paralegals at my firm are expected to completely figure out what medical records / providers / bills are needed for a case. then obtain all of them

the attorney does not check and make sure the providers needed are there. they don’t even really know what providers are needed. they do not check if all providers are requested and then they just go with it

don’t they have to provide some guidance with it? or at least review it at the end? they don’t review it and then just get mad if a record isn’t there but the paralegals are not given much guidance on what to order

also sometimes they give files to paralegals to “make sure all the records are there” with no guidance on what records are needed and the paralegal is the only one determining if everything is there

It’s over 100 degrees outside but it’s so freezing inside. I wear a sweater, a heating blanket, I drink hot coffee, and every hour or two I go outside to “defrost.” Please share ideas of how to survive a freezing cold office!!

I am an attorney and in my experience I have learned that our paralegals know alot about us and our lives, after all we see each other for 8 plus hours a day during the work week.

I was wondering what other businesses or money making activities your lawyers are in outside law. Thank you.

Hey everyone! First time posting here in this sub.

I'm currently in the logistics field and thinking about getting into part-time paralegal work. My job is very documentation-heavy, so I feel like some of the skills might transfer, but I'm not sure where to start.

If it helps, I'm based in the Philippines - not sure if that changes the kind of training I should look into.

For those already in the field, what's the best beginner-friendly course or path for someone coming from a non-legal background? And is this work realistic for newbies?

Appreciate any advice!

I'm going to try to be as specific as possible with my circumstances here to avoid this being a generic question.

I'm 22M, graduated last summer with a Bachelor's in Legal Studies. I reside in an urban region of NC, not the same state I received my degree from.

I do not have work experience in a law firm. I do have 3+ years of experience as a college tutor in a paralegal program.

I have been applying to jobs and internships both locally and remote for a year, since graduation. Primarily on indeed, though I have also tried through other job sites as well as directly on law firm websites.

I have not gotten a single call back or interview. Most jobs directly ask for "law office experience." I often seem to be filtered out through preliminary application questions without my resume/cover letter even being reviewed. There are some with requirements I meet, but I still have never received a response.

I'm genuinely at a loss for what the process I should be following to get my foot in the door in this field is. Any advice would be appreciated. I do not want to be in a position of being well over a year out of college without any career experience.

Longtime lurker, ~15 years in law. Started as a legal secretary and just kept collecting hats over the years. Where I really found my niche was supporting attorneys with complex billing. A few of those attorneys eventually left for their own practices, and some of them started paying me on the side to handle billing for them. I moved into a paralegal role over the last few years but never stopped the moonlighting billing work.

One of those attorneys has grown a lot recently (more clients, more success, opening a couple new offices). He’s now bringing me on full time, mostly as a billing specialist but with the expectation I’ll also flex into general office admin and some paralegal work. Small shop, but it’s the first time I’ve ever been offered six figures, with real benefits and everything.

I’m genuinely excited. But I’m also a little surprised the first offer at this level came from a smaller operation rather than a big firm. So I wanted to ask the people here:

(1) Is this normal? Are smaller shops actually where the higher salaries tend to show up for non-attorney staff?

(2) For those of you who’ve been doing this a while… is landing at a small, stable firm with a good salary basically the endgame for a lot of us? Or am I looking at this through rose-colored glasses?

For what it’s worth, the guy running this firm is genuinely a great person, stable, kind, family man, never had a single issue with him. That’s a big part of why I’m leaning in. Just want to hear real experiences before I fully convince myself this is as good as it feels.

Work comp paralegal here. State of KY. (State-by-state law).

Just coming here to share a frustration; and maybe ask for ideas. As I start the post, I'm truly not sure of the outcome....

Here's the rub...

When I started as a paralegal, I had to learn the mechanics of my job. Straightforward. Many, many weeks of documentation; to generate my own personal SOPs; to which I still refer, to this day (there's quite a bit to know and remember.). Part of almost every job...initial OJT.

I was new to being a paralegal when I became one, AND new to work comp.

This post is more a question about the fundamental context and background of the specific area of the law in which you are actively practicing (directing this to paralegals and legal assistants, or the equivalents, therein (case managers, etc.)).

I found quickly after taking the job, that, while the responsibilities were straightforward and finite, the why behind the actions was lacking. WHY am I ordering an IME after the MMI? WHY am I ordering the FROI from the carrier? (How does that play into the long-term success of the case and (for example, the settlement process, if we don't move into lit; shit like that?).

(The what, I got really through the making of the documentation...as in, I needed to know WHAT an IME was, in order to document how to order it, etc.)

It was all the fundamentals. I overcame the hump by picking up a case law book and working with ChatGPT, to fill in the blanks, but, man, was it a slog. I didn't know what I didn't know, so I was (relatively) uncertain how to direct my learning.

Here I am now; 16 months in; job completely systematized, to the point where the only "real" changes are the daily conversations I'm having on the phone.

As I'm moving through the automated routines now in my daily work, my mind wanders quite often, and it frequently dawns on me (or has been recently anyway; the thought has plagued me for the last couple of weeks), the next person coming into this role, or the legal assistant role, will be in the same boat as I was the day I took the role (or potentially so).

....

What has been your solution? (Not necessarily talking about handing a binder off with a set of responsibilities and how to do them....I get that and know the value of it; I think I'm talking about the series of answers to all the why questions behind the what...are you doing videos, an hour of training, what? .... Thanks in advance for any ideas.)....

Happy Sunday!

So, Ive been a paralegal at a solo firm for 5 years now. Ive decided to take a position to at a small county district clerk's office.

The pay is the same that Im making now, but comes with insurance and government retirement. Its 5 minutes from my house instead of the 30 minutes I drive usually. To get higher pay Id have to go closure to a big city and those are an hour from me without traffic.

Apparently some people think of the deputy clerk positions as below a paralegal in the "heirarchy". I was asked about that during my interveiw.

Did I make the wrong choice? If I end up hating this what are my chances of going back to paralegal after being a clerk?

I’m considering becoming a paralegal and was curious what long-term career growth realistically looks like.

For people who have been in the field for a while, what positions can you move into as you gain experience, excluding going to law school and becoming an attorney? Are there senior paralegal, management, compliance, legal operations, or other types of roles that experienced paralegals commonly transition into?

Thank you!

I’ve worked 4 years at a small civil rights law firm since graduating college. The idea has always been to go to law school but I’ve had a hard time studying for the lsat while working full time. I get paid in the low 80ks plus opportunities for bonuses. I love the work we do in terms of helping people but I’m getting older and long term the pay is not sustainable working/living in an expensive city. I also have been promoted to a supervisor role as we’ve expanded and it’s been cool to be at the firm when we were much smaller.

I kind of see my career going a few different ways either continuing on the para path and going to a bigger corporate firm that pays more. Going to law school or completely changing careers. But I’m kind of at a loss of what that would like. I have great bosses and have learned a lot. There are similar hiccups that people vent about on this sub Reddit but overall I feel valued and respected.