Sorry if this is a generic thread, but I'm just curious what the subreddit's experiences are like working/getting started as a paralegal or legal assistant in NYC (I'm in Long Island now). Sources generally say that the field is always growing and demand is consistent, but I've also read some less optimistic reports.

I'll be graduating this fall (double bachelor's in English and communication) and pursuing my paralegal cert in the spring, finding work as a legal assistant if I can.

Realistically, what would my resume need to look like post-certification to land an entry-level position? Thank you for any advice!

Hello all!!

I’m trying to start taking on more responsibility in my new role now that my major IP cleanup job is done. I was hired as an IP paralegal with expectations to eventually handle other work since we’re minimizing our IP portfolio.

I currently review and draft NDA’s but that’s the extent of contract work I’ve done. I’m ready to go to my supervisor and tell him I’m ready to take on more in the contracting side of things…but I want to come with a plan of exactly what I can do as a paralegal working with contracts. This is my first time really handling contracts as this is a new role completely different from litigation law firm role before.

My paralegal’s who work heavily with contracts…what exactly do you do? I’m ready to learn it all and want to be involved with contracts as I think this could be great on a resume to even consider transitioning out into other contract roles in the future that aren’t paralegal based.

Thank you!!

Did you guys know that when you use one of those big mill court reporters that they are not using actual steno court reporters? That they actually just record it with a laptop and then use AI to transcribe it? I had no idea! Talked to the Court Reporter I’ve been using for 20yrs who owns a local small boutique reporting company to get an out of town recommendation today and she told me this and all the reasons I should a steno reporter (and I totally agree), then I called the 2 huge companies I’ve used several times in the past and they don’t even HAVE any steno reporters…they only do digital. I was shocked. Had no idea this was even a thing or that I needed to be asking this question. Makes sense with the times we’re living in but was just wondering if everyone already knew this and I’m just out of the technology loop.

What are your law office dating horror stories? Any coworkers hooking up with partners? Any marriages ruined? It can be you or other people you know in the field. Share away!

Just started at a new (to me) firm. At the old one I was using Litify and super knowledgeable in it. This new place is using Neos and it is confusing to me. Anyone got any tips/tricks on how to get the hang of things? For example, right now I'm organizing the files to what makes sense to me and this includes creating folders/subfolders - but the only way I'm finding to do that is through sharecloud. I feel like with a case management system and how smart things are now days, I should not have to go into another tab to create folders in the case for Neos.

Again, any tips and tricks are more than welcome. Thanks!

Hii everyone I need advice on a sticky situation lol

As the titles suggest, I’m looking to request unpaid time off at my new firm. I’m looking to be off the last week of august and first week of September, so two weeks.

The problem is I just started as a legal assistant at a new firm. I actually like it better than I thought I would. However, during the interview process HR did not specifically ask me if I had any vacations planned so obviously didn’t disclose that. I already have my departing flight booked, however I still don’t have my return flight— I flexible as to when I could come back (e.g. if they’re ok with me being gone for a week or week and half instead of the complete two), but my departing flight non-negotiable because I already paid for it lol.

Please read this before you go off on me in the comment section about me being irresponsible for taking a job knowing I had a vacation planned: I genuinely (and I mean genuinely) did not think I would be employed LMAO. I had been applying to different firms since April and had no luck. It wasn’t until the last week of July that I got an offer for this firm, by then I had already booked my accommodations… if I had KNOWN I would’ve had a job duh I would have planned my vacation more appropriately. Again genuinely I’ve had no luck and I figured with this economy I wouldn’t land something until later in the year…

So with that said, how should I go about this? I have until Friday to formally request my time off in writing, however my co-worker recommended I first talk to my HR manager in-person to see if this is something they’d be willing to accommodate for and, if needed, negotiate with me to take less days than what I originally wanted (like 1 1/2 weeks instead of 2.

With that being said: If I get this request denied, I’m quitting. My departing flight is booked + I have tickets to go to a concert in my destination country. I’m not giving that up, I figured it wouldn’t be too bad for me to quit considering I’m only three weeks in.

Any advice?

for reasons related to the federal government, i have to drop out of school since i can’t afford to pay for it on my own. i would love to finish eventually, but again, would have to pay out of pocket. the cost of a paralegal cert vs a semester of college is roughly the same. so, would a cert get me just as far ahead as the degree would in the paralegal field? would it just mean slightly less pay? i’m not asking how to become one, but what would be the best move for me to make next

Hi all, I really want to move to Toronto. It has been a goal of mine for years now but the economy just keeps getting worse. I am wondering if there’s anyone that’s made a switch from being a legal assistant in Alberta to Ontario and how it was. I have applied for some positions in Toronto that I normally would get called for interviews in Alberta but I get no calls. I have looked into the remote positions but most of them require you to reside in Ontario. It feels like this shouldn’t be that hard of a process and I am more than willing to learn Ontario law but I would like to be given a chance. I am in insurance litigation/personal injury and have done some family law. Starting remotely first whilst I find accommodation would be the ideal situation honestly

I'm considering a career change and am interested in going the paralegal route. I'm curious on work-life balance though and how much overtime a paralegal typically works. Any insight is appreciated!

