The main benefit of being a paralegal is that you have a glimpse of what it`s like to be a lawyer in advance. An insight into the life of a lawyer can be especially useful if you`re a De Biglaw paralegal, as it can give you insight into whether or not you`re willing to engage in BigLaw`s life (long hours, unpredictability, etc.). However, you might get an equally good overview by talking to lawyers or perhaps doing an internship while studying law. In addition, as a paralegal, you may only be exposed to a narrow area of law (e.g., immigration), which can completely deter you from breaking the law. Lawyers often find themselves in many areas and this idea alone may not be enough to make an informed decision about your career. Most students now take a gap year between university and law school and it`s a great idea if you`re doing something useful with the break. In fact, 75% of Harvard`s last class took a gap year. When thinking about what to do before law school, many potential law students wonder whether there are benefits to accepting a paralegal job or not. In fact, this issue was raised recently when I sat on a panel with two other lawyers and a law student at Harvard University, where a student was considering working as a paralegal a year after college.
Panel members had mixed reactions. Be a paralegal and go to school part-time. Mo money, mo networking and a fallback work. Has worked for me so far. Cons: No happy hours : If you`re considering becoming a paralegal before going to law school, chances are you`ve already decided to pursue a bachelor`s degree. While law firms don`t always require paralegal certification in addition to a bachelor`s degree, it can give you an edge in the application process, especially if you`re applying to larger law firms. But if you`re wondering whether it`s worth being a paralegal or not before going to law school, keep reading my humble opinion on several factors that determine whether it`s worth being a paralegal: in addition, working as a paralegal in a law firm will take you to other professionals and allow you to: work with experienced colleagues. Building relationships with colleagues early in your career, especially in a related field like being a paralegal, can be helpful as you progress through law school. These are people you can count on if you`re in a position where you need career advice or even if you`re looking for career opportunities.
Your employees can also be used as a professional reference in applications after graduating from law school. Keep in mind that the lawyers you work with have started over at a time like you. On the other hand, the BLS predicts that paralegal employment will increase by 10% from 2019 to 2029.1 The BLS explains that some of this demand is driven by large law firms and companies that want to reduce their legal fees, so they have hired paralegals to do a higher percentage of legal work.1 With this change, part of the legal work, which in the past would have been the domain of junior lawyers, now on The Plate of Paralegals. This trend also goes beyond law firms. Large organizations are turning to staffing their own in-house legal departments to save on the high cost of retaining external consultants. While lawyers are paid very well compared to their paralegal counterparts, their career prospects are not as advantageous. While bls predicts that the employment of lawyers will increase by four percent by 2029 – at the level of the national average for all professions – the BLS notes that competition for jobs remains fierce as there are currently more law school graduates available as jobs.1 From my personal experience, some of the best pre-law students were paralegals. There are many paralegal certifications you can get, each sponsored by a different legal organization. Paralegals earn certifications by passing a score on an exam that tests a candidate`s legal knowledge, knowledge of legal terms and procedures, communication skills, and ethics.
My first boss lawyer hated my curiosity and ambition. She told me that I just had to “do my job” before hoping for other cases and learning other areas. And by “doing my job,” she meant emailing clients for the fifteenth time this week to remind them to fill out admission forms. I don`t like irrational and vindictive clientele, I don`t like the difficult trial date, and I don`t like that there really isn`t a winner in family law. Everyone – especially children – loses in one way or another. These aspects of family law are not things you learn in law school or even in clinics that could save you years from understanding this as a lawyer. In general, the consensus was that taking a job as a paralegal in front of law school would not help you find a job in law, but the results here might differ if you were performing substantive tasks. In addition, it is important to note that many have the false impression that if you work as a paralegal in a large law firm, you will be hired after your law studies. While it is possible, I know many people who have worked as paralegals in large companies and were not hired by that company during the recruitment process.
Even if you are hired, it will certainly be because you had good grades and were an attractive candidate and not because you had a previous affiliation with the law firm. I would even go so far as to say that you would have a slight disadvantage if you applied to the company where you worked as a paralegal. Personally, I don`t feel like a paralegal is doing much to make you an attractive candidate for law firms, but opinions can vary here. I also know people who have worked as paralegals for large companies and are now working there, but even these students had excellent grades and were probably offered positions in other large companies. For example, you can become an estate paralegal — that is, you are a paralegal who supports lawyers who practice estate administration — and that is the only area you support. I don`t recommend it, but theoretically, you can just skip all that and go to law school so you can pursue your alternative legal career. I will write my opinion about people who go to law school and know that later they will no longer practice law. Paralegal work experience can have a huge impact on your journey to law school and law practice. Coupled with the financial benefits of tuition reimbursement, very personal and valuable letters of recommendation, and attracting useful contacts and references in the industry, becoming a paralegal can be a crucial first step in pursuing a legal career. I`m a paralegal now and I think it`s one of the best decisions I`ve made in my career.