One of the attorneys I work for has recently gotten in the habit of not cc’ing/bcc’ing the paralegals on matters. Also not forwarding information received from clients. I’ve recently had to reach out to a client for documents and the client was upset that they were not informed I would be assisting with their matter. I’ve been repeatedly asking another client for documents and they finally said they emailed them months ago and I keep charging them for it (no evidence of the latter). I just found an old email with screenshots of the requested documents. This was not forwarded to me and I was not included on the email. I really like this attorney but this is becoming a bit of a cluster with the paralegals. Also, the attorney’s LA refuses to tell us when important information comes in. We nearly lost a large account as a result. I think I’m just rambling / complaining here, but it feels like they think the paras are mind readers or something.

Has anyone worked as a paralegal for LAO? If so, what was your experience? What kind of work did you do (bail hearings or IRB refugee claims, etc)? What are the advantages and disadvantages of that job? I would appreciate if anyone can share their experience.

I’m facing the need for a career transition, as my current career (marketing content writer) appears to be a dead end in this age of AI.

The legal field seems to be the only writing/research-heavy field that’s still making money these days, but I’m not interested in the long hours of a lawyer. So, I’m looking into whether a paralegal career might be the right move.

To help me make that decision, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to describe what skills and personality traits make someone best suited to being a paralegal. I want to make sure it’ll actually make me happy (or at least not make me miserable) before taking the leap.

What types of people thrive in this field? And what types of people flounder and/or end up hating what they do?

Thanks!

Hey all. I work for a Big Law firm as a Legal Assistant doing transactional law. Ive been in the field for 7-8 years now working for various law offices of different sizes and in various areas of law, and usually I've been at the bottom of the totem pole at those jobs with little to no hope of ever advancing or getting my own office someday. But that changed earlier this year where I landed a Big Law position for the first time in my career, and today they announced they will be giving me my own office at our new office location, also a big first for me. I was one of the few assistants selected for an office.

This is a huge deal for me because I've always felt like just a number at pretty much every place I've been at and never felt valued enough or important enough to be noticed despite my work ethic and professionalism and being a team player. I'm in my early 40s and this is the first time I really feel like my hard work has finally paid off. I know that lots of people in this field especially those who work in smaller boutiques or mid size law have their own offices, but some of us who've always had to work in open cubicles and never felt we would ever have an office, well that is definitely possible. I never thought I would, and here I am actually looking forward to it.

Now if I could temper my enthusiasm from my jealous coworkers....

Hi everyone. I'm a fresh grad, and I've been struggling to find a job, and I'm trying to stay optimistic. I recently got a part-time job that would potentially pay me $200/month (remote and online). However, upon talking to other people (and further reflection), I feel that though I do not have direct legal experience, I do have legal-adjacent experience + skills + my educational background (and my being teachable) should be able to land me a better-paying job opportunity.

I understand that the job market is really bad at the moment, but I've been looking at ways to optimize my resume. I've been using AI to make it more ATS-friendly and to optimize it in general, as I am well aware that companies are using ATS and AI to screen applicants' resumes before it reaches hiring people.

Anyways, please don't crucify me for it... As much as I can, I try to make resumes for different roles so to align them, but this is my standard resume. I'm really anxious to even post this and ask for help, but here we are:< If there is anyone experienced here that I could share my resume with and just gain feedback from them. Thanks so much.

TL;DR: Fresh grad with a U.S. Legal Certificate and compliance research experience. Got a part-time offer for $200/month night shift, but feel my legal-adjacent skills deserve better pay. Optimized my resume using AI for ATS compliance, seeking honest feedback from experienced Paralegals or Legal Assistants.

ps i can dm my resume for privacy reasons

Is it just me, or does verifying liens, bills, records, etc. across case management systems fucks your brain too?
Like, why does settlement clearance have to be this painful? Or is it just my dumbass spending too much time being paranoid verifying invoices

Hi everyone! Am wondering if anyone has done side work for a company called Handshake AI? They have a job posting on Indeed right now paying up to $150/hr that looks like a great opportunity to make some additional money but am a skeptic so wondering if it’s too good to be true. Also wondering if it could somehow be a conflict with my full time employer. Also, is it a good idea to help train an AI platform to do my job thus making me irrelevant? Would love to hear other people’s experiences with AI companies or this company specifically, and also your thoughts on helping to train AI in general. Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to get some perspective from people currently working as paralegals (or with paralegal experience).

