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Paralegals.......

EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
edited July 2011 in All Encompassing Trip
I'm thinking of trying to go for this..is anyone here a paralegal, or know anyone who is? Do they enjoy it? I'm just trying to get some practical input before I invest the time. Thanks. :)
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • PureandEasyPureandEasy Posts: 5,799
    Did some work for attorneys when I worked with the Federal Government. They are a strange breed. The work can be very interesting depending on the type of practice.

    As a paralegal, I would assume you would be doing a lot of research and stuff, so it depends on if this is your idea of interesting. :D
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    PureandEasy wrote:
    Did some work for attorneys when I worked with the Federal Government. They are a strange breed. The work can be very interesting depending on the type of practice.

    As a paralegal, I would assume you would be doing a lot of research and stuff, so it depends on if this is your idea of interesting. :D
    Thanks. Yes, I've learned that they write alot of briefs and do alot of the 'investigative' work for the attorney; just trying to find out what it might be like on a daily basis in practice. And, exactly...like you say, it would largely depend on the type of law. Is there alot of field work? I read somewhere that they do not actually interact much with the clients, but then I saw an interview the other day on TV with somebody who had his 'paralegal' with him guiding him on his answers to questions.
  • bluesuedeitzradbluesuedeitzrad Posts: 430
    My wife is a paralegal. She has described her job as the nurse of the law industry.
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    bluesuedeitzrad wrote:
    My wife is a paralegal. She has described her job as the nurse of the law industry.
    Is that good or bad? :lol: Does she enjoy it?
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    Also, the program I've been looking at requests a head shot. :?
  • iluvcatsiluvcats Posts: 5,153
    do you like doing most of the work, writing the letter, but the attorney signs their name?
    I know what it is like :)
    9/98, 9/00 - DC, 4/03 - Pitt., 7/03 - Bristow, 10/04 - Reading, 10/05 - Philly, 5/06 - DC, 6/06 - Pitt., 6/08 - Va Beach, 6/08 - DC, 5/10 - Bristow, 10/13 B'more
    8/08 - Ed solo in DC, 6/09 Ed in B'more,
    10/10 - Brad in B'more
  • stickfig13stickfig13 Posts: 1,532
    I currently work with Intellectual Property (Patents and Trademarks) and if you know your stuff you can become very valuable to a firm or company. However, unless the company requires you to get a certification you can learn just as much actually getting your feet wet.

    Good luck!
    Sacramento 10-30-00, Bridge School 10-20 and 10-21-01, Bridge School 10-25 and 10-26-01, Irvine 06-02-03, Irvine 06-03-03, San Diego 06-05-03, San Diego 07-07-06, Los Angeles 07-09-06, Santa Barbara 07-13-06, London UK 06-18-07, San Diego 10-9-09, San Diego 2013, LA 1 2013
  • ShimmyMommyShimmyMommy Posts: 7,505
    EmBleve wrote:
    Also, the program I've been looking at requests a head shot. :?

    this matters probably because you will "represent" the firm, it's for the company image.

    Ride that wave!! See where it takes you!! ;)
    Lots of love, light and hugs to you all!
  • peacegirlpeacegirl Posts: 835
    iluvcats wrote:
    do you like doing most of the work, writing the letter, but the attorney signs their name?
    I know what it is like :)

    :lol: That just about sums it up

    I work in a pretty laid back office and all the attorneys are pretty great. But I'm not a paraglegal for or work under any one attorney. I work in our real estate department so I handle files for all of them. But because of the nature of the real estate work our department is pretty much run by ourselves...we are the ones dealing with the client, etc. and doing the work...most of the time the attorney knows nothing about the file until they see the settlement is scheduled on their calendar...other times there are problems and the attorney has to get involved...overall it's not bad...I find the work easy most of the time and it pays fairly well
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    Thanks, guys. And bluesuedeitzrad, I think I'm getting a better understanding of what your wife means. :)
  • chadwickchadwick Posts: 21,157
    i have a friend who worked for lawyers, i believe this was her title. she worked none stop forever and got taken advantage of to my notion. it's like the attorney did nothing but sign shit and go to courthouses.

