Profiling Paralegal Work

Posted by Laurie on July 27, 2008 in paralegal, virtual legal assistance | 2 comments

I finished my diploma program in paralegal studies about 11 years ago (in Edmonton, Alberta). I remember when I was researching the paralegal career and wondering what it would *really* be like to work as a paralegal. I would’ve enjoyed this post at LawVibe.com about how paralegals are multi-taskers back then, it’s a pretty accurate job description!

Fortunately the research I did was pretty helpful and I felt like I knew what I was getting into and that I was making a good career choice for myself. It never ceases to surprise me how many new paralegal graduates are not prepared for the real work they will perform in a law firm though. Many expect to come out of school and do intensive research and work hand-in-hand with the lawyers. It’s a rude awakening then when they are expected to do clerical work and learn the ropes from the ground up. I think that mastering the basics is essential though. I believe I am much better at my job because I know how to do so many things – my first lawyer was a wonderful trainer, he gave me tasks that were progressively more difficult and eventually trusted me completely. But he knew from experience that people need to learn all facets of the job.

If you want to be a paralegal, remember that everything you do on the job is worthwhile and necessary, whether the work is clerical in nature or not. Everything I learned on the job certainly helped me – especially now that I operate my own virtual legal assistance business!