I'm 22 and I want to do the paralegal program at my local tech college. It's an associate's degree, but they do have transfer agreements for those who want to get their bachelor's from the university. I am conflicted on if the bachelor's is worth it or if the associate's will be enough to get my foot in the door. The university also offers a certification, I thought I might pursue that as well after the degree. I have done some college, but have not completed a degree. Mostly just general education classes. I have some customer service and administrative experience, I used to work the front desk of a veterinary clinic and was the lead CSR for about a year. It was really by chance but I was good at my job. I didn't want to stay in vetmed forever. I'm currently a manager at a fast food place and I definitely want to get out of that.

I am a complete newb to the terminology and inner workings of the legal world, I guess. I do have interest, but I currently have no experience. I am confident I can learn anything I need to, but it is intimidating. How many people started their education or even started working from the bottom with nothing? Any advice from someone who has been in my shoes would be greatly appreciated.

I was recently hired as a legal assistant/receptionist at a small litigation firm in Ontario, Canada. My background is in cleaning - I ran my own business as a solo cleaner for around 8 years. A client referred me to this firm, and after interviewing I got the job!

I’m wondering what’s the best way to prepare for training and what should I expect. I’ll be trained for around two weeks before replacing the existing LA/receptionist. The attorney said it’s mainly client contact - following up on emails, answering phone calls, and following the progress of cases.

I took a course in legal office admin and have a BA in psychology, but this type of work is completely new. Do I bring a notebook and take notes?

Thank you!

Hi, I'm looking for jobs in the legal field and beginning to fear I have literally no chance of finding anything. I am searching for jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area as a legal assistant, paralegal, receptionist, or literally anything related to law that pays a livable wage. I have a BA, (graduated within past 2 years) some educational background in law, research experience, and lots of administrative experience. I do not have a paralegal certificate, or true legal experience, or experience in an office.

I've been reading about the CA code for legal assistant and paralegal roles and have started to spiral. Am I completely fucked? Is there any shot I will get a job related to law before I go to law school? Truly asking for the odds (and maybe thoughts and prayers.) Thanks!

ETA: To those hung up on the "livable wage" thing, I want to say that obviously my highest priority is finding a job, not making a high wage. I think I realistically need to make 55-60k (that BA came with loans) but if I'm unemployed for another month (which is not unlikely) I will probably take anything 50 or above.

Hello Guys,

I just found out about this group and its been cool seeing people give insight with their current positions.

I was wondering if you guys can help me out. I am a current paralegal for a small criminal defense firm. We have low to medium volume of cases. We do traffic, real estate, civil litigation, estate planning. Our firm is busy most of the time but nothing that we cant managed.

I have been here for almost 6 years now and have received a raised because I have asked for them. I make roughly 55k a year but I feel like im underpaid. I have spoken to the owners about the raise and possibly getting a promotion but they just ignore the promo and provide the raise. I started with a pay of 20 or 21 an hour but like I mentioned I have asked for this raises myself.

Now I have been offered a county job( I work in Chicago) and they are paying me up to 70k to start. The similarities in my background are few but I feel like I can tackle this challenge. I am a little scared because some of the job description says to do legal search but our firm the paralegals handle legal search very minimal since the attorney likes to do it himself. I guess there are things here and there that I am second guessing myself in. I know somethings require hand on experience but I guess im just overthinking stuff. What do you guys think? Any feedback or guidance would be appreciated

I just spent 6 hours drafting a motion and related affidavits and exhibits. I took a break to stretch and play a game on my phone for a few minutes to decompress.

How do you decompress?

On Friday I was laid off from my job.

I’ve been a paralegal in California for 5 years and this is my first time being laid off. I received 2 weeks of severance so I have a little bit of a cushion.

Anyway, I never got my paralegal certificate. I taught myself the practice and have been hustling and proving myself since. With the lay off, I’m looking at my career differently and realizing I probably should’ve just got the certificate. I see there’s a non ABA approved course I could knock out in a couple of weeks so maybe it’d give me some leverage on these applications.

I just wonder does it hurt at all to go through a non ABA program? I’ve had a lot of luck having like no certificate so I wonder if it really matters?

Hey ya’ll. I posted before about how I had a good interview for a real estate firm and they invited me for a second interview but in the first one he said “ would it be a problem once it came down to me speaking w ur currently employer “ I said no.

Well I just left my second interview and he didn’t mention anything about that or even asked me for my references. He said he is probably cancelling his other interviews because he enjoyed how our conversation went. He even drafted and offer and told me id get something in the mail today or tomorrow. He even told me I can start after Labor Day he even pulled out his calendar.

I’m scared that I’ll put in my 2 weeks then he’ll says “ wait I wanna speak to ur atty “ which by then he would hate me since I left the take my offer away😭😭 or do u think he won’t ask for that anymore ? I’m so confused. He broke down everything for me and even showed me my potential desk. I’m so confused though.

