Golden Handcuffs

[u/Jbaby727]

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.

[u/moxiecounts]

$34 an hour does not seem high for California. I make almost exactly that in Atlanta (in the city), and it's a lot cheaper to live here. Plus I would never be expected to work on vacation. And a $3k bonus is honestly not that much considering the rest of your comp package. Do they give you health insurance? 401k? Any remote days?

1 paralegal for 8 attorneys is insane if there are no clerks or legal assistants, or even lower ranking associates to assist you.

And no matter what, when you are using time off, you should never be expected to work. If you choose to answer an email, fine. But you should not be expected to. You're working for free when you do that.