Holland insists he was quietly praying with his rosary when one of the Planned Parenthood volunteers approached him and began yelling at him. He and his attorney claim the building itself does not have a bubble and in fact, the volunteer was not in compliance with the ordinance. He may have a case, say many legal experts. The LegalAuthority.com founder agrees. “It’s an uncomfortable quagmire because in this country, we hold dear the right to worship and pray as we choose”. If it’s true the young man was quietly praying and in essence minding his own business, it’s likely going to feel more than a little uncomfortable for someone to tell him he can’t do so. Still, and until those important details are determined, this is going to be a case that’s watched around the country.

He also says he never voiced a word to any passersby, volunteers with Planned Parenthood or even the worker who approached him and began yelling. He says his efforts to explain to the responding officer went unnoticed. “I tried to talk to the officer first and explain that the building doesn’t have an eight foot bubble and that I did not talk to anyone…I’m praying to God, not talking to people…basically, he said me praying was a type of approaching people and violated the bubble zone ordinance”.

Police insist Holland “stood within an inch of the victim, prayed out loud at a high volume for more than ten minutes” and was arrested for blocking the entrance and not, as Holland says, praying quietly.

So what does this mean for protesters? A new trend or a fleeting attempt to protect all citizens, even when they vehemently disagree? A. Harrison Barnes says there are no easy answers, but that the police have a duty to arrest anyone who violates any laws or ordinances. The law is quite definitive in these situations, after all.  With many law school graduates entering sectors that allow the to work with constitutional rights, this one’s definitely going to get a lot of attention.

But what about those who have no clue as to what “on par” or “twenty love” means and really have no interest in knowing? Men and women who are in the legal sector know all too well the feelings of being left out when they have no desire to discuss business between the holes on the golf courses. It can be difficult, says Barnes, but with a bit of planning, you don’t have to miss out entirely. When possible, you can sometimes suggest lunch at the country club before a tennis match is even suggested, thereby eliminating the possibility in its entirety, at least for that particular day. This will allow you to be a part of the conversations while also providing that relaxed atmosphere the golf greens offer.

Remember, too, that the environment in the great outdoors offers the perfect networking atmosphere for many and it’s not so much the game itself, but the escape from the office.  Is there a reason you’re not interested in learning golf or tennis? If you’re holding out because you’re making a statement, you might only be limiting yourself in the long run. Of course, no one should feel as though they “have” to do something and certainly when that “something” isn’t part of their job description; but you might be surprised to learn you actually enjoy the game if you give it a fair shot. Ask your husband or wife or even a colleague for a few pointers or better still, enroll in a few classes. Worse case scenario, if you hate it, you’re not obligated to continue.

If you’re certain there’s no place for you on the golf course or tennis court, but you need to be a part of the informal meeting, suggest meeting for a drink later in the afternoon or maybe even an early dinner. This works well if you’re meeting at a member’s only club and the client and your fellow attorneys are able to freshen up first. This way, you can get a quick rundown of anything you might have missed while also presenting your own thoughts or solutions.

Keep in mind, too, that not as much gets done on the greens as many believe, which should serve as a consolation to the non-golfers. Often, it’s nothing more than a quick escape with a fellow golfer. It’s great for breaking the ice and of course, for networking. If you’re an intricate part of the legal team, the LawCrossing.com founder says that not much will be decided without your input anyway.

• Find a really cool mouse for your computer or splurge on some new art for your office walls. Bring in a few plants (be sure they’re easy to maintain, though…you don’t need the distraction of a dying plant – we recommend an African violet – they thrive on ultraviolet lighting). Anything to make your space more “your space” will go a long way in concentration and your efforts of zoning the coworkers out.
• Resist the urge to plunder the goings-on with Facebook and new emails. It’s easy – too easy since penning this article has now gone into the second hour (it’s that pesky Facebook addiction)- to click a link, then another and then another. Next thing you know, you’re checking out the latest fashion trends in Liechtenstein, you’ve missed your deadline and the boss is considering sending out the National Guard to search for the MIA employee. The distraction, while great, does nothing in your efforts of improving your work day.
• If you have to skip lunch, don’t skip the whole hour. None of us are exempt from the occasional lunch hour lost to a last minute meeting, says A. Harrison Barnes. Still, you will always feel a bit more energized if you step outside the confines of your office – even if it’s just a walk outside around the parameter of the building – and catch your breath.
• Retrain your boss when possible. This, says the EmploymentCrossing.com founder, can be a little tricky. If you’ve spoiled your boss to the point that he hits “send” on an email then waits a few second for your reply to come right back (give thanks to the BlackBerry and the iPhone), this means you’re directing at least part of your attention to the yellow envelope that pops up in your desk tray or on your smartphone. Instead of replying right back (unless that’s not feasible, of course), wait ten minutes. Then stretch it to twenty and before you know it, you’re only checking email twice before and twice after lunch. This frees you up so that you can focus at the tasks on hand with no guilt about not responding to the email from the head honcho that announces next week’s staff meeting has been changed to the other conference room.
• Give in to your restlessness. How many times have you been so restless that it’s all you can do to stay in your ergonomically correct chair? Too many to count, right? Instead of telling yourself that you’ll move around “as soon as I finish the paragraph” or “as soon as I run these numbers”, deal with the distracting restlessness you’re feeing. “Distracting” is the operative word here. A few minutes away and you return more focused and less distracted – which is always important when crunching numbers.