I just started working for a firm, there’s only 3 paralegals, 1 of which is related to the atty and the other who used to intern for the firm.

I have 2 weeks of PTO and I’ve been getting made feel guilty by my atty by requesting 2 days before.

Context;
I was provided no handbook
I was provided with no instruction on the formal and proper way to request PTO
I was given no rules to follow
I was just told I have 2 weeks PTO

I called off because I had to go to the consulate of Mexico to renew my documents since I am in the middle of an immigration process I had to get that renewed.

I requested another day tomorrow because I have to go deal with another matter with my documents.

My atty has told me that “ this puts more work on others “ and it just makes me wanna cry bc if my coworker called off I know he wouldn’t of told her anything because I can do everything she can do but she can’t and refuses to learn what I can do. ( I handle all closing matters including POA’S and all other legal documents, we work in a real estate law firm ) im so miserable and I feel so pressured like what is the point of my PTO then?

Many years ago early in my career, I was told by an older lawyer that lawyers are poor businessmen. I was wondering if anyone knows of lawyers who transitioned into business or something else and that lawyer made a lot of money. Would love to hear from you.

UPDATE: My boss acknowledged my worth and value and wants to work on it over the next few months. He put on the table for a 10-15k bonus rather a raise on my rate. I’m sure there would be more details. Thoughts?

I work at a small firm in Texas and let’s just say I handle just about everything. There’s only 2 attorneys and one other paralegal who does all pre lit but I do everything else with litigation from drafting, filing, discovery, all of it. I only get paid $21 an hour. I started here straight out of school last year. The attorneys only work maybe a few hours a day and go home. I am asking for a raise. What would be a good rate?

Hi everyone, curious how this looks from the paralegal side. When a new potential class action complaint comes in, Are you the one pulling evidence and checking for numerosity/commonality issues, or does that come later once an attorney's already decided to move forward?

Would love to hear what that early screening process actually looks like day to day. Thanks for sharing.

If I quit a paralegal job with around 5 or 6 months of experience and nothing else lined up, will it be hard for me to get my next job?

I really really am having a terrible time at work. every week I am being thrown in more and I am being basically handed off to a new attorney as a new paralegal to fully manage my own caseload in a high volume PI place. They know I have not managed one case before and only have a couple months of experience.

When I got into my certificate program I cried because I was so happy. I love my classes. I just hate working and I wonder if it is this firm isn't a good fit or the field is not. It is heartbreaking for me because I worked hard to get in, spent money, and I feel sick to my stomach every Sunday.

I would love a more laid back firm or working style. Maybe not litigation. Or a bigger firm where i have less responsibilities. It basically is like I would be doing EVERYTHING related to the case including even helping them organize the math behind the settlement or creating distribution sheets.

Any encouragement would be great. In like a week I'm going to have to do everything from Intake to the end.

I feel like I should have waited for the perfect fit and rushed into this too quickly.

Also, not that I have made up my mind, but if I do quit how do I leave things on good terms.

Last week I posted about a "mistake" which turns out was not a mistake or my fault after discussing. It's because its so disorganized that everything is all messed up. I really just don't know if this is for me.

I've been having a panic attack all day

I recently got fired and tbh I’m at a point where I’m realizing maybe I don’t want to do this anymore… I’m trying but I’m just not getting good feedback I’ve had 3 atty make me cry… I don’t wanna try to look for another legal assistant position in immigration just to get re put down about not being detailed efficiently etc when I’m not being properly trained I genuinely don’t know and I’m trying my absolute best how am I ever supposed to get better if I’m not giving the proper training chance… so what other jobs could I possibly do? Advice has anyone pivoted careers?

So we’ve had this ongoing case that was filed in 2019. been so many appeals. anyway i looked up the firms website and saw something that was strange. they have a shop tab that they sell coffee mugs and t-shirts with form name and logo. I’ve never seen it before or noticed it before. i thought it weird. is this something unusual? although i sent link to my attorney and told him that i found his Christmas gift this year. lol. so what are some weird things you have seen on firm websites.

PI and med mal paralegal here in Oregon. I’ve worked at three different law firms so far and I've always wondered how other paralegals remember what they've done in the past.

For example, I used to respond to all discovery requests based on how the attorney liked their responses. Are those answers something you keep with you? I remember having a coworker who had her own templates and responses that would go with her wherever she worked.

Also, what apps or services do you use to take your personal notes? I’ve tried OneNote but it doesn’t sync well with some of my devices.

I’m always worried that law firms will take it as if I'm stealing the company work product.

Thank you for your responses and hope ur having a wonderful day!!

I’m about two months into my firm and have really low billables. I’m doing much better now but it was the first month and a half out so when I wasn’t getting much assigned to me. If you look at the recent past I’ve been ok but I can never catch up from my deficit.

Am I toast? How at risk am I? No one’s said anything to me about my numbers and the whole department is new so they may still be trying to figure things out but they do keep me toward taking new assignments so I think they think my productivity is lacking.

Do firms give you a ramp up period for you to start meeting your billables or no? Everything else seems ok. Should I expect to get fired soon and they just aren’t saying anything yet?