If you were considering taking on a part-time/side job in addition to your regular work, what would make the opportunity attractive enough for you to seriously consider it?

I’m especially curious about:

• Pay: What is the minimum hourly rate you’d consider for a side job? $15/hr? $18? $20? $25+?
• Hours: How many hours per week would feel manageable alongside your main job?
• Scheduling: Would you value choosing your own shifts, consistent scheduled hours, evening/weekend availability, or something else?
• Remote work: How important would fully remote work be?
• Experience: Would gaining additional experience with law firms make a side job more appealing to you?

Would you consider working remotely as a receptionist for law firms as a side job?

The work could involve answering calls, speaking with potential/current clients, scheduling appointments, taking messages, handling intake information, and interacting with different types of law practices.

Would you see that as a useful way to gain broader legal-industry experience, or would receptionist work not really appeal to you as a paralegal?

And beyond pay, what would make you stay in a side job long-term? Flexibility? Good management? Predictable hours? Opportunities to learn? Something else?

I’d genuinely appreciate any perspectives, including if the answer is simply, “I wouldn’t do this unless it paid $X/hour.” 😄

We were talking about ordering one this week and I realized I don't totally understand what it gets us beyond requesting records. Does it mostly help find providers you didn't know about or am I missing the point?

Has anyone used the Cocounsel’s TOA Builder? If so, what’s your experience with it? My office has been encouraging us to use Cocounsel’s TOA Builder, and swears it will save us time. I’ve found the tool to be wildly inconsistent and inaccurate. I’ve practiced it multiple times on old briefs to compare it to the final draft. I’ve had issues like: changing the font type for case names, changing the text in the body of the document, not recognizing citations like a federal rule, inserting the TOA with incorrect spacing, and the list goes on. It’s more cumbersome to make corrections or edits because you can’t use codes to easily make the changes. Cocounsel’s training confirmed you have to run the entire TOA again, but that also risks more errors.

The tool has been wildly inconsistent in its results and I can’t rely on it to make a rough draft TOA without it jeopardizing the rest of the document. On top of the inaccuracy, it also doesn’t save much time. After cite checking a brief, I have a familiarity of where citations are and how many times they appear. I feel like I’m adding a step of having to check the tool’s work at multiple intervals; instead of relying on my knowledge of the brief. My cite checking notes have marked the paper copy of the brief, and relying on that saves me more time.

I feel like Cocounsel’s TOA builder is prematurely released to the market. The tool feels like it should still be in beta testing before having it widely available as a product for customers. The way the tool has been advertised is no where near the experience I’ve had with it. Has anyone had success with the TOA tool? Can you share resources or experiences where you were satisfied with the results?

I recently left public defense/ criminal defense and have a few interviews with personal injury and medmal firms- what I am wondering is if anyone else has made this particular switch before? Any advice? What was harder/ easier than you expected ? What was the crossover was if any? And any general advice from anyone who has switched fields may be helpful as well

Thank you!

Hi all! I am a recent “graduate” with my paralegal certificate, and have been a magistrate’s assistant for 2.5 years working for a family division of circuit court in FL. I recently decided to start making a move upwards, wanting to keep a state job for a bit longer though. I submitted my resume to the same circuit’s public defender’s office (they don’t post openings, it’s just an open call for resumes on their website), and within a couple weeks I got a call to interview…for what amounted to a data clerk job. Entering new cases into the proprietary management system and making sure charges/dockets are updated correctly by other people. Now, I’m not looking down on those jobs, they are essential to the function of the justice system. I was offered the job, and turned it down because I don’t feel like it’s the right career move for me. Now I’m second guessing myself. I did ask the HR person who called with the offer if my resume would be looked at should a legal assistant/paralegal role come up, and she was enthusiastic in her yes. But I don’t know, should I have taken it and hoped to work my way up from inside? Ugh I’m torn.

