Pros and Cons of Being a Paralegal (2023)

FAQs

What are the advantages of being a paralegal? ›

Being a paralegal is stressful, and paralegal burnout is real. Paralegals work notoriously long hours, and their tasks include everything from office management to doing case research and preparing and editing legal contracts and documents. Paralegal's tasks have a direct impact on the outcomes of matters and cases.

Even experienced paralegals make mistakes, and god knows you'll see lawyers themselves make plenty of them. But there are certain mistakes brand-new paralegals seem to be famous for making.

Generally, paralegals may not represent clients in court, take depositions, or sign pleadings. Some federal and state administrative agencies, however, do permit nonlawyer practice.

Paralegal training is faster, much cheaper, and opens up many professional doors (more on that later). Becoming a paralegal is a noble, exciting goal. You can do a lot of good in this role. If you're motivated to help others and ready to challenge yourself, this can be a deeply rewarding career.

On any given day, the “routine” may consist of interviewing witnesses, reviewing thousands of documents or assisting an attorney in the courtroom. This means that the paralegal must be prepared for unpredictable events and be capable of considerable time management and prioritization skills.

Personality Traits Of Successful Paralegals. Paralegals are a hardworking and dedicated bunch—they are organized, independent, fairly introverted, and creative in a way that most people never expect. They research, synthesize, document, and interpret facts to form coherent stories for their clients to use in court.

One of the most important roles of a paralegal is to assist their attorney in preparing for trials, hearings, and closings. A large part of this consists of conducting legal research and gathering relevant information to the case.

Paralegals are often referred to as a “wizard” or “magician.” Honestly, many paralegals live up to those nicknames, because they work tirelessly to make a difference in the legal field.

What type of paralegal makes the most money? ›

For a variety of reasons, professional paralegals can be extremely valuable to law firms, and more shops should respect and invest in professional paralegals. As many attorneys know from first-hand experience, professional paralegals often learn valuable information about the practice of law.

Paralegals spend a significant amount of time learning about the law and conducting research by reading through old case files. The point is to try to find precedents for lawyers to use in their own court cases. Paralegal jobs require reading late into the night and under pressure if deadlines are fast approaching.

Honestly, this is a profession that relies so heavily on communication, both verbal and written, so that writing is essential; it's a basic for both lawyers as well as for paralegals and legal secretaries.

Stressful and Challenging Work Environment

You may answer to several attorneys at once, each with different needs. Clients, too, can be demanding and difficult. The ability to switch gears quickly and to multitask under pressure is critical to your success as a paralegal.

Attorneys definitely see paralegals as a means to keeping costs under control; saving time by delegating certain work to a competent lower level and the ability to create a profit center.

Many lawyers and paralegals begin their journey to a career in law by taking up paralegal and other related short courses. These experiences are great stepping-stones to law school and a career as an attorney.

Do paralegals go to court? ›

Paralegal duties would typically involve preparing legal documents, research, admin, providing quotes to clients, interviewing clients and witnesses, giving clients legal information, going to court and handling a caseload of clients.

Good typing speeds are relative to job descriptions. For example, data entry positions usually require 60-80 words per minute. Medical transcriptionists, paralegals and executive secretaries should be able to type 70-100 wpm.

The legal professionals we talked to believe certification is worthwhile for a variety of reasons. “Paralegal Certificates are invaluable,” says Matthew Dolman, managing partner at Sibley Dolman Gipe. “They pave a path toward a sustainable and lucrative career in the law.”

Highly organized (this is on 99% of the lists you'll find) Good communication skills (another popular “trait or characteristic” associated with paralegals) Excellent research and writing skills. Ability to multitask.

The time to become a paralegal is significantly shorter than the minimum seven-year educational process to becoming a lawyer. It is also a lot less expensive to undertake a paralegal degree compared to a law degree, meaning choosing to become a paralegal is both faster and cheaper than going into law school.

What city pays paralegals the most? ›

The metropolitan areas that pay the highest salary in the paralegal profession are San Jose, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, and Los Angeles.

A legal assistant, or litigation assistant, may perform administrative duties as well as legal tasks. A paralegal focuses more on legal duties and research to assist lawyers. Both positions require an understanding of legal terminology and procedures.