By far, the one piece of information a potential employer is looking for is how well a candidate performed in the past. The EmploymentCrossing.com founder says the study revealed 36% of those interviewed say that is top priority. Following that, managers wanted to know the reference’s opinions on a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses as well as confirmation that the information, such as job title and employment dates, are accurate on the resume. A. Harrison Barnes says the extremely competitive job market means more hiring managers are relying on reference checks to help them determine the best person to fill a position.

So how do you know who to include as a professional reference? Barnes has a few suggestions that will serve your purposes. “It’s absolutely crucial that you don’t assume it’s OK to use someone as a reference. Never use anyone as a reference without asking beforehand.” Also, it’s important to carefully consider who you’re going to approach. You want your references to have a true knowledge of your skills, your work habits and your work ethics. Also, just as you don’t want to misrepresent yourself on your resume, don’t misrepresent your references, either. No need to sugarcoat a job title of your reference. It could easily backfire and put you in a less than ideal light. Also, don’t forget that an interviewer isn’t limited to the references you supply. He can easily make a phone call to a acquaintance who you both know or even take a look at your Linkedin profile, Facebook page or even your Twitter feed.  When it comes to landing a new job, it’s best to assume nothing.

Finally, before your references can be of any help to you, there must be an exceptional resume for a potential employer to work from. This is where EmploymentCrossing.com’s team of resume experts can step in and create a flawless resume that will get you noticed. Already have a resume put together? Our team can review it for you, point out the strengths and weaknesses so that it can perfected to highlight the best of what you have to offer.

We asked our own brilliant legal mind, A. Harrison Barnes, who is also the founder of LegalAuthority.com, whether he feels this new trend is here to stay or if it was a passing phase that will be out before we can say “medical malpractice suits”.  Here’s what he had to say:

Legal nursing consultants absolutely have a place in the legal field.  They are very valuable to a legal team and offer advice on any number of medical issues.  Their education is important and since this is a relatively new career path, these who fill the roles now will pave the way for future nursing consultants and their careers.  It requires, of course, extensive knowledge in the medical field and most firms will use registered nurses or nurse practitioners.  That said,  a working knowledge of the legal field is a big benefit, as well.

Legal nurse consultants provide assistance in any number of ways, including product recalls (such as drugs the FDA has pulled form the shelves), worker’s compensation cases, rape and sexual assault, medical malpractice cases and any others that affect the medical profession.  They may be asked to provide insight into posing the proper questions, their advice will be considered very important and they will often be relied upon to catch certain nuances that anyone outside the medical field might not be privy to.

While law firms have routinely partnered with physicians and others in the medical fields, nursing consultants are generally more often available for consultations and meetings with clients, making them a good choice for medical cases.  Ideally, a nursing consultant will have at least several years, and some firms require a decade, of experience.  They must have flawless records and usually will be required to pass an extensive background check.  This protects the firm and the consultant since an opposing team could “dig up the dirt” on the consultant and jeopardize a case.  Further, more colleges and junior colleges are adding legal/nursing combinations in terms of courses and most consultants will be required to have some level of educational background.

Think this is something that you could flourish in?  Check with your state’s licensing board and then be sure to visit LegalAuthority.com to see what positions are available.  Founded by A. Harrison Barnes, it’s a comprehensive site that brings together legal jobs from across the country and makes them available in an easy to use site.

Most of the coastal residents along Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have careers that do not include the fishing and other seafood industries; however, few can say they don’t currently have or have had in the past family members who earned their livings on those rich Gulf waters.  It’s for these reasons, and many more, that lawmakers are working to bypass the 2008 Supreme Court decision that limits punitive damages for maritime law.  A. Harrison Barnes, a brilliant attorney and founder of LawCrossing.com, says the 1:1 ratio of punitive to compensatory damages that were first used in a suit involving Exxon Shipping is where the focus is for attorneys and lawmakers.

