How to Become a Paralegal

LLEDGERWOODLAWGROUP

May/June 2016 No. 31

Ledgerwood Law Group ■■1385 Ridgewood Drive ■■Suite 106 ■■Chico, CA 95973 ■■Toll Free: 888-761-7383 ■■www.ThomasLedgerwood.com ■■1

Safe Harbor

Continued on page 2

A monthly newsletter published by the Ledgerwood Law Group dedicated to the rights of injured workers,Social Security Disability claimants, food, travel, gardening, fishing, camping and life on the open road.

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There is serious power in a well-

trained, dedicated staff. Having been in

the legal trenches for over three decades

now, I can tell you with some authority,

that one of the coolest things to witness

is that moment when an associate really

comes on line professionally.

Although it seems like yesterday, it

was seven years ago that Senior Parale-

gal Miller and I interviewed a young

prospect who had worked extensively

in the medical field. Anysia Sypnicki

(then Mahoney) was an obvious old

soul. She had a depth of maturity and

experience in life that transcended her

tender years. We snapped her up imme-

diately. Since then, she has become an

In my book,it is not summer until I have located the season’s first, juicy, ripe

tomato in my garden. I will devour it on the spot. The flesh of this tomato is warm,

fresh, tart and slightly acidic. You will never find a tomato like this in the store.

It is why I am in the game.

I started my tomatoes in the greenhouse on January second of this year. In

retrospect, I was about two months too early. The plants were monstrous when I

put them in the ground in early April. For this year I chose: Box Car Willies,

BBQ-101: BBQ-101: Your Attorney’sYour Attorney’s

Oven-RoastedOven-RoastedKaluaporkporkUltimateUltimate

One of the coolest wedding giftsmy wifeand I have ever given was when we vol-

unteered to cook up an authentic, Hawai-

ian wedding feast for our freshly married,

young friends. It all happened on the is-

land of Kauai, two years back. The

groom wanted Kalua Pork …

This deeply flavored Hawaiian luau

specialty has just four simple ingredients:

pork, sea salt, banana leaves, and smoke.

If you are a serious grill jockey, this is one

of those summertime BBQ bucket list

items that you must try. The recipe that

follows will produce meltingly tender

pork that is “palahe” (falling off the

bone), with a salty/smoky brown exterior

curst. You will be “Da Big Kahuna” and

a backyard hero to family and friends

alike if you give this dish a try. So, what

are you waiting for? It is luau time!

Kalua Pork is traditionally cooked in

an imu (an underground pit lined with

rocks), utilizing a pile of blazingly hot

kiawe (mesquite) wood as the heat source.

When the wood burns down to coals, the

pit is covered with a thick layer of local

vegetation, such as banana leaves. There-

after, a huge 200 pound pig is lowered

into the pit by a couple buff, young locals

and covered with more vegetation, wet

absolute juggernaut around here at the LLG. Anysia recently graduated from the

Center for Advanced Legal Studies, an ABA-accredited paralegal program, with

honors and a 4.00 GPA. It was a proud day for all of us here at the LLG.

Tom’s Green Thumb–

MadnessTomato

Tom’s Green Thumb–

05and06-16 Safe Harbor _Safe Harbor 6/22/16 9:31 AM Page 1

2■■Ledgerwood Law Group ■■ www.ThomasLedgerwood.com

How to Become a Paralegal continued from page 1

I have been asked by quite a few

people over the years about a career in

law and what it takes to become a para-

legal.As of 2012, according to the Bureau

of Labor Statistics, there are 28,500 para-

legals in our fair state. Studies done by

California Employment Development

Department indicate from 2008 to 2018,

it is expected that jobs for paralegals and

legal assistants in California will in-

crease by more than 17%.

A career in law is a good transition

for many people who have found them-

selves shut out of the physical work

force due to an industrial injury or a dis-

abling medical condition. The paralegal

certification here in California is gov-

erned by Business and Professions

Code sections 6450-6456. Before you

can hang your shingle out as a paralegal

in California, you must fulfill one of the

following educational requirements:

■ Complete at least 24 credits in para-

legal studies at an accredited or state-

approved college or university.

and are a huge time and energy commit-

ment. People coming off an industrial in-

jury, unable to return to their old job,

should know that there are serious state

and federal programs that can help pay

part or all of this expense. Also, there are

significant vocational programs for peo-

ple on Social Security Disability to train

for a new life and a return to the work-

force. I have outlined these programs in

Chapter 9 of my book, the California

Workers’ Compensation Survival Man-

ual. It can be downloaded straight from

our website or ordered for free from our

office (Thomasledgerwood.com).

Knowledge is Power!

Regards,

TomP. S . O u r M e d i c a l E n f o r c e m e n t

Specialist, Alicia Walls, just

started the program Anysia

finished this month. We just

flew Senior Paralegal Miller to

Baltimore to take the grueling,

California Bar-like test for her

right to try Social Security Disability cases before

the OHA; exam results are pending, and we are all

crossing our fingers. Watch out world!

■ Complete a Bachelor’s degree in

any field and one year of experience

working under the supervision of a Cal-

ifornia lawyer who has been licensed

for at least three years or works in the

federal court system in California.

■ Complete a paralegal certificate

program approved by the American Bar

Association.

I have had a succession of smart peo-

ple with their Bachelor degrees work

with us over the years. Once they had a

year under their belt, and demonstrated

their ability to apply law to fact, I got to

declare them a paralegal under B&B sec-

tion C (3). I have also had people who

completed paralegal programs at colleges

and universities who came equipped with

their paralegal certificate by completing

their 24 credits in paralegal studies.

Anysia is the first one that has com-

pleted an ABA sanctioned program.

