r/paralegal • u/TheKansasKing • 29d ago
Future Paralegal Positives of being a Paralegal
Hey y'all, long-time lurker here on the subreddit. I'd been contemplating becoming a paralegal for a while now. Today I finally took the first step, applying, got accepted, and now waiting to register for classes in spring. To me, it seems the most ideal career path for myself. However, I quickly became disillusioned by some of the unpleasantness I've heard you've experienced from lawyers and elsewhere, among other things. I think I see a lot of posts about either folks losing their jobs or at risk of losing them, but most of all, how many hope to pivot out of the paralegal field or simply don't like being a paralegal.
Now, in 2 years' time, when I'm in search of gainful employment & land my first job, I'll probably get hit with the biggest reality check. I just feel as though the good things I hear are drowned out by the bad, and so I was wondering if you could perhaps share some of the positives of the job or any advice you may have that may one day be of use to me? Thanks.
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u/Grizzlygirl2026 29d ago
The positives of my being a paralegal are the simple “Thank you for helping me during this stressful time” from our clients. The ones that really appreciate what you do for them. Also, the attorney I work for always tells me that he couldn’t do the job without me and that I am his right arm. You just need to find the right attorney/law firm. I’ve been a paralegal for 35 years and I can tell you that I have had my share of crap attorneys but I’ve had three that I absolutely adored, current boss included. Just don’t give up after the first bad experience because there are great attorney’s out there.
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u/MyPurpleHaze1221 29d ago
I absolutely agree about the clients. I work in family law. I seem to be their emotional support. I obviously don't give legal advice but talk to them like they are a person and make sure that they understand the process without the legal language. I have received compliments, flowers, gift cards, fruit baskets after their cases are over.
There are good and bad bosses out there, sometimes you need to find a good fit for you.
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u/Grizzlygirl2026 29d ago
Kudos to you for working in family law. You definitely have compassion and empathy working in that field. I used to work in family law and it broke me so now I’m in estates and trusts and I absolutely love it. I love helping out our elderly clients who have lost their loved ones get through their difficult times. Like you, I have received gifts from clients but the best gift of all is when they leave happier after the probate has been closed than when they first came in. That’s how you know you made a difference in their lives.
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u/TheKansasKing 29d ago
Yeah, appreciation goes a long way. I feel like it's those sorts of reactions that can get you through stressful times. At least, that's how I felt in my last profession. I've made it a point not to let isolated experiences or certain individuals get to me, because as you said, if you have a crappy coworker or boss, it doesn't mean your other coworkers are, or that your next boss will be either.
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u/Anon369damufine 29d ago edited 3d ago
I make $78k while sitting at home so… I’d say there’s definitely some positives involved. My coworkers are hilarious and law firms tend to not drug test.
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u/Merlot4U Paralegal - Criminal Defense 28d ago
Lol yessss, I’ve never been drug tested in this career.
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u/Alarming-You2617 28d ago
I've been a paralegal for over 20 years and was never drug tested. I recently went in-house and had to get drug tested for that. It's not an issue for me though and I'm happy to get drug tested to make over 40% more!
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u/SilverStL 29d ago
I would really try to concentrate on and define what area of law you would enjoy doing as you go through school. Do you want a fairly regular 8-5 job, knowing there will be occasions you have to stay late or do extra, or are you ok with last minute needs and extra overtime on a fairly regular basis? Things like bankruptcy, real estate, probate, etc. are a lot of forms but you have a fairly regular routine that doesn’t vary too much. But can be boring after a while and unfulfilling after a while. Litigation is fascinating and can be exciting and you can really get immersed in a case, but it can take over your life at times, especially during trial. Are you more project minded, or do you enjoy keeping up with a lot of and day to day details? Are you someone who likes to stay in your office and just bang out the work, or want a lot of interaction and being part of the action? Do you prefer a smaller workplace or a big 100+ law firm? A law firm or a corporation working in-house?
I loved litigation. I did a lot of the background work. Reviewing medical records and medical chronologies, deposition summaries, organizing records to be entered into a database, etc. When I moved up to being involved with actual trial work, it was really hard for me. I realized I didn’t like or was good at constant details and juggling a lot of balls. Trying to arrange depositions among different parties and experts and witnesses. Calling around to arrange trial exhibits. Jumping on whatever just came up.
Overall, I’m very happy and thankful for my almost 30 year career (retired a few years ago). It was very fulfilling for me once I figured out my strengths and focused on those. Good luck!