Known as “The Big Oil Polluter Pays Act”, this law limits civil actions that come from maritime tort cases in that the punitive damages must be assessed with no regard to the amount of compensatory numbers assessed in the suits.  This, of course, was borne of the tragedy in 1989 that involved the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.  Many lawyers say there was no way of knowing a worse tragedy could eventually happen; after all, lessons were supposed to have been learned that would have prevented what we, as a collective nation, are now facing, says A. Harrison Barnes.

The LawCrossing.com founder takes it a step further and says these most recent events will likely be the inspiration for many soon to be law grads to go into maritime law.  Anyone who has built their lives on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic or Pacific oceans knows all too well how the salt air affects them.  It’s not surprising then that so many would want to make a difference and put into place those safeguards that will forever prevent another tragedy from happening.  Frankly, anyone who has followed this case knows the grieving so many are going through.  Most importantly, there are eleven families who lost a loved one during the April 20 explosion and now, as the country grieves with them, we are also bombarded with dead dolphins washing ashore, thousands of fish floating in the marshes and the once beautiful birds exclusively found along the gulf coast that are now struggling to even survive.  This, says Barnes, is enough to inspire many to choose maritime law.

Then, there are those clients who are guilty.  This is a true test of your fortitude, says the LawCrossing.com founder.  Still, it’s important to approach every case as though it’s the most important in your life.  Your client’s own family doesn’t believe him?  Be the sole stander for him, then.  Think you can get your client off with just probation?  Prepare your case as though you’re defending the client in the case of the century.  A. Harrison Barnes reminds young lawyers that clients will likely only seen one major case in their lives, if of course, they’re not career criminals.  You, on the other hand, will become so accustomed to the process, the players and even the smells of the courtrooms that you’ll soon forget how intimidating just the sight of a courtroom can be.  You want to be sure you represent your client not only in front of a judge, jury and prosecutor, but you want to represent him to the extent he has faith in your abilities and is secure in knowing that while it might be new for him, you know your job and you know how to do it well.

Also, Barnes reiterates that law school simply does not prepare young attorneys for what they face on a daily basis.  You gain your education, learn the legal system in all its glory and then you’re let loose to discover the entirely unseen side of that same justice system.  Even as you’re preparing your resume, interviewing with partners and attempting to plot your course, there will be few times throughout your career that you’re not caught speechless or off guard by some unexpected turn of events.  Life is like that…but life as a lawyer is an entirely different animal.

So as you prepare yourself to move forward, and as you eagerly set out to change the world, keep in mind there are real clients who need your energy, your knowledge and your faith – even when you’re the only one who has it to give to him.  Guilty or innocent, the American justice system is consistent and definitive, says the LawCrossing.com founder.  Your job is to play the role of the superb attorney you know you are.

There are a number of people out there who do not realize the importance of creating a daily schedule, especially when working from home. As you may already know, there are tons of work-at-home jobs and careers to choose from. But regardless of what it is that you do, there is still work to be done.

The first and most important thing to realize when having a job from home is to be realistic about how much you are going to get done each day. If you are working for someone else, such as for a home telemarketing firm or customer service industry where communication over the telephone is a main factor in your career, then you will need to make 100% sure that there is no background noise. If you have children, it would be best to hire a nanny or leave them at a relative’s house until you have completed your work for the day.

Having your own designated work area is also another very important aspect when working from home. All careers that involve working at home call for concentration. There is no way that anyone can get their job done if they are constantly taking calls from friends and family members, watching television, and listening to the radio all day. Keep your distractions to a minimum by setting up your office in a relatively quiet area of your home. If there are other people present in the home during your work hours, then it is imperative that you inform them not to disturb you during work hours.

Work-at-home employment can be difficult if you are not properly organized. Make sure that you always jot down deadlines and important numbers, email addresses, etc. on a place where you can see them. Do your best to minimize visual clutter, as it also has a tendency to add to distraction when trying to focus. Give yourself a set schedule that involves daily work hours and focus on your job during that time. Notify all friends and family not to call, email, or text unless it is an emergency.

There are various work-from-home careers that allow you to be your own boss. When that is the case, it can be even more difficult to accomplish anything, especially when one is disorganized. Set goals for yourself either by the day or the week. Don’t just wake up and say that you are going to try to do what you can, create a realistic schedule with realistic goals and stick to it. If you don’t take your career seriously, then you will not be successful.