These programs are not inexpensive.

They cost ten to thirty thousand dollars,

Amish Brandywines, Mortgage Lifters and Black Krims. I also diversified my tomato portfolio with a series of hybrid vari-

etals by adding Early Girls, Celebrities, Aces and Better Boys to the mix.

Ok, I will admit it; I have a problem with tomatoes. I have been growing them for over four decades now. It is the single

vegetable (or fruit, depending on who you ask) that will keep me up late on a rainy winter’s night perusing the seed catalogs

and pondering the possibilities for the New Year. If I were into tattoos, I would have a couple Brandywines zapped on a

shoulder. Yes, I got it bad. Tomato Madness. I could have worse problems, I guess.

Tomato Madness continued from page 1

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Ledgerwood Law Group ■■www.ThomasLedgerwood.com ■■3

Kalua Pork Continued from page 1

burlap sacks, and finally a layer of sand

or soil. Five or six hours later, with great

ceremony, the same buff locals pull the

top layer off and “voila”! You have a se-

rious meal for about 250 smiling, sun

burned, rum-infused mainlanders. It is a

joyful celebration of island life and tradi-

tion. You can achieve the same flavors

on a smaller scale without out digging an

imu and cooking a 200 pound pig in it

(which is clearly upper division BBQ,

and not for rookies).

Chef and local Island legend, Sam Choy,

became an international celebrity cook-

ing up traditional Hawaiian fusion cui-

sine. No way was I was not going to dig

an imu at our rental! So, I needed a close

to authentic alternate plan—and quick.

Choy’s recipe for oven-roasted Kalua

Pork was the ticket. When I started my

internet search on the subject, it was plas-

tered all over the net. Years back, Choy

ventured to the mainland and put on a

huge luau featuring two 200 pound pigs

for charity with his Cajun pal, Paul Prud-

homme. This is his oven recipe. It made

Epicurious, Bon Appetit, Food Network,

and ABC news! Yep, it is that good.

However, Choy’s civilian recipe calls

for cooking exclusively in the oven with

the addition of liquid smoke at the end.

Sorry—liquid smoke is simple BBQ

heresy in my book and I was not going to

Last year I reported on “weed-less gardening.” This technique utilizes a thick layer

of walk-on bark as mulch, piled deep over drip hosing. Well, it is has been brutal here

at the School of Hard Rocks. I enjoyed some manner of success. However, that viru-

lent, nasty, abomination that is Johnson Grass, still poked its ugly shoots all over my

garden. I swear that stuff is like a green, metastasized cancer.

Johnson Grass root balls are impossible to eradicate. So, I brought out the big

guns this year and purchased some really expensive “30 year” landscape fabric at

OSH. I put it down over my drip hoses and then added the bark on top. It has re-

duced my weeding woes by 90%. I think I am onto something here!

Things are just getting started here in the Butte Valley. I will give you my

next report in the August/September issue of Safe Harbor.I wish you a great sum-

mer! As always, I will remind you that the sweetest, tastiest water you will ever

drink is straight from your garden hose.

—Tom

Continued on page 4

go down that path. But hey, who am I but

a humble attorney cooking up good grub

for friends? I had a much better idea, one

that would truly satisfy my inner cave-

man and achieve a vastly superior smoky

result with a crisp salty brown crust on

the meat. First, I seared two pork shoul-

ders on a hot BBQ and eliminated the liq-

uid smoke. Thereafter, I finished the pork

in the oven for about five hours. The re-

sults were spectacular.

Supplies:

One five to ten pound bone-in pork

shoulder

A handful of Hawaiian alaea sea salt or

coarse sea salt

Three frozen banana leaves, thawed (you

can get these at Asian markets)

Four cups of water

Plain-Jane BBQ briquettes

Hickory Chips

Technique:

Based on Choy’s recipe, we purchased

two ten-pound pork shoulders, and

scored them with a sharp knife with one

inch cross hatching. We rubbed them

thoroughly with a fistful of red Hawaiian

sea salt and let them sit in the refrigerator

over night. By the way, salt is a wonder-

ful meat tenderizer and it really pays to

put it on the night before.

Tomato Madness continued from page 2

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This publication is intended to educate the general public about Worker’s Compensation, Social Security Disability and other issues. It is for information purposes only and is not intendedto be legal advice. Prior to acting on any information contained here, you should seek and retain competent counsel. ©LLG All Rights Reserved. ■■4

The next day (I am talking before sun-

rise) I started a chimney fire of briquettes

that I poured on the side of a funky kettle

BBQ. I seared the heck out of the roasts

for 10 minutes or so on direct heat (right

over the coals). This achieved that cov-

eted, salty brown crust on the outside of

the meat. Thereafter, I moved the roasts

over to the cool side of the grill (remem-

ber, I piled briquettes only on one side of

the grill) , threw a couple handfuls

of wet hickory chips on the hot side,

put the top on the grill, and let the meat

cook for about an hour on indirect heat.

After few steps into the jungle be-

hind our rental, I located a huge banana

tree that I hacked a couple of five-foot ba-

nana leaves off. I wrapped the seared

roasts in them, trussing them up into a

neat package with some twine. Next, I

poured the four cups of water into my

roasting pan, covered it with tinfoil and

popped them into a preheated oven set to

350. I roasted those puppies for about

five hours.

We served the roasts straight out of

their steaming banana-wrapped packages,

allowing guests to pull big, lusty chunks

off the roast right at the serving table.

Then I sat down, finished my Mai

Tai, gave my best, most humble, Mona

Lisa smile, and basked in the glory of

it all. I love to BBQ and feed big

crowds of friends.

Aloha, Tom

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