    i dislike lawyers and the like...
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • NoCode416NoCode416 Posts: 416
    EmBleve wrote:
    Also, the program I've been looking at requests a head shot. :?


    this is really strange. i went to law school in north carolina... may i ask which part of the state the program you are looking at is located?

    and it is true that a paralegal often ends up doing a significant amount of work that the attorney essentially ends up "signing off" on, but if you are good you will become invaluable over time and will likely be paid accordingly.

    incidentally, if you are open to working in any legal field, Intellectual Property would be a good route to take...

    good luck.
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    NoCode416 wrote:
    EmBleve wrote:
    Also, the program I've been looking at requests a head shot. :?


    this is really strange. i went to law school in north carolina... may i ask which part of the state the program you are looking at is located?

    and it is true that a paralegal often ends up doing a significant amount of work that the attorney essentially ends up "signing off" on, but if you are good you will become invaluable over time and will likely be paid accordingly.

    incidentally, if you are open to working in any legal field, Intellectual Property would be a good route to take...

    good luck.
    Thanks you. :) The program is in Raleigh, at Meredith. It is an ABA-approved certification program. Where did you go to law school? I was interested in civil litigation; what type of law do you practice?
  • NoCode416NoCode416 Posts: 416
    EmBleve wrote:
    NoCode416 wrote:
    EmBleve wrote:
    Also, the program I've been looking at requests a head shot. :?


    this is really strange. i went to law school in north carolina... may i ask which part of the state the program you are looking at is located?

    and it is true that a paralegal often ends up doing a significant amount of work that the attorney essentially ends up "signing off" on, but if you are good you will become invaluable over time and will likely be paid accordingly.

    incidentally, if you are open to working in any legal field, Intellectual Property would be a good route to take...

    good luck.
    Thanks you. :) The program is in Raleigh, at Meredith. It is an ABA-approved certification program. Where did you go to law school? I was interested in civil litigation; what type of law do you practice?

    i went to wake forest in winston-salem... ABA-approved is certainly a good thing, and being that you're in the research triangle area, i would very much encourage you to look into the intellectual property (IP) field, which generally includes patents [inventions], trademarks [brand names and logos], copyrights [words, artwork, etc.], and trade secrets [coca cola formula]. honestly, the most important thing is working with attorneys that you like... the main reason i am suggesting the IP field is because you would be "specialized," which is very helpful, especially in today's job market.

    i am an IP attorney (if it wasn't already obvious)... mainly focus on patent prosecution. another good thing about intellectual property is that people who blanketly hate on attorneys and the like are usually not referring to the intellectual property field ;)
  • iluvcatsiluvcats Posts: 5,153
    I know hated IP attorneys :) lol...it's not me, I don't hate. People who misunderstand them are haters. Or they are not cooperative to the IP attorneys.
    9/98, 9/00 - DC, 4/03 - Pitt., 7/03 - Bristow, 10/04 - Reading, 10/05 - Philly, 5/06 - DC, 6/06 - Pitt., 6/08 - Va Beach, 6/08 - DC, 5/10 - Bristow, 10/13 B'more
    8/08 - Ed solo in DC, 6/09 Ed in B'more,
    10/10 - Brad in B'more
  • NoCode416NoCode416 Posts: 416
    iluvcats wrote:
    I know hated IP attorneys :) lol...it's not me, I don't hate. People who misunderstand them are haters. Or they are not cooperative to the IP attorneys.

    haha, well, i did say "usually" :)
  • JeanwahJeanwah Posts: 6,363
    I'm going back to school in September for paralegal studies. After a fair amount of research (which I LOVE) and soul searching, I think I'm finally on my right path. But we'll see....

