Paralegals

[amplify]

Here is my situation:

I am currently in marketing. Marketing sucks. The work that I enjoy related to it is the research I do on companies, and writing up call guides, pain statements, unique selling propositions, basically distilling the essence of a company's offering into documents. The rest of it is kind of a house of cards, since marketing generates such vague results, we spend half our time talking people into doing campaigns with us and the other half explaining to them why they don't see any results.

So I'm looking to change careers. My background before marketing was computers, and I use these skills every day. I wrote the application that we use to monitor calling activities, and have generally awesome all-around IT skills. I would really like to have a job where I can use this, plus my abilities in reading, writing, and research.

The job I have thought to possibly go for is Paralegal. I don't have an undergraduate degree yet, and if I went back I could get this degree fairly quickly. Also, some positions don't even require the degree so I could start applying for positions while going back to school. The other variable is that I am 37 years old but I don't know how that really affects anything.

I know there won't be a lot of money to start with, or ever really, but there is always the possibility of law school down the road.

So, El Dgenerates, are you a paralegal or a lawyer? What's it like? Are there other jobs that might use the same skills that I haven't considered? Does the actual job come anywhere near what I am assuming? I'll be getting a book this week, but anything you fine folks can tell me would be greatly appreciated.

[Dids]

My boss was an ex-paralegal/managed paralegals.

I've got a a few friends who either were or are paralegals.

We have a paralegal program that we run here.

What I've learned:

It really varies based on who you're working for. In some cases you're a valued assisstant and in some cases you're just somebody's coffee bitch.

You can do some really cool stuff (my boss worked on some big lawsuit in the telecom industry), but it's a lot of work and often thankless.

My assessment is that the likely negatives outweigh the positives.

[claudenm]

I'm a paralegal. Most days I waste away on the internet, but when there is stuff to do I get it done. Most of the stuff involves indexing documents, and/or gathering documents for attorneys. It's a really boring job, and I wish I was working elsewhere, but it pays well and I'm to broke to quit.

[amplify]

So far I am excited by the possibilities of getting coffee, being a bitch, and surfing the Internet.

[Hey_Porter]

My office is right next to the paralegal (I'm a law clerk). I agree with Dids that it definitely varies between firms, but with my firm, it doesn't seem too bad. His job is split between office work (e.g., general computer maintenance, installing programs, researching new software, maintaining the network, etc.), research of non-legal things (e.g., finding people, locating proper defendants, odd-ball facts, etc.) and production. Production involves creating exhibits, both physical and digital, preparing brief formats, editing any photos that may be included, stuff like that. Production can actually be fun, as you get to be heavily involved in the case, and what you are doing is DEFINITELY important and, for the most part recognized.

In short, it doesn't seem like a bad gig. You're a bitch, but not a "get me coffee" bitch, and you actually keep quite busy.

[mlagoo]

I worked as a paralegal for a few summers before going to law school. I worked in a smaller firm, and I think my job was infinitely more exciting than someone who filled the same position at a bigger firm. There was a lot more interaction with the attorneys in my position, and I really felt like the contribution I made had a real effect on the case and on our client's well-being (we did mostly plaintiff's employment law work; discrimination, retaliation, stuff like that).

[Boris]

For not having a college degree, paralegal is a good job. I did it for a few months when I was broke as a joke. I'll collect aluminum cans for a living before I go back to being a paralegal.

[natedogg]

I used to do a lot of temp work as a paralegal in SF. There is absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER to do this instead of just going to lawschool and becoming a lawyer. If you work as a paralegal for over a year you are making a huge mistake as you'd be half-way done with lawschool by then.

I can't emphasize this enough. If you're willing to make a living spending all day in a law office, be the lawyer.

natedogg

[Hey_Porter]

[ QUOTE ]
For not having a college degree, paralegal is a good job. I did it for a few months when I was broke as a joke. I'll collect aluminum cans for a living before I go back to being a paralegal.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't these sentences conflict?

[Boris]

HP - no.