Since I was young, I wanted to get involved in law. At first, I just wanted to be a paralegal. I wanted to do the research but not the arguing. That is what I thought at the time. Well, turns out young lawyers do the “research”, seasoned lawyers do the “arguing” and paralegals do a little of each plus drafting, docketing, court and client communication, and in general, schmoozing everyone when your boss has upset them. I started working in the legal field when I was 18 as a part-time legal assistant. Then I became a full-time legal assistant, and eventually I became a paralegal. Somewhere along the way (probably in my early 20s) I decided I would, in fact, like to be an attorney. When I was in my last 2 quarters for my bachelors, I studied, took the LSAT, and applied for law school. Let me tell you that the amount of time, energy and money it required to do that while I was working full-time and going to school full-time made for a rough 6 months. In the end, I was not accepted into any of the 5 schools I applied to. It was devastating. But I got a full-time job at a Construction Firm downtown and I just started working.
I will say that something very unique to the position that I am in is that I am intimately involved in the every process that an attorney does here at this firm. I work for a “seasoned” attorney who is stuck in his ways and will not under any circumstances attempt to learn how to use a computer. He won’t even allow one in his office. So I am involved in everything. I do almost all the research he needs, I type the drafts of all legal documents (or find out how to draft them myself), I even type out all his emails to counsel and clients. While some (most) have found my unique position annoying, inefficient and unbearable, I find it to be an invaluable learning experience. I know the value of learning each skill set that I have developed while I have been here. And I see all the hard work I do now as work I will not find so hard in law school or in my first few years as an attorney (Lord willing).
What sparked this you ask? I received my notary stamp today. : )
Since I have had my foot in the door of the legal profession for 10 years now, I know how valuable that is. Common questions in interviews or paralegal positions include "Are you familiar with e-filing?"; "How many words do you type a minute?"; "Are you comfortable with the Microsoft Office Suite?"; "Do you have any experience with Dictation/Transcription?"; Are you familiar with Westlaw?" and "Are you a notary?" Thanks to my time here at this firm, I am all of the above!!! The legal world is my oyster. : ) Just kidding. But these are my reflections. They are also the reasons I am not running for the door as most paralegals in my particular position have done after about a year.
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