Anyone a paralegal??

Posted: Mon, Nov 29 2010, 5:39 pm Post subject: Anyone a paralegal??

Back in the day I was planning on going to law school. Then I decided it would be too time consuming since I wanted to get married and have a family. BH I am married and have some young children at home and now I'm considering doing an online program to become a paralegal. I don't know much about the career, other than it involves legal research and requires strong writing skills. Is anyone here a paralegal who can give me more information? I would also like to know if its possible to find jobs working from home? Thanks!

Gold Member Joined: Jan 27 2010 Posts: 1434

I am a paralegal. I have found it to be a great alternative to being an attorney. The hours are mostly 9-5 but it really depends on the type of law you are practicing. My most recent job was very court dependent so some days I worked until 6 and other days I got to leave exactly on time. Prior to that, I worked in another area of the law that had very little to do with court so my hours were much more flexible. It really just depends on what you are interested in and who hires you.

I have yet to find a work from home job. I often took certain projects home on Friday afternoons to make up time but I don't think I could have done all the parts of my job without going to the office. There are also confidentiality issues that many employers get nervous about.

Its not the easiest market right now in terms of getting jobs. A good paralegal is very employable since law firms can pay them less then lawyers but the legal field got hit very hard when the economy tanked. I think it is worth learning the skills needed but you have to be realistic in that you may not find a job the second you finish the program. I also recommend finding a paralegal in your area and seeing if you can follow them around for a day to see the job up close. I hope this was helpful. Please let me know if I can answer any more questions for you.