Paralegal career choice: pros/cons?

I worked as a paralegal for a while.
At the low end, you are basically sitting in a small room reviewing tons of documents (contracts, emails, file attachments, images, etc) and adding details about each one to a database.

It’s pretty easy work if you are attentive to details and don’t mind typing for hours on end.

I got tired of typing for hours on end so that was the extent of my experience, but I know that some people work as a paralegal for 40 years. Obviously, there are many different activities that would be peripheral to the legal process and I’m sure there are a variety of opportunities if you stick around the system.

I also worked as a paralegal for awhile. I worked for a title company, doing real estate title examinations. I worked in two states, under the “supervision” of an attorney, and did the same work as attorneys often did. When we closed on our house, the entire closing was handled by paralegals. In our company, paralegals work on regulatory and compliance related issues.

I think there are a lot of different options and specialties, depending on the type of firm that you’re with.

I also worked as a paralegal. You can and often do everything for the attorney except represent a client in court. The more your boss trusts you, the more you will be asked to do. The secretaries did most of the typing. I did research, interviewed clients, accompanied my boss and kept him organized in court, etc. You sometimes feel like you do all of the work and get none of the glory. The hours can go way over forty hours a week when there is a big trial. You sometimes feel like you are on a short leash held by your boss even when you are off . They feel like they can call you even if they lose their pen.

A good paralegal becomes an invaluable source of information and organization for her boss attorney.

I loved it when I was single. I gave my job all of me. When I had my daughter, I decided she needed all of my attention. Working for her is the best job I ever had.