Can someone tell me about a day in the life of a paralegal?

Question

I'm interested in becoming a paralegal and would like to find out more about the profession. What I know is that it involves research, interviews and writing documents. What I want to know is:
1. What do you like about it?
2. What do you hate?
3. What's your average day like?
4. Could I e-mail you privately?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I've been a paralegal for about 5 years now and i enjoy it. I love law and helping to build a case. You would do anything from request records ie. medical record, court file, etc. to research case law. manage file. trial preparation. You pretty much do everything a lawyer does except actually trial a case in court. It also depends where you work. the are some law firm that all you do is file papers and photocopy and your title is a paralegal.



It also depends whether your in the public sector or private. Public is working with the city and city agencies. it has it pro and cons. Private are more privately owned law firm. Some law firms you would practically live there. there tremendous overtime and your pretty much their slave. but it pays very well. You can get attorney salary. so it would all depend.



What i hate about it is sometimes you get stuck with attorney that are really rude and snobby who think that their S**T don't stink!



you can feel free to contact me.



Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Warning! Jobs in the field of Law are drying up FAST!! This is not a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING vocational field. Many reasons. THE main reason?......We simply have WAY TOO MANY Legal Professionals - we have an absolute GLUT!! ("Legal Professionals" includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc) Regarding being a Paralegal: Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law want employees with BACHELORS degrees. Those "certificates" you sometimes see advertised aren't worth the paper they are printed on - they are generally scams. Even IF you finish law school, you won't be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking, many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work "down" as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of THEIR bills paid that the job market/economy is SATURATED with WAY TOO MANY Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will LIE to you. AND these schools continue to recruit and churn out even MORE Legal Professionals............. If you don't believe me, then just do a SEARCH here on Yahoo Answers to see what other posters are saying about the current status of the field of Law. In the book "So You Want to be a Lawyer? by Marianne Calabrese and susanne Calabrese (ISBN 0-88391-136-1): "The United States has more lawyers than any other country in the world. About 38,000 students graduate EACH YEAR from 200 law schools in the United States. The competition is very keen for jobs and clients." If you want a JOB when you are done with your studies, consider and look into the field of HEALTHCARE!

Answer 3

I have been a paralegal for what seems like a gazillion years (20+) and will also be attending law school this year.



What you do depends on what kind of firm or practice you work for. I work for a top real estate and landlord and tenant practice, which I enjoy very much.



My days alternate between doing all the work involved in preparing for and doing loan and title closings for commercial and residental real estate transactions in NY and NJ. I do everything from contract preparation, clearing of title issues, dealing with the buyers/sellers/realtors, preparing settlement statements, attending the closing along with all post-closing follow-up. Some transactions are simple and standard and others are quite complex and involved. For every 10 hours I spend on a file, an attorney spends less than 5 minutes reviewing the transaction. I have been doing this for so long and do it so well that my work is barely supervised at all. Clients like me because I know what I am doing and I really fight for them and protect their interests. I am also very honest and up-front with them, and we get a lot of repeat business.



I also put in quite a few hours on landlord & tenant matters, and that involves case and statute research, drafting notices and complaints, lease review, rent control matters, evictions, lots and lots of correspondence, etc.



I have been accepted to and will be attending law school in the fall because I want to have my own practice where I do what I do now, only get paid more, lol.



You can e-mail me, no problem.

Answer 4

I've heard that most paralegals need to have earned a bachelor's degree from college. I find the field of law very interesting as well but am unable to go to school right now and some say that it can be very fast-paced and stressful.



For general career information: US Occupational Outlook Handbook www.bls.gov/oco and can type into search 'paralegal' or 'legal assistant'.

Answer 5

I am a paralegal with a big law firm dealing with international litigation and insurance. I used to work for a small immigration firm as well. Both experiences are extremely different.

My job now consists less of dealing with clients, and more with organization, research, and filing cases as well as travel and document reviews. Although I do like the variety of work, sometimes it does get very boring. I have a fairly easy 9-5 work week. But that is also someting that varies from firm to firm. Feel free to shoot me a message for more info.