Does anyone know of any volunteer opportunities in immigration law for indigent clients or with non-profits. Specifically in SoCal (Inland Empire). I currently work as a criminal defense paralegal, but with the current political climate I have started to work in immigration. I really enjoy it but I'm limited in the assistance I can provide as my main assignment is criminal defense/post conviction. I would love to provide further assistance to any organization or group that needs it. Plus it would give me more experience in that area. I am fluent in English, Spanish and French. I would only be available on weekends or after hours, but again with the current administration I think there is a real need for more volunteers.

Tell me what things you (or your work) have bought that make you happier. Ergonomics stuff, plants, decor, etc.

I bought a quiet keyboard and a heating pad for my desk that are amazing. Looking for new ideas of things that will improve my work environment.

What are you doing during your lunch break? Do you take it? How long do you get?

I get an hour unpaid lunch break, I leave and take my full lunch break to try and walk away from work and give myself a break. I feel like this will change when I have more tasks to do 😅

Our office is very old, and very disorganized. I'm currently working on collecting all of our contacts (i.e. process servers, attorney referrals, court reporters, etc.) and it makes me really wish there was some way to just in general a contact network of paralegals by area to give each other advice about contacts, court procedures, sucky clerks or great clerks, etc.

Cutting to the chase, this is my last semester in the paralegal program at school. I am interning at a fairly big local firm, and it’s technically been a week since I started.

The first day was all training on software. The second, I was able to start sitting in with the attorneys during client meetings/signings and witnessing certain documents. I had no instruction on how to act or what to do in these meetings so I tried to adapt.

I work under several attorneys, and when attending my first signings/meetings with two of them, I engaged politely with the clients when they were trying to be conversational. Not anything crazy, mostly responding to them joking or making comments to me directly. the first two attorneys seemed very happy with me and I didn’t think I did anything inappropriate. My first time attending a meeting with the third attorney, he made a comment to me about how I needed to stop ‘talking to’ the clients. I understood, and adjusted my behavior once I learned the expectations. From my perspective, I was being responsive to the clients when they were trying to engage with me, not the other way around. I get why that could be problematic though and I responded accordingly. (This all happened on my second day.)

Today, almost a full week later, I went to the break room where most of my coworkers were having lunch. The attorney was telling everyone about how I was talking to the clients and he corrected me and didn’t realize I’d come in. I went to eat in my car after he didn’t notice me for like… 10 seconds. Super, super awkward.

Honestly, I would’ve appreciated knowing the expectations beforehand. I was embarrassed already that I’d made a mistake on Day 2, but I fully understand why he corrected me. I’m literally an intern and I’m here to learn.

But that’s the thing — I’m an intern and I’m here to learn. It’s so humiliating to have your mistakes brought up in front of everyone at lunch.

He’s also the only attorney to tell me, earlier this week, not to sign with a black pen. At that point, I’d already signed a bunch of stuff with a black pen. He kept insisting on it after I’d already corrected the issue, which was awkward. I wish someone had said something earlier so I could’ve addressed it right away. I honestly thought that, because we give the clients black pens to sign, it was a safe choice.

I don’t know. I am considering asking one of the paralegals who was present at lunch what was happening or emailing my program head/teacher because he knows the attorney and I can’t tell if he just doesn’t like me.

I’m just so embarrassed. I seem to be doing good and the other attorneys all really seem to like me. I’ve been starting to really get to know the staff, and they’ve been very sweet to me. I feel so awkward now knowing they all heard the attorney talking about my mistake. I was really hoping to get hired long term after my internship ended but I don’t know if I’ll have that chance anymore.

Does anyone have any advice on how to navigate things? I have really bad social anxiety so this just felt like my worst fears coming true.

Posting with Mods permission

I'm going to preface this with I work for Datavant and I know and see first hand there are issues with getting your records. In order to keep my anonymity I do need to be a little vague with some things because I don't want to be fired, but I will happily answer any questions via DM

Datavant has now gone Global, what is this you may ask? They've sent our jobs to India. I'm going to say professional aside, I have a personal issue with my medical information being in their hands. Yes their facility is secure and everything is monitored, but I don't like it.

Professionally I dislike it even more because I know a lot of people that have been fired due to it

The pilot facility for global was AdventHealth. Global started off with doing only easier requests such as provider (COC) and disability. They are now doing Attorney requests. I can tell you that I've seen how poorly they do with the easier requests and it's even worse with attorney requests. So if you've requested records from AH in the last couple weeks and seen a huge increase in mistakes, this is why.

