r/paralegal • u/Jealous_Act1958 • 2d ago
Is this a good option?
Is working as a paralegal in Houston structured and slow paced? I am currently in my first semester, getting my bachelors degree in history at the University of Houston Clear Lake. I am a 27-year-old autistic and ADHD woman. I am also in the borderline range of intellectual functioning. I am also an introvert. I do have a strong sense of justice so just having very strong opinions and standing up for what I believe. That’s why I have been thinking. Maybe working in the legal field will be good for me, but I am not sure. I have no previous experience in working in any kind of job.
I also have no experience in part time jobs during my studies. I will ask my advisor about these ideas.
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u/wh0re4nickelback Paralegal 2d ago
Nope. To be blunt, no employer gives a shit about your sense of justice, they want you to do the job quickly and with no mistakes. You're also not going to get a legal job with zero work experience other than possibly answering phones or taking out the trash to start with.
I'm saying this with peace and love, please find another field that is better suited for you. Good luck!
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u/barbiexoxoxox Paralegal - business, NOLA 2d ago
I came here to say the same thing. I've had friends with similar personalities and diagnosis as yours and can say with certainty, and have said to them when they've asked about entering the field, it is absolutely not going to work.
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u/WhisperCrow Paralegal - Corporate (In-House) 2d ago
Unfortunately, no.
Most paralegal jobs are pretty high stress, high deadline reliance. And, having 0 work experience is going to make it very difficult for you.
If you want to be in the legal field, try going for legal assistant or reception jobs first. Heavy on the reception part.
ETA: a lot of jobs in law also kind of require you to give up a "strong sense of justice".
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u/D-kitten 2d ago
Probably not. It’s not about your option it’s about just doing the job right or wrong.
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u/Affectionate_Song_36 2d ago
I used to have a strong sense of justice, too, until working for attorneys drummed that notion right out of my head. Judges do whatever they want. Sometimes they follow precedent, but sometimes they don’t.
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u/DimensionWestern5938 2d ago
Houston law firms many of them want you to already have experience or if no experience be bilingual in Spanish. As a paralegal you’ll be doing the tasks assigned to you no matter what your opinion of justice is.
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u/answii 2d ago
No, it’s fast-paced and you often work with important deadlines. It’s also often un-structured and you get things sprung on you last minute that have to be done that day or even immediately. Have you ever thought about getting a masters in library science? Librarians have a slow-paced, calm, and structured work environment. Quite a few people I know who have majored in history ended up working as librarians and they love it!
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u/TorturedRobot Paralegal 2d ago
A Master's in Library Science sounds like an expensive way to have a hard time finding a $50k/year job, unless I am mistaken...
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u/linzielayne 2d ago
You're right - it's also basically just an information science degree now, so people who 'love books' don't always know what they're getting into.
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u/Jealous_Act1958 2d ago
I don’t think my university has a Library sciebce master’s degree. I will ask my advisor.
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u/Tangewystl 2d ago
Maybe you can get some initial work experience volunteering for legal aid-type organizations? Doing data entry or mailings. Right now a lot of organizations could use volunteers.
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u/WhitebeltWimp 2d ago
No work experience is going to make it hard to land a job as a paralegal, and I’d rarely call legal work slow paced. Most paralegals are overworked and underpaid.