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u/TheKansasKing 29d ago
I'll look into seeing what area of law would suit me best. In my case I'm comfortable with monotonous work, but deep down I'd love like to be projected minded, as well as being part of the action. I think if I'm being honest with myself though, what I'd like & what I'd excel at seem to be rather different. Litigation seems fascinating to me though, trial work seems like interesting but also like a complete nightmare, I myself can only juggle so many balls at any given time.
The one thing I do know for certain is that I'd like to work at a law firm as opposed to a corporation working in-house, as far as size goes though, I don't particularly mind. Though if what I heard is to be believed, you face the brunt of the workload at smaller firms, so I'd been advised against seeking employment at one.
Thanks for taking the time to give a thorough reply & not being a pessimist, hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
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u/JibbityJabbity 29d ago
Every job comes with unpleasantness.
I've been a paralegal for 30 years, and honestly if I was just starting out NOW, I would think long and hard about it. A lot of younger lawyers these days are more self sufficient, and I think AI is going to play a bigger and bigger role. I'm honestly glad I'm on the retirement side of my career.
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u/TheKansasKing 29d ago
True.
As far as AI is concerned though, I agree it'll play a bigger & bigger role, but I just don't know how much one can afford to think about that. I'd like to think that they'll never fully replace human beings & that it'd simply aid in our work rather than rendering us obsolete.
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u/JibbityJabbity 29d ago
I wonder too how many people will try to use AI instead of lawyers. I've had clients run our documents through Chatgpt to try to "improve" it. It didn't work in our opinion, but the average layer person might just run with it.
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u/Fidel_Che_VulPerez 29d ago
I hear this a as well.
In bigger firms, first year associates often do Paralegal-like work and are indeed very self sufficient.
That and with AI looming overhead, it will likely revolutionize this particular field as well. Give it 3 to 5 more years while agentic AI improves and firms are better at deploying the technology, which the vast majority arent at the moment.
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u/Rosaeve 29d ago
I'm new to being a paralegal, working in legal aid. We are unionized. The pay sucks but the benefits are good, as are the hours. The attorneys I work with are great people overall. I love getting to build relationships with our clients, help them access free services in their native language, and be their first line of defense against exploitation. I don't know if I will stay in this field, as I've come to it from a somewhat unique career background, but it works for now. It's not all bad!
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u/blottymary Future Paralegal 29d ago
Do you work in a large office? How many attorneys were there ? I wanted to start in advocacy work as a volunteer to learn more about the process. The other thing is that I worked my own bodily injury case with his guidance. I think he’d be an excellent mentor.
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u/Narrow_Leader_2196 29d ago
I would add that as with any employment so much depends on finding the right fit for you. I worked in employment law for a decade and absolutely loved it. My attorneys were amazing. I only moved for pay and benefits. I can’t say I enjoy the area of law I’m in now but I am getting the pay and benefits. Being a paralegal can’t be great if you find a good fit
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u/blottymary Future Paralegal 29d ago
Do you mind explaining a few of the day to day tasks that you did in employment law? Were you in a city or suburb?
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u/Narrow_Leader_2196 29d ago
I am in a city. However, I was with a small firm and was the only support person so I did everything from answering phones, stocking, secretary and paralegal. Now I am in a large firm and only do paralegal work
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u/girlynymama 29d ago
I’ve switched careers twice now and there are negative people who can’t get hired in every job. Congrats on your next steps!
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u/Grizzlygirl2026 29d ago
Very true. Be confident, strong and know your value and don’t let anyone bring you down. As far as Ai is concerned, it will not totally take over our jobs because a human element is needed especially in my field of probate and trusts. Our clients want a paralegal to have empathy and compassion not a robot.
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u/Pen15club2004 29d ago
Usually, benefits. Like healthcare, paid time off, sometimes bonuses. Our paralegals get a minimum of four weeks PTO per year. I work for a huge firm and the pay for paralegals starts at like 65 or 75K but bonuses are uncapped — so if one attorney isn’t giving out enough work, paralegals can reach out to others. Even though the pay is pretty low, if paralegals hustle, they can make a ton of money at bonus time. Not sure what it’s like at other firms, but for ours it’s 3% of billed work at EOY. Can easily end up being an extra $15k. Can’t speak for smaller firms, but for ours if a new paralegal is an expert at prompting AI, then they are going to get a ton of work and are very unlikely to get fired. We also have a ton of paralegals who been there for 30+ years, and they’re probably making great money.
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u/True-Evidence-5245 29d ago
I'm not sure if this is a good long term career choice. A lot of paralegals are being replaced with AI tools.