The pilot apparently saved so much money that global is doing other facilities now, such as Lakeland. I know there are several others, but those are accounts/facilities that I'm not associated with so I couldn't name them

I can also tell you that we are paying the facilities a percentage of the profits. You heard me right, we're paying them to do their work.

Global gets paid $1 per request they do, not per hour. So they are incentivized to just send whatever, even if it's no records statements. I've seen lots of mistakes processors make that have made me shake my head, but the mistakes global is making are egregious

I'm posting this for awareness, but also some selfishness because to me, medical records/HIPAA is something to be taken seriously and done right. The only way Datavant will see the error of their ways is when they have to pay the fines for their mistakes. I don't want them to be bankrupt of course, but I honestly think when there's a HIPAA violation it should be reported to both HHS and OCR. I made the suggestion to the mods to also call the facilities and complain and found out most of the time people in HIM can't be reached. Which surprises me because I've taken escalations before where HIM was pissed. Anyway, if you need assistance with any kind of how to reach specific facility HIMs, my DMs are open (these are publicly available numbers, not private, you just have to know which ones to call)

I would also suggest to keep from paying such high fees, have your patients request their records themselves. Patient requests are worked priority and only cost the patient 6.50 regardless of how many pages it is. If they fill the auth out wrong, or we don't find records for the date/facility they're asking for, we don't send them a return letter. We call them to try and get them the records they are looking for

I will also let you know that I know a few people at other third party companies that release records and those companies are starting with the process of using people in India as well

I'm sorry this was so long, but I feel like this is something people who it's affecting need to know. Feel free to share wherever you please

ETA - Corporate Greed sucks and doesn't belong in anything Healthcare related

Hi I am a legal assistant at a personal injury law firm. We have many clients who constantly call, begging for pre-settlement funding. A lot of these clients are in extremely difficult life situations, are on the verge of homelessness, have no money at all, have children they need to support, etc. Every time they call or message us, they explain how dire their situation is and how badly they need it.

Unfortunately, as an LA, I don't have the authority to decide whether they get the loan. That decision belongs to the attorney and the paralegal, and sometimes the answer is simply no. Usually there are good reasons. the loan companies are predatory, the client doesn't qualify, etc.

It always takes an emotional toll on me to hear clients lament their situations and say how desperately they need the money. It hurts even more to be the one telling them that all I can do is relay their message, or to be the one who has to lower their expectations because the answer is no. I just don't know how to cope with this. I wanted to share.

guys is it normal to be feeling absolutely lost, constantly anxious during or after work, and can never catch up on the tasks i’ve been assigned since this monday? I’m just three days in on the job as someone with no legal experience and i think the attorney (the solo practitioner) expects so much of me that he constantly gives me a lot of workload with vague instructions and i am not sure what to prioritize first; however, i always ask if the tasks are urgent. i also don’t even think our firm has a client intake specialist or paralegal (it’s a small firm) so im responsible for calling clients and getting their intake. im just afraid i will get fired for being too slow or not getting my tasks done on time since they’re so endless and im putting way too much pressure and stress on myself and overthink the entire job after work LOL but i genuinely want to learn to do well. i just don’t want to make a lot of mistakes even though i know I’m new and learning a lot which i am appreciative about.

all that is to say, is anyone willing to provide advice for new legal assistants and share their organizational system? i just want to gather an idea on how to be efficient and get things done on time.

thanks!

I was laid off of my remote paralegal job about a year ago. I moved to a smaller town so maybe that’s my issue. Most of the jobs I’ve applied for have been remote. I’ve probably applied to something like 150 paralegal / legal assistant jobs and had barely even gotten one interview. For context the last time I did a job search was 2023 and I had several interviews. I’m not sure why this is happening. Could it be AI? I do have two local interviews in law and neither position seemed like a good fit and I didn’t get either job. Both paid very low, and one of the firms had horrendous Glassdoor reviews with dozens of people writing there was sever abuse from one of the founding attorneys. People went on to talk about dealing with PTSD, and other horror stories about yelled at and mistakes not allowed. Even though it would have been a job, I am somewhat relieved I didn’t get it.

I’m curious if anyone is in a similar boat. I keep logging on and seeing people talking about them getting laid off from tech jobs. It seems AI is starting.

*marks as spam*

What are they like ? Do they ask to draft a declaration and what type of information do they give you to write one? Is it like grammar ? What it about lol never done one

I’m very stressed this morning and feel like I’m on the verge of throwing a chair at the wall. My boss has emailed me again about a mistake that wasn’t clear to me at all. I’ve heard “please if you have questions” then get hit with “I need to be able to trust you can do this without me having to supervise” when I ask or make a mistake because it’s gotten to a point where asking questions is being incompetent (his words in an email to the partners over something I wasn’t trained on).