Obviously, there is a lot more freedom when you obtain employment from home, but remember that no matter how much freedom you have, there is still a job to do. The potential to be successful in careers that involve working at home is huge. The bottom line is that you get what you give. As long as you create a structured daily schedule, a designated work area, and do your best to be productive with your time, working from home won’t be that bad.

When you are on the career hunt, make sure that you know what you want to end up. There are far too many people out there who think that they are chasing something that will make them happy. When you are thinking about how you are going to move forward and how you are going to meet your goals, you will find that you yourself need to be absolutely clear about what you are doing. For instance, why do you want to be in the field that you are in and how do you feel about it? There are many different things that can affect this, ranging from your need for security to your desire to be adventurous, so take a moment and see what you are up to.

When you are thinking about how you are going to get the employment that suits you, don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are many people who simply stay silent all their lives and never ask the questions that it takes to make them happy. Find the people to who are working in your field or who have worked on it and ask them about what their lives are like. This is another thing that you can work towards using when you are thinking about moving forward and getting the right job and it can also help you network. The more that you know, the more you will be able to create a knowledge base for yourself that you can draw on in the years to come.

Another thing that you need to think about is the ability to move forward and to make sure that you are thoroughly networked into the community that you are interested in. The more that you can integrate yourself into the community of your chosen vocation, the more you will find yourself able to connect with others. There’s an old saying that states that it is all about who you know, but the truth is that it is far easier to get to know people than you might think. Take a moment and concentrate on what your social skills are like and how you can get the networking done that you need.

When you are looking through the careers and jobs that might appeal to you, remember that quality employment is something that takes time and effort. Find the right career and you will be set; it is all a matter of how you choose to get there.

Gaining experience may be tough as at times, as often there are more applicants applying for work experience instead of for positions as trainees. Instead of being put off by the high level of competition in the legal industry, A Harrison Barnes advises you to apply to several law firms at the same time or expand your search options to businesses that are similar to law and legal practice. Legal Authority is your gateway to help you through with legal job searches, as this is America’s largest portal of legal jobs. It helps you look into your local entertainment company, estate agent or local law council as well as other businesses that are looking for candidates with a high quality of experience for assisting you in your legal career.

What can you do to broaden your Legal Job Search?

Specify the area of your specialization. In case you have not yet decided on the field of expertise, make it a point to show your progress through the legal course that you are after. Get a clear notion of all that you would prefer to do post university as it helps refine your legal job search. Register for societies that employ law professionals. In fact these days, it is not paying to have a good law degree as there is step competition in the market. Getting involved in clubs, extra curricular activities and societies helps shape your personality as an all round individual and hone the skills that make you a stronger applicant. A Harrison Barnes asks you to join Legal Authority for the best options.

Maintaining a good CV is an important element that is not strictly followed by many students. A lot of them don’t pay attention to the way their CV looks until graduation. This can be a little pressurizing for getting your document correct once you are out there in the legal market. With LPOs hiring people selectively and the economic slump worst affecting the legal sector, Legal Authority advises you to work on your CV when you are at the university. A Harrison Barnes’ web site makes sure that if you have the right CV, you get the right job. Updating the document is also required whenever something new is achieved. Working on your CV a few minutes a month will go on to ensure that by the time graduation is complete, you will be ready with a comprehensive professional file for forwarding potential employers.

A Harrison Barnes recommends his portal for the best legal job search advice to succeed in the legal job market. Going through the legal industry press will guarantee that you know all there is about legal firms that will be recruiting in future. Press knowledge also keeps you updated with industry specific news that helps you stay in touch with any job interviews or work experience. Drop in to the career service site Legal Authority that is qualified with excellent career services too help you with interview techniques. You also gain contact with lots of local companies that are willing to contact starters for work experience.

Improve your communication skills by working for a radio station or student newspaper. These are skills that are highly valued by potential employers in every industry instead of just law. A Harrison Barnes of Legal Authority also recommends you to visit local courts. This is something that you will be required to do as part of your course, although previous exposure will acquaint you with the courthouse ambience as also build potential contacts.

You may even learn a second language which may set you apart from other applicants. In fact, as long as there is Legal Authority, you don’t have to worry about getting a legal job. A Harrison Barnes offers all his helpful counsel in helping you locate the appropriate legal vocation. Add to this all your hard work that can effectively be combined with a good grade. This can work like nothing else and act as a helpful determinant when you are looking for a legal job.