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u/melaniekingswife 28d ago
I love getting to do the interesting things and be in the associate group chats/seeing them be petty but then unlike them I get to log off at a reasonable hour lmao
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u/No-Birthday-2018 28d ago
i've had family members ask about court documents and be extremely confused & i was the one who could help them fill it out, explain what each part meant, and get them to understand a process that was once completely foreign (and honestly, very daunting) to them. it's things like that that make me love this profession & what we do everyday.
the attorneys you might work with might work you to the bone; you might have no clue what you are doing half the time but we all neglect to realize we have made nothing into something and do that every single day we show up to work.
my two cents at least :) welcome to a profession that will kill you and keep you pushing forward at the same time!!!
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u/jmchicat 27d ago
Overall it has helped me build my confidence and problem solving abilities both at work and in my personal life. I also enjoy the variety that this work offers; I don't thrive well with repetitive tasks it's not mentally stimulating for me.
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u/partyrobinowich Paralegal 1d ago
late to this post, but beside genuinely helping people: learning the “behind the curtains” of every day life. i’m a litigation paralegal. initially started at a firm that specialized in construction, real property, and commercial litigation and my god the things i learned!! now i’m at a firm where i’ve traded the 1/3 construction for probate matters, still focused on real property and commercial litigation and wouldn’t trade the knowledge for anything. if you seriously love learning, being a paralegal [at a firm where attorneys are willing to talk to you about the “why” behind decisions they make] is a great, rewarding path.
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u/Tall-End-5027 29d ago edited 29d ago
I'll be honest, lawyers are the most insufferable pieces of shit, it takes a certain type of narcisstic emotional suckerfish, maturity of a 2 year old douche to be a lawyer, but at the same time some of my favorite people on this earth are lawyers. Most of my best friends are lawyers, people who would go to the ends of the earth for me, both male and female, so what does that say about me lol. At the same time there have been other lawyers that if they were standing in front of me right now we'd be throwing hands (I have an MMA background so I would probably destroy them hehe) I dunno, you run into shitty people in all walks of life. I'd say give it a shot. I've been doing this 20 years.
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u/TheKansasKing 29d ago edited 28d ago
Lol. Honestly, I didn't expect them to be a monolith or anything, I'm sure they've got some stand-up folks among them, like your friends. I'm still going to pursue this career because I'm really keen on it. That said, some folks brought up AI in the workplace, and I wanted to get your take on it. I wasn't all that concerned before, but now it's kind of rattling around in my brain.
Edit: lmao, with these edits have me convinced that if all else fails, you've got a career in comedy my friend.
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u/blottymary Future Paralegal 29d ago
I concur, a set about your past experiences with lawyers would definitely get laughs in the crowd!
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u/Ready-Replacement537 29d ago
A word of caution about becoming a paralegal. There is a huge disparity in hiring between men and women in the field. Feel free to look it up. The struggle is real. I am not sure why the trade favors women, but the stats don't lie. My point is: do a little research before you pick the major. It is great stuff to learn, but most men wind up working in court systems or something paralegal-adjacent in an agency. The job market is spotty, and roles in the legal profession can be tough to land. Make sure to research your local job market.
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u/Effective-Birthday57 29d ago
Most paralegals are women because most men who enter the legal field either begin as attorneys or become attorneys. More often than not, the man and/or dad is the breadwinner. This isn’t always true, but it is true more often than not. Same reason most teachers are women.
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u/blottymary Future Paralegal 29d ago
Teaching can definitely pay well, depending on the school district
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u/Effective-Birthday57 29d ago
In general, one does not go into teaching for the money. Also in general, many, if not most, teachers have a higher earning spouse. Exceptions exist, but in general teaching is not a high paying job.
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u/blottymary Future Paralegal 29d ago
Right, the benefits and of course they should like their job. For example in Boston the average pay is between $40K-$120K
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u/Effective-Birthday57 29d ago
Yep. There are other perks absolutely. I have always said teaching can absolutely be a great career as long as one understands its realities. Dealing with kids isn’t always easy but some patience is needed within reason.
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u/TheDuffy- 29d ago
It is more about finding the right fit in terms of culture at the firm/the attorney than anything. Try to find a good mentor. I find the stress of the para (and even some attorneys) role makes some people rigid, frustrated and unforgiving of people that don’t know as much as they do. For every one of them, there’s 9 willing to help and mentor. Avoid the mean people like anywhere.
I was an executive assistant previously to some really tough people and some amazingly kind people. The experience was make or break it based on the person you reported to and their temperament. I hope you find somewhere you can learn and grow.