BiAxident Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I'm beginning a paralegal certification program in a few months and am wondering if there are any people employed in the legal professional on this site? Looking to pick the brain of someone who's already doing what I am considering doing for the rest of my life. Link to post Share on other sites
Touche Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 What do you want to know? I'm married to a lawyer (and work for him) but I'd imagine that the types of questions you'd ask another paralegal would differ from those you'd ask a lawyer, no? Link to post Share on other sites
Author BiAxident Posted June 1, 2008 Author Share Posted June 1, 2008 For my program I need to pick two areas of concentration. So, I'm wondering if particular areas of law are more in demand than others. I'm thinking I'll study bankruptcy law, as I imagine that will be applicable, and constitutional law, as that will be interesting. Also, I'm pondering going to law school as well, but I figure working as a paralegal will give me a good glimpse into what being a lawyer entails. How many hours a week do you and your hubby put in? Link to post Share on other sites
Gordon's Right Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 If I were to be a lawyer, I'd want to work for myself. Link to post Share on other sites
Prodigal Princess Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I'm a lawyer. Working as a paralegal is an excellent way to find out what kind of law you eventually want to practice. Studying law and practising it are two completely different things. For example, I loved studying litigation at law school, but absolutely hated working in the court system. I am now corporate lawyer and relish every moment, though I only found out how well suited I was to this area when I worked here as a graduate rotatee in my law firm (the next step after paralegaling). My advice would be to choose subjects that you are genuinly interested in, not subjects you think might be "in demand". There will always be a demand for good lawyers in any field. And you are guaranteed to excel if you study an area that you are passionate about. Link to post Share on other sites
Prodigal Princess Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 If I were to be a lawyer' date=' I'd want to work for myself.[/quote'] This would only be a viable option after obtaining at least 5 years experience in a reputable firm and netting sufficient contacts. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I'm an attorney who's worked with and directly supervised many paralegals. Questions you'd ask a paralegal are indeed very different from those you'd ask a practicing attorney. The positions are like night and day. As far as practice areas, as a paralegal you won't actually be engaged in the practice of law, or even really dealing with a deep analysis of the facts to the law. To be blunt, a paralegal is in many ways a glorified, much better paid legal secretary.*** You'll spend most of your days summarizing various documents (depositions, medical records, financial records) for the attorney's ease in review/reference, gathering/compiling information from the client(s)/opposing party, and preparing standard discovery requests/responses. You really won't have very much independent judgment - everything you do will be at the direction of an attorney. As a result, studying the more substantive parts of law, while very interesting (such as ConLaw - my favorite course in law school), won't do you much good once you get out of school. As such, I'd advise focusing on courses that have much more practical, procedural application in the real world, such as bankruptcy law, or even tax law. Within the legal industry, I can tell you that litigation and employment law are recession proof. There is NEVER a shortage of work. Litigation skills are also transferable into EVERY area of law. With the job market the way it is, you need to have the skills and experience the majority of firms/practitioners are looking for in a paralegal. (Actually, a paralegal without litigation experience/knowledge probably isn't really a paralegal at all...) ***I don't say this to sound insulting, I'm just being honest. And I have said a 1,000 times that if I knew what I know now about the practice of law (about the cost of a law degree, the billable hours, the learning curve, the sucky work/life balance, etc., not just in THEORY but in actual application), I probably would have chosen to be a paralegal...as I still would have been involved in the legal profession, but without the great majority of the responsibility and drama. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 This would only be a viable option after obtaining at least 5 years experience in a reputable firm and netting sufficient contacts. That's not necessarily true. 8% of my graduating class went solo right out of law school, and they all have thriving practices. The key is having sufficient capital to open the doors... Link to post Share on other sites
Prodigal Princess Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Star, I think our answers are so different because the jurisdictions we each practice in (US/Commonwealth) are disparate in a lot of ways. BiAxident, where are you from? Link to post Share on other sites
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