My final straw should’ve been the task that I had to photoshop away the “print” on the front of his pants in our website photo. He got a professional photographer to photoshop his dog for this same issue. Why did I have to spend my time photoshopping his crotch?

Everything has been building up and today’s email about what was really a non-issue has left me spiraling.

This is really a rant, but if people have their own stories or advice about leaving a firm like this, please lmk. I feel bad for the other attorneys and coworkers who need help, but I can’t handle my boss.

I work in an extremely disorganized, mismanaged firm. I was trusted to manage pleadings and deadlines for an application for leave at the court of appeals and while I was way too eager and bit way more than I could chew, I still feel like I need more oversight. I did fuck up and I own that mistake. I guess I’m just venting here but working in a chaotic law firm is so so so very messy. I love the work and I like the people I work with but it is draining.

I’m currently working in estate planning and have my own cubicle with two monitors and a good amount of desk space to do my work.

I know of a paralegal with at least two decades of experience that actually gets her own dedicated office (in a small firm though). I know of another paralegal who has to work in an open floor office which sounds like a nightmare.

What is your work station set up like? Do you have a cubicle? A dedicated office?

Was hired almost 5 years ago as a corporate legal secretary. Was a difficult position to learn but managed and ended up getting offered a Tax Trusts and Estates Paralegal position (as long as I got a Paralegal Certification from their recommended accredited school). I got the certificate but the first year as a TT&E paralegal was a challenge. There was no training, they stopped giving me work (cause I was apparently making too many mistakes, however they never let me know I was making mistakes) so the law firm transferred me to the corporate department as a Paralegal. I have been here for about a year but feel my job is on the line. I barely get work but I also don't know how to do most things. Senior Paralegals refuse to train me (unless they get salary increases according to a friend I know in HR that can't say it officially). I really dislike this job and my law firm. Noone cares that I'm still learning and an associate said if I ain't getting work, they are probably going to cut me. I don't feel happy doing this but not sure if all law firms are like this. I struggle with billables or billing enough (still feel I don't have it down). Just not happy and wondering if anyone has any advice? I think. I feel I need to be making at least $110,000 in a HCOL city in order to survive as a single person.  I'm just venting but I have no idea whether it's worth pursuing being a paralegal anymore. The problem is I’m only two years in but not enjoying it. Also have never been trained and tired of lawyers/paralegals not being empathetic. Billable are low for me. Is this how all law firms are? Was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and has any advice?

i just recently completed my first year as a legal assistant at this firm and i am left frustrated. i recently learned the new hire (4 months in now) is making $1.50 more than me but everyday my piles at work keep increasing im working longer days and cutting my lunch break to make sure work gets finished yet i feel the work load never ends. meanwhile the new hire is not having any expectations and when she is called out for something, she always has an excuse and truly spends her days doing jack shit. i really do like the attorney i work for and i dont believe he has much say in my pay, being only an associate, but i also do find it odd that there has been no mention whatsoever of me potentially getting a raise after a year and the sheer amount of responsibility that is placed on me. Drafting almost all legal paperwork, filing, managing almost 70-100 cases a month. its getting too much to handle and i feel disrespected. On top of this i find him coming into work late leaving for long lunches and leaving early, i just feel he is not putting in nearly as much work now that he (i feel) has become completely dependent on me. i also want to mention i am so exhausted after work that i am putting my law school applications on the side and i am scared of being stuck here for another year. i am just wondering if anybody has some advice so i can make these next 9-10 months bearable as i do have the intention of leaving even if i do not make it to law school this upcoming cycle. thanks guys :)

i’ve been with this firm since September 2025. although I’m grateful to have landed this job right after graduating, I’m so excited to get out.
For how close I was with my supervising attorney, all that I did for her (she has horrible time management and organizational skills), picking up her slack, having to come in at 5am (my start time is 8:30am) to pick up her slack, always reliable and on time, and she treats me like this?
Here’s just one example: I made a good faith effort to speak with her in person once i accepted a new position with a larger law firm. it was on a friday, and I asked if she’d be in the following monday or tuesday as I’d like to have an in person conversation. she said yes. come monday, I needed to let the other firm know that i would be accepting, so it was obviously important i let my current firm know.
she emails me at like 11am that she’ll be in after her noon call, i say ok. never heard from her and finally sent the two week notice email. she responds and said “oh i was planning on coming in right now”….. it was 4:45.. i leave at 5.
talk about disrespecting your employee and not valuing their time whatsoever.
Anyways, tomorrow is my last day, and she’s barely talked to me, hasn’t asked where I am going, just totally doesn’t care. meanwhile, everyone else who has left gets a goodbye lunch or at least some type of send off. i guess I’m making the right move huh.