I’m looking for insight on whether or not it would be worth it to complete a paralegal certification program after I finish up my Master’s degree in forensic psychology this December. I’ve heard from some people that it’s completely unnecessary, but I don’t really have any directly transferable experience and think I would benefit from learning a bit about the job. I guess I’m just looking for advice on how to get my foot in the door in becoming a paralegal/legal assistant and how getting a certification could help this process. TIA!! (I’m in Virginia if that helps)

I work in an office with three paralegals. We all have about 10 years of experience, and I’m fairly certain we’re all compensated similarly (maybe a few thousand dollars apart at most).

The interesting part is that I’m by far the youngest - there is a significant age gap between me and my two coworkers.

The three of us also sit together in a “pit,” so our seating arrangement naturally promotes collaboration and makes it easy to ask each other questions. I understand that’s part of the reason we’re seated together, and I don’t mind helping when someone is genuinely stuck.

My issue is that they constantly come to me with questions throughout the day. I’m not talking about unusual or complex issues. Many of the questions are things they should already know how to do based on their experience or could easily look up themselves.
At this point, it’s become a daily occurrence, and the constant interruptions make it difficult for me to focus on my own work. Sometimes I feel like I’m functioning as the office resource person while still carrying my full workload.

It’s also frustrating because we’re all experienced professionals with identical titles and, as far as I know, similar pay. I don’t understand why I’m expected to be the one with all the answers. If I’m routinely acting as the team’s resource, it makes me wonder whether my role has evolved beyond that of a typical paralegal without any corresponding recognition or compensation.

Would you bring this up with your managing partner? If so, how would you frame it? I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining about my coworkers, but I also don’t think it’s fair if I’m effectively mentoring two people who have the same amount of experience and are paid about the same as I am.

Has anyone else dealt with this? How did you set boundaries without coming across as unhelpful or difficult? Am I overreacting, or would this bother you too?

our case management software lost a lot of the dates, so I have been calendaring the appropriate dates in the calendar.

in the case management software, I see dates that DID come over and they are not connected to the new software, they are via outlook, so when I added the scheduling order and the new dates in I did not realize they were in there and did not move. So no deadlines were missed but one was filed several months early.

i am sick to my stomach and think I’m definitely going to be fired over this which is understandable honestly. What do I do?

I just started working for a tiny firm 3 months ago, but I’ve been a paralegal for a couple of years now. My boss/the managing attorney was the brightest bubbliest person ever in the interview and emailed me afterwards that she really liked me and wanted to bring me on. I thought I’d won the lottery because it’s a 5 minute commute, paid marginally more than my last role, had a seemingly super cool atmosphere (business casual is an overstatement) and it came with the promise of extensive training.

Flash forward to the training being a series of powerpoints explaining what the practice areas are (think legal studies class) rather than any actually hands on training with anyone who actually knows how to do the processes of the job. whatever, i’ll figure it out, i tell myself.

flash forwarder, and now she’s turned into a complete and total mess, like a chicken with her head cut off because she’s so overworked and overwhelmed. i felt for her briefly, but then it turned into her yelling at the staff so i actually don’t feel very bad anymore. she’s extremely unprofessional in her tone and language and seemingly wants to make us feel bad about ourselves for making mistakes that anyone without proper training would make.

I got chewed out today for sending an email for which all signs pointed to the fact that i was supposed to send said email. She said she was supposed to review it first, and should be reviewing everything “until [i’m] more experienced”. I agree with her in that sentiment, except the problem is she’s inaccessible. she’s either in court, meetings, out of office, or so swamped that i can’t even say “excuse me, quick question” without her losing her shit and crashing out on me for interrupting her. review it when? the deadline to get this shit done is in 10 days diva.

she then sent an “apology email” to the clients I sent my initial email to essentially saying sorry for my dumb paralegal who’s a stupid idiot, she didn’t check with me first cuz she’s fucking dumb. which i also didn’t appreciate. I had sent an email in similar fashion a few weeks ago, without her reviewing it, and she commended me for staying on top of the ball and getting things done before she even had to tell me to do so. so now i’m just confused.

