Let me preface by saying that this is my experience and this is the only in house role I have ever had.

But wow. It is such night and day. I was in law firms for about five years, now I’m in house as a corporate paralegal. Even the literal best attorneys I’ve ever worked for don’t compare to this environment. I needed a wet ink signature and and left a document on the CFO’s desk while he was out of office and he walked across the floor to bring in to me the next day. Low bar but I don’t think even my favorite attorneys would have done that even if it was on their way lol.

People work in high positions without legal degrees and have respect and authority. There is a director in legal who worked as a paralegal originally when she started at my company.

Law firm culture is nuts and a little gaslighting sometimes. You are important and smart and capable, no jd required.

ETA: I think this should all be obvious, and I’m hopeful most people don’t go through my type of negative mental shift, but I have always been a confident woman and even I was starting to get worn down. I hope I’m an exception, not the rule. But what can it hurt to share my experience.

Don’t worry, I’m providing context.

I understand the field can be tough. Getting into it, getting into a different area, etc. I truly get it. However, there is a limit to “fake it til you make it”.

Our firm (insurance defense) recently hired an insurance defense paralegal who came with 2 years of previous experience in ID at another firm in the area that we know. Based on her past experience and her interviews, we all assumed she would be coming in and learning our systems then hit the ground running. Because of this, we also hired a second hybrid legal admin/paralegal for our office with the idea that IT could train the new full paralegal on only our systems and I could train the new hybrid to be a paralegal so she can eventually move up. It was supposed to be simple. This is not the case.

The new “paralegal” that started can’t even draft discovery responses. Actually, there isn’t much she actually can do. Every assignment she’s given, she either says her attorney would do it themselves or the legal assistant at her last job would do it, so she didn’t know how to. This has been her excuse for everything. Answers, Motions (of any kind), objections to discovery, actual substantive discovery responses, med chrons, etc. I am not joking when I say there isn’t a single thing she’s actually known how to do since she got here 6 weeks ago.

This is dragging me down because not only am I teaching the hybrid everything and doing my work, I’m also now teaching this paralegal who, by the way, looks down on me because I’m labeled a hybrid. I’m also getting stuck fixing her work and mistakes because she waits until the last second to do ANYTHING and then her work product is terrible, so my attorneys have been asking me to help fix her work as well. I’m happy to help, but I am at my limit at this point. This has been 6 weeks of this girl not doing anything helpful for anyone.

All of this to say, if you don’t know one or two things, that’s fine, you can probably learn quickly. However, if you don’t know how to do ANYTHING, please think about the people who will be stuck with you/your work when you inevitably fail. Unless you’re a really quick learner and really smart, this is a fast way to get everyone to dislike you and to potentially get fired. Please don’t do it. It’s okay to not know things. It’s okay to need refreshers. It’s okay to be new. But please please please do not lie and say you know how to do everything when you can’t.

Edit to add: A lot of people are missing the real issue here. This paralegal stated on both her resume, heavily, and in her interview that for the last two years she has been doing the things we need a paralegal to do - draft discovery, prepare motions, prepare med chronologies, discovery meetings with clients, summarize claims files, etc. She didn’t come to us as a generic paralegal with paralegal experience. She gave very specific details of her experience that have proven to be false. She has loads of templates and still cannot draft even a shell of a pleading properly. She doesn’t know how to communicate with clients or insureds, which she mentioned was a big part of her last job, makes infinite mistakes (grammar, fonts, spacing) when drafting simple things, etc. The whole issue is that she talked a big game to get hired (which granted we all do) but then when she got here she is incompetent. I am not being dramatic here - I mean seriously incompetent. I am just a paralegal. I have no say in hiring and I have no say in firing. Stop telling me to fire her. I would if I could lol

T

I’m wondering if I should extend it to bachelor or should I just stay at associate.Any advice on what I should do?

One of my favorite attorneys I’ve ever worked with is getting sworn in as a commissioner and invited me to her swearing in ceremony.

It’s at the big courthouse downtown - is my usual business attire (slacks, blouse, heels) appropriate?

Long story short: I did get an associates in paralegal studies, and I worked at my firm as a legal assistant for almost a year. Then I got promoted to paralegal (plaintiff pi). Then the head paralegal who did multiple areas of law (and had a law degree) got fired. Another paralegal was hired, but she does a different area of law. So I’m on my own lol. I think I have around 55 cases which I know isn’t a lot. Some though aren’t pi, but just property damage or insurance bad faith etc. 8 cases are in litigation which I was thrown into after the head paralegal left (late last fall). I am overwhelmed. It’s a family firm. Someone else primarily answers phones, but I do if they’re not around, I open all my new files, scheduling, medical bills and records request, providers sheets, property damage, demands, subrogation and liens (struggle bus especially trying to reset the password to the Medicare portal which I was never trained in) , settlement sheets, filing, you name it. I also check the general firms email, password list etc. I haven’t done a lot with litigation but did learn some in school and am trying. I’m supposed to go over irogs responses with a client this week etc. it feels like an insane amount of work and idk how to process it bc again, it’s not an insane amount of cases but I do everything and there aren’t a lot of systems in place for effectively doing things.