    What I want to know if the field typically runs much longer than a 40/hr. week, because my days of being burned out with stress from working 50+ hour weeks are definitely over. My body can't do that again.

    Good luck embleve!
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    Jeanwah wrote:
    I'm going back to school in September for paralegal studies. After a fair amount of research (which I LOVE) and soul searching, I think I'm finally on my right path. But we'll see....

    What I want to know if the field typically runs much longer than a 40/hr. week, because my days of being burned out with stress from working 50+ hour weeks are definitely over. My body can't do that again.

    Good luck embleve!
    aw, good luck to you, too!! Yes, that is a good question about the 40 hrs/week. How long do you have to go for that?
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    NoCode416 wrote:
    i went to wake forest in winston-salem... ABA-approved is certainly a good thing, and being that you're in the research triangle area, i would very much encourage you to look into the intellectual property (IP) field, which generally includes patents [inventions], trademarks [brand names and logos], copyrights [words, artwork, etc.], and trade secrets [coca cola formula]. honestly, the most important thing is working with attorneys that you like... the main reason i am suggesting the IP field is because you would be "specialized," which is very helpful, especially in today's job market.

    i am an IP attorney (if it wasn't already obvious)... mainly focus on patent prosecution. another good thing about intellectual property is that people who blanketly hate on attorneys and the like are usually not referring to the intellectual property field ;)
    Wake Forest. woohoo! :) There are three concentrations of which I would have to pick one. They are Business Organizations, Real Estate, and Civil Litigation. So, with intellectual property, do you protect them as well as investigate violations/infringements? I have an MA in forensic psychology, so I am not a very business-minded person, ie real estate or business, so this is why I lean heavily toward the civil litigation. I assume IP would fall under business organizations? I don't know, but I'm scared I would be bored with IP. :? No offense!! :D
  • NoCode416NoCode416 Posts: 416
    EmBleve wrote:
    NoCode416 wrote:
    i went to wake forest in winston-salem... ABA-approved is certainly a good thing, and being that you're in the research triangle area, i would very much encourage you to look into the intellectual property (IP) field, which generally includes patents [inventions], trademarks [brand names and logos], copyrights [words, artwork, etc.], and trade secrets [coca cola formula]. honestly, the most important thing is working with attorneys that you like... the main reason i am suggesting the IP field is because you would be "specialized," which is very helpful, especially in today's job market.

    i am an IP attorney (if it wasn't already obvious)... mainly focus on patent prosecution. another good thing about intellectual property is that people who blanketly hate on attorneys and the like are usually not referring to the intellectual property field ;)
    Wake Forest. woohoo! :) There are three concentrations of which I would have to pick one. They are Business Organizations, Real Estate, and Civil Litigation. So, with intellectual property, do you protect them as well as investigate violations/infringements? I have an MA in forensic psychology, so I am not a very business-minded person, ie real estate or business, so this is why I lean heavily toward the civil litigation. I assume IP would fall under business organizations? I don't know, but I'm scared I would be bored with IP. :? No offense!! :D

    i would tend to think that Biz Orgs would be the umbrella concentration for IP, however, patent infringement lawsuits are civil suits, so they would fall under the civil litigation concentration... the firm i work for only protects intellectual property (we would basically outsource any litigation matters)... but IP litigation is huge... big $$$ potential there.

    i think you should do the civil litigation concentration because you seem to be most interested in it... but just remember that litigation means courtrooms and/or settlements, so things will be sporadic at the firm (sometimes you'll be bored out of your mind with nothing to do; sometimes you'll get 30 hours of sleep over an entire week)...

    as for hours per week, the general idea is that big law firm = big hours ... and ... boutique law firm = 40 hours per week.

    and yeah, i can understand someone thinking they'd be bored with IP!
  • EmBleveEmBleve Posts: 3,019
    Thanks NoCode416. Your information and input is quite valuable!
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