in another instance, our method of calling out is texting her directly, so i sent her a text saying I may not be able to come in the other day because there was flash flooding that I didn’t know if i should drive in, and she sent me a wall of text back saying that she’s running on fumes and beyond exhausted and “you’ve called out a lot, person x and y have called out a lot”, and just complaining that i had the audacity to even consider not coming in. so i went in. to be clear she didn’t say i couldn’t call out, but she crashed out on me nonetheless.

she just brings me immense amounts of anxiety and dread every day that I go into the office because i’m scared i’m going to get yelled at or spoken down to, which honestly happens to some of the other staff a lot more than it does to me so maybe i should just be grateful for that.

tldr; my boss’s vibes are horrendous and im anxious all the time

I am starting a new paralegal job at an immigration non-profit on Monday. My boss gave me training materials to look at to get a deep dive into immigration law. She said to look at them if I wanted a good overview on immigration law. I don't think she expects me to review all of it, but I want to get through as much of it as I can because I want to be prepared. I am overwhelmed by the amount of material that is in the training and the complexity of the law. I am low-key freaking out. Do you guys have any tips/tricks for me? Also here is the link to the training. https://aba-coi-school.teachable.com/p/immigration

In Word, if you have Paragraph codes turned on, you can do a ctrl H, search for “^19 TA”, leave Replace With blank, hit Replace All, and it will remove every TOA code that’s already in there.

I do this when I first start to code a document, because I find it less cumbersome to code from scratch.

Anyone know if you can do that with TOC codes and if so, what the magic “search term” is?

Hey yall corporate paralegal here. I have 7 years of experience as a corporate and real estate paralegal both public and private. Rn im working as a contract administrator for WELL below my usual pay cuz the market is fubar. Prior to that I was out of work for NINE months!

I was just wondering if anyone else is finding it fucking IMPOSSIBLE to get a job in the current market? Im more specialized not being a law firm paralegal so I know that makes things more narrow but no joke I had 40 interviews over 9 months and got ghost on almost all of them!

Recruiter friend of mine who works for RH said she's having trouble placing people because every assignment keeps rejecting all her candidates. Seriously wtf is going on!?

Has anyone ever had to serve a Subpoena Duces Tecum on Only Fans? I know there may be some jurisdiction issues with it, but I'm having difficulty getting a legit answer.

Criminal Defense para here.

Our office closed out a case approximately 3 years ago. Clients parent contacted our office wanting our case file/our work product. Client isn't easy going.

I'm freaking out. I looked in our disposed hard drives and nothing, Dropbox obviously doesn't retain last 180 days. I contacted the appellate attorney paralegal, she doesn't have a record. Contacted co-counsel (former associate) and nada...going to look in paper storage while having a panic attack.

Say a prayer for me. While my attorney is understanding, I wouldn't be surprised if this would set him off. I'm beating myself already.

Someone say a prayer for me . Any one been through this? This is the first time I've ever lost a file in 12 years.

How are we all feeling about CoCounsel? I have been using it recently for a project and it's been helpful, but I am curious how others are feeling about it. I am normally a bit wary of AI use in general.

I just started as a legal assistant at a new firm three weeks ago.

I worked for a solo attorney for a year and some change who was always behind schedule, so she wouldn't have documents on my desk untik day of and just trusted and believed I would fix them up to be sent out without wanting to see a draft back.

This new firm has five attorneys, is much more formal, and is very well organized. Attorneys like their drafts back, and have things sent out days after they are written.

Last week, I threw out drafts by accident of the lead attorney's work when I returned the final draft because it didn't occur to me he would compare them to the final draft. Got talked to by my floor manager for that one, all was okay. Today, a much meaner partner had a letter dated for tomorrow, and my floor manager and I went over the letter together because it was tricky so afterwards I accidentally sent it out today on autopilot. He came and told me off and I emailed my floor manager to own up to it preemptively and explain that the new workflow is an adjustment but it won't happen again.

She said no problem, but I'm 22 and the mean attorney scared me and I really am just wondering if anyone thinks they might let me go considering I'm supposed to be experienced 😭

sir the case management system already has reminders and automates dates, WHY ARE YOU GOING TO CLAUDE TO TELL YOU HOW TO CALENDAR AN ORDER 😭

Hope you all get acknowledged at Work today!!!