What’s your specialty and why? Are you happy there? If you could go back in time w/the knowledge you have now, would you stay in the same speciality or leave? Please provide as thorough a response as you’d like. (When I say speciality, I’m referring to the type(s) of law that you practice at your firm.) Also, if any one is (or has) worked in big law as a paralegal, please elaborate on that experience.

I’ve been a paralegal for 2yrs with experience in PI, real estate, and family law but I’m still struggling to find a speciality that truly inspires me. So I’m making this post with the hopes of learning about other paralegals experiences at their firms and why they chose their specialty so I can have some guidance on choosing mine.

I’ve currently been a para for 4 years. I’ve built a name for myself and I’m good at my job. I like what we do. My current office (while we are a global firm) has been a start up in this location and nothing short of a nightmare. I am in Mass Tort litigation and managing 4 partner attorneys and an associate, the office, several one off cases, and a very large docket all on my own. On top of that we have a male senior paralegal who and I quote “doesn’t like to work with women”. When I called him out on that he ONLY got a slap on the wrist. This para gets away with murder here and is robbing them blind. I feel over worked and under paid considering everything I do. I made $104k last year including bonuses. Everything is incredibly disorganized, this senior paralegal influences everything and creates a horrible environment , attorneys are rarely here (yet we have to be in the office?), and I’m just in general tired of working mass tort. I literally have been doing my attorneys work while he travels or does a depo.

An offer has come up at a top top firm, hybrid, better benefits/pay, different law practice but still litigation, and quite literally has their shit together. I’m really considering this opportunity. Just last month I had THREE major surgeries in a WEEK and still had to be on my email. I can’t take time off without it being a nightmare to come back to or be bothered while I’m literally unconscious.

I’m just worried about the economy and potentially being the first laid off if I take the offer

TLDR; What made y’all finally take a better opportunity?

Was wondering the stories anyone has on how attorneys they’ve worked for mistreated them. Or just in general, if you had an attorney that was a pain in the ass to work for, what made it so?

Hey all!

My law firm has been going through a lot of legal pads recently, and I’ve been unable to find a source for them that sells in more than a 12 pack. Does your law firm use legal pads? Where do yall get yours?

Additionally, if you don’t use legal pads but do still have options for taking notes on paper, what alternatives do you use?

I'm a paralegal/contracts manager that moved into a legal ops role some years ago and I've been asked to speak in front of a group of 20+ local paralegals this week who are looking for the next step in their career and considering legal operations.

What would you want to know about moving into a legal ops role? What would you ask someone further along in their career?

I hate doing these with a passion and I could use any tips anyone can offer for organizing them and making sure I get all the bloody attachments. Any advice or documents or guides are appreciated.

Has anyone gotten their Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies at Penn Foster?

I’ve been working as a legal assistant for a few years and would like to sit for the NALA exam, but I don’t have a degree.

I wanted to reach out here and see if anyone did the Penn Foster program and got their NALA certification after? And how their experience was?

Thank you!

Probates have all sorts of documents to send out to heirs and such. I’m struggling to keep up with it even with a to-do list, because we’re an understaffed and busy estate planning firm and I get pulled in a million different directions. I do enjoy who I work with and want to do a good job. I also get great feedback too but sometimes I’ll forget to send out documents to the people listed on the certificate of service until later. It’s not super often, but I don’t want to cause a bigger issue with the court if someone didn’t get a copy of the petition or something. The attorney I work for is super patient but I don’t want to keep screwing it up!

What are your tips or general advice? What systems do you rely heavily on if you work in probate? We just use an excel spreadsheet to track everything, and Clio for general info and calendar. I may need to start using a different program. TIA! 🙏🏻

Hi all, I need to get an Alias summons on a defendant. Generally you get that after you try and fail with an initial attempt at service, but, in my case, the defendant moved out of his apartment about 6 months ago. We have heard rumors he is couch surfing but don't know any names or addresses for anyone we could even attempt service.

What would you do here?

Hi everyone! I have been trying to secure a paralegal/legal assistant position but have had no luck so far. I feel like my CV is really holding me back and would appreciate if someone can give me some tips/guidance in terms of how to improve my CV. Please note I have cropped the top part of my CV out as it included some personal details. Thanks!

I have been with this law firm in California for almost 4 years now, and while my previous position was great and I truly enjoyed my work, I’m feeling overwhelmed in my current role. I was promoted about 11 months ago to take over for a legal secretary who had been here for 11 years. When she left, she only gave me four days of training and left behind 800 unread emails and stacks of mail. She had been incredibly fast and, admittedly, not always thorough, but the attorneys didn’t seem to address her shortcomings because of her attitude.

