares how paralegal professionals can adapt and remain vital. Spoiler, you can’t ignore the AI revolution, but you can learn, evolve, and deliver insights and human skills that AI simply can’t match.  File, case, and data management has come a long way,...

Guest Linda McGrath-Cruz worked as a paralegal professional in private practice and in-house (including Royal Caribbean) for 28 years, and she’s a leader for the Paralegal Navigating Perilous Waters cruise, a CLE paralegal conference that takes place on a cruise ship (how cool is that?).  She is currently the program coordinator and a full-time faculty member in the paralegal program at St. Johns...

Guest Huascar Matos is a paralegal professional and the new president of the International Practice Management Association (IPMA). He has a varied background including a degree in Spanish and time in the fashion and art industry. After an unusual and unexpected path, he has found himself as a director of paralegals at the firm of Foley & Lardner.  It’s an exciting time for the IPMA as members cons...

What’s new for NALA in 2025? Get the scoop from guest Vanessa “Vinnie” Finley, the CEO of NALA since 2019. There’s plenty of news about the upcoming NALA conference and new initiatives to help you be your best professional self.  2025 is no ordinary year for NALA as the paralegal association celebrates 50 years. Start with the latest on the 2025 NALA Conference & Expo, July 10-12 in Atlantic City,...