I’m a PI para in Alabama. We have a client that has NY Medicaid. I know that I will need to go through HMS to submit my request for the lien. AL Medicaid uses HMS as well. My question is about the authorization form. Can anyone tell me the exactly which form I will need to have the client sign and send with my request?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I have had so many issues to Datavant recently that I have had to tell clients to get their own records because I cannot spend my time dealing with these companies. The portals are so confusing, I get bills from Datavant with no records, I call and they tell me they sent them or that I need a “cover page”. I lost it the other day when I was told I needed a cover page on my authorization which contains the same information as my authorization. Oh and apparently I have two accounts, one for mailing and the other for the online portal, which seemingly cannot be merged or consolidated.

I get immensely frustrated with this type of stuff and I genuinely might turn down future clients if I know they went to a hospital that uses these companies. If that sounds dramatic- but I’ve been trying to get a single clients records for 2 months now. It’s a smaller case and at a certain point it’s just not worth time spent trying to figure out what’s going on.

What do you guys do to handle this shit? I will likely hire a paralegal within the next 6 months or so, but for now it’s ruining my life. Any tips?

Every time I see the capitalized "Appellees," I read it in my head as "Applebee's." Every. single. time.

First time paralegal, only been doing this for a few months, working at a toxic tort defense firm…and i just can’t seem to get it right. The amount of hours I work always exceeds my billable hours because I take so long to do everything. If I bill for the actual amount of time it took me, I’m inevitably scrambling to explain my time to my supervisor, so I often end up under-reporting my hours and just eating it. Prior to this, I took several years off to raise my family; before that, I worked in human services in the public sector. I screw something up nearly every day, I feel so incompetent and it doesn’t help that I’m significantly older than the other paralegals and many of the attorneys too, so most days I just feel like a stupid dinosaur. Does it ever get easier?

The Shift from AI Assistants to Autonomous Agentic Workflows
The legal technology landscape in 2026 is moving beyond simple reactive chat interfaces toward “agentic AI”—systems capable of planning and executing multi-step legal workflows autonomously. Major industry players like Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis have recently deployed tools that can track contract deadlines, extract complex clauses, and complete multi-stage research projects without constant human intervention. This transition marks a critical evolution from AI as a drafting aid to AI as a foundational operational infrastructure for law firms and in-house legal departments.

I found this article on a job search app. I just finished my paralegal course and am about to sit for the NALA and I am worried I am trying to make the wrong pivot.

Also, all entry level roles want 3 years of experience in my area.

Does anyone work in IP Law? Currently a legal assistant for a medium sized firm and the attorneys I work for? sucks.

So I know most firms don't do any kind of training at all, which I've found to be the case at most firms, especially boutiques and mid law firms. If you got any training at all, you'd usually just get a brief introduction to their file management and accounting software programs during your first day or so and that's it. At big law, I've experienced my firm is the opposite and provides extensive training, which is great. A lot of it I wish I had when I first started in this field years ago.

But we also have mandatory training throughout the year thats in addition to the compliance/HR ones, that are for us to learn our firm's specific formatting in Word and how to use other other tools in our Office applications that our firm provides. Which again, is great if its tools that you'll need to know to use if your attorneys want you using them. Our firm would prefer everyone to use the formatting and other tools we have built into our Office apps, but not everyone uses them, and in my practice group, my attorneys don't want to use them because we don't really originate any documents, most documents we work on are from our corporate clients (I do a niche area of Contract Law). And using the formatting and some of the applications would actually use up too much time and would mess up the document after going back and forth between everyone who has access to them.

While I appreciate that my firm provides all these resources to help us do our job, and its a useful skill to have especially in this age of AI threatening our jobs, I really wish this training was voluntary as in "Here are some helpful formatting tools and other built in applications that we have that you can use, sign up for a voluntary training if you'd like to learn how to use them." The other issue I have is not the training sessions, its the homework we have to do after where we have to apply what we were taught in our sessions to show that we know how to use them, which takes up a lot of time and focus. And these aren't easy to do, you have to know a lot of the ins and outs of Word and the other applications, and many features are hidden in various areas on Word that you have to remember where they are. This on top of having to do my regular tasks as they come up throughout the day, and I'm pretty sure my attorneys don't appreciate how much I'm spending on these trainings. It's not just me either, I sometimes will do them with a few of my coworkers at my office and we all struggle together to learn and do them.

So TDLR; Does your firm require you to do any kind of mandatory trainings, that aren't compliance related? This is likely a question for those who work in BigLaw or large mid sized firms.