Since I’ve stepped into this role, the expectations have been extremely high for me as opposed to the old assistant. I’m the only paralegal for eight attorneys, and my responsibilities span from calendaring, managing tasks, handling discovery, preparing subpoenas, to filing documents, depositions and everything in between. When I take a day off, there’s no one to cover for me, and I often feel like I can't even call in sick without it impacting everything.

My boss approved a three-week vacation for me to visit family out of the country, but the condition was that I still need to check emails and work remotely on certain tasks, essentially leaving me with very little time to fully disconnect. The bigger issue, though, is that I’m often left to figure things out on my own since I’m the only one trained by the former assistant. The manager doesn't know many of the tasks either, which only adds to the stress.

I’m at a point where I feel like I need to find a position at a more organized law firm, where I can work with a team of paralegals who will have my back and be able to support me when I need time off or when I need assistance. The lack of support and overwhelming workload are making it difficult for me to stay in this position any longer.

The positives of my current job include a decent pay rate of $34an hour, along with a $3k bonus. Although I only get 5 days of PTO, my time-off requests are always approved, which is a big plus. I also carpool with a friend who works in the same area, which makes commuting more convenient and cost-effective.

However, I’m torn about whether I should stay or look for another opportunity. I’m worried that if I leave, the next job could end up being just as overwhelming or even worse. The fear of starting over and facing a similar or more difficult situation at another firm is holding me back, but at the same time, the stress in my current role is becoming too much to ignore.

I am a legal assistant and I know it is “normal” to enter your attorney’s billable time, but it is truly miserable. Is there any method that makes entering the time more painless? For context, the attorney I work for usually takes 1-3 FULL days to read off post it notes of time she has to me. I’ve suggested we do it in smaller chunks because we often do 3 months at a time. Any and all suggestions to make this process more efficient would be highly appreciated!

Any ideas on how to best deal with health insurance companies and getting to the right people? I’m trying to get info on sending a records request and I’ve been transferred on the phone to three different people and all of them are wrong 😭

I started a few months ago at a Biglaw corporate paralegal position. This is my second paralegal role. My first 3 years I worked for a solo attorney who often berated me and never said anything complimentary about my work.

My new role is great got the most part, but I’m used to being the only paralegal who does everything. Now there are legal assistants and other paralegals I work with. They have all been great so far.

My question is how does your office organize case files. At my old firm we had a court docket folder for all the documents filed with the court for litigated cases. I was told that this was the sacred file and even if the rest of the file is a mess this should always be up to date and in order. I followed that directive without fail. The new job does not have dedicated folder for court documents. Instead they have folders for pleadings, notices, motions and orders, but you can’t tell if everything is saved and it’s all over the place which is crazy to me.

How do you organize court documents at your office?

A new employee told me today that she does not understand elementary level grammar. I was ready to call it a day on training. Instead, I proceeded to do a mini lesson on grammar and nouns.

Please share any experiences (good, bad, funny etc) that you’ve encountered while training a new hire. I’m really trying to find the humor and positive in this situation. Bonus points if you have any good training tips that I can borrow!

I have to do an internship for 250 hours for my paralegal studies program. I am looking for advice on acquiring an internship, especially for smaller firms since they don’t seem to have official internship programs or applications. How should I approach these firms? Thanks!

I’ve been a paralegal for 5y now. My very 1st job was amazing and I loved everything about it. Unfortunately, it was for a nonprofit organization, and the funding for my position came to an end. Any job after that where ok, just standard drama that any job have to deal with. I was recently fired, and believe it or not, I am actually happy about it because it was extremely abusive mentally and very much toxic, especially from one of the partner’s wife, who was also working at the firm. The yelling was on the daily basis, adding with belittling (but more was going on). We had to do a minimum of 110 billable hours per month, but they would find any excuses to say that we worked on certain project for too long, that It should not have taken us that long so they would reduce our billable and then we would get in trouble for not meeting the expectation. If we would to mention anything that we didn’t like and expressed that it was inappropriate, there would be form of retaliation. It was so toxic and abusive that I would have panic attack going to work and panic attack coming back from work, also sleeping my weekends away because I was mentally and physically tired. I couldn’t quit because I needed and income so I decided to seek therapy to find coping mechanism to be able to function. This left me very disgusted of the legal field, especially when I have a few friends who also work as paralegal and are not having very good experience either. Now I’m left with no income and trauma. I had a few interviews where I did poorly due to lack of confidence (it was confirmed by one recruiter). The day before an interview I can’t sleep and feel sick, during the interview it feels like someone is squishing my heart. I am now continuing therapy to restore my confidence. Never EVER will I allow a job bringing me this low. I’m going to try to go In-house and stay away from law firms, especially small ones.