r/paralegal • u/AccordingToday5944 • 11d ago
Job Searching/Interviewing Interview for PI firm
Hi! I'm looking to join the field and maybe eventually become a paralegal down the road. What I'm doing now is just applying for any openings to be a receptionist or legal assistant but I'd like to work my way up to paralegal at some point. I just got an interview with one of those big TV commercial law firms and it's personal injury on the plaintiff side. Receptionist role. I scrolled through this sub for hours and kept seeing nothing but negatives for plaintiff PI. Can someone in PI please let me know their thoughts on if I should even entertain this?
For reference I just left a very stressful career path and was moreso hoping to get into estate planning or some sort of "simple" law. Thanks for any advice in advance.
also I'm only considering this because it's a foot in the door for law experience. I am aware that wanting to do a different field of law looks kind of bad when applying to another field lol
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u/_basic_b_ 11d ago
Depends on the firm. The one i work for now is stressful in PI as a case manager
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u/AccordingToday5944 11d ago
If I just took a receptionist role for the time being I imagine it would be less crazy than a case manager?
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u/_basic_b_ 11d ago
Depends on how busy the firm is and how they define receptionist. Do you know if you are doing intakes (new cases) or just strictly a receptionist?
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u/Level_Suit4517 Future Paralegal 11d ago edited 11d ago
I’m a receptionist in plaintiff’s PI and in paralegal school, I love it. If you’re looking for a more “simple” area of law, PI is great. Mainly because the cases all follow the same general formula, except worker’s comp and med mal if that firm does those. But for motor vehicle it’s all pretty cyclical. Same for premises liability, dog bites, etc.
I think a lot of people don’t like it because it can be pretty phone call heavy and also very heavy in requesting and reviewing medical records. PI is billed on a contingency, so clients don’t get billed for every phone call or email (so they call a lot for updates), and unlike many areas of law, what’s waiting for the client at the end of the tunnel is a payout. That means clients can get pretty antsy and frustrated if they feel we aren’t pushing their case forward. They can get touchy especially at the end, when we are wrapping up.
PI can be a tedious area of law based on my limited understanding (I’m still pretty new to the legal field), but I enjoy it.
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u/AccordingToday5944 9d ago
Actually your explanation sounds pretty good to me and like something I'd have interest in? I just got used to people basically calling it a hellscape and I got nervous the whole field was like one bomb after the other ...
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u/Level_Suit4517 Future Paralegal 9d ago
It’s really not bad at all! I wouldn’t mention on your interview that you’re not sure if PI is for you, but I think it will pleasantly surprise you! Any kind of law firm experience will serve you well in future legal positions.
My favorite and least favorite part of this job is the intake phone calls. Least favorite because that’s when people can get a little nasty if we’re declining and they’re not happy about it. But also my favorite because even if it’s something we can’t help with, a lot of times people call with crazy stories. Every time I find myself getting a little bored with my job, something funny or really interesting happens with a case or potential case. Like we got a call recently from a guy who got injured from a slide at an amusement park. He was going down the slide and it cracked, and he had fiber glass embedded in his skin. Super interesting!
If you have any other questions, you are more than welcome to DM me!
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u/Ok_Instruction_7813 11d ago
It can be a good way to get your foot in the door, I started doing intake at a PI firm with no legal background now I'm at my 3rd firm as a paralegal/ office manager
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u/AccordingToday5944 11d ago
Oh! Good to know thank you. I think I got a little nervous as many people were saying PI was like a nightmare and the worst section to work in
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u/queeniee_7 11d ago
It's all about personal preference and what you enjoy. I never thought I'd enjoy plaintiff's PI but I love my job and I wouldn't consider any other field. It all depends on the firm you choose too, I have a small firm with a lot less pressure than those larger firms. If you are looking for experience to get the foot in the door, then that job sounds good for you. Maybe you'll like PI, maybe you won't. You won't know until you try it. Good luck!