1. What exactly do you do?
- What field is your job in?
Legal - What is your job title?
Bankruptcy Paralegal - Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for (size and general description of what type of organization it is)
Our 5 person law office deals primarily with bankruptcy, personal injury and motor vehicle accidents. We also work on class action lawsuits and civil litigation.
- How long have you been employed in this position?
9 months - How many hours do you work a week on average?
32 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
32 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
My primary job responsibilities deal with bankruptcy law. However, at times, I may have to draft briefs, medical records requests, etc for our MVA and PI lawyer. Primarily I draft the bankruptcy petitions that are filed to court, I file the petitions along with all corresponding documents and I mainly work on Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Additionally, I do general office duties such as answering telephones and scanning/copying docs.
- What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
18400 - What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
21000 - Please list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation, sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
No benefits since I do not work 40 hours + - Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
undercompensated
2. Work environment!
- Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Yes I primarily work with the other paralegal along with both attorneys and our IT person on various issues.
- Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes - Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes - Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it
- Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
- 1 Income
- 7 Work Environment - co-workers
- 8 Work Environment - supervisors
- 2 Benefits
- 3 Hours
- 4 Level of responsibility
- 5 The actual "work" you do at your job
- 6 Job Title
3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours?
- If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get started within an office. Any type of office experience will help alot as well as getting your foot in the door at a law firm.
- What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social skills, organization skills, technical skills)
organization skills, technical skills, legal skills, personable skills
- Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Some College - What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Have fun with it but do not get stressed out because it can become very overwhelming.
4. How did you get your J-O-B
- How did you find your current job? (e.g. newspaper, internet, referral, etc.)
Craigslist - What was the application process for your job? (e.g. submitted resume, paper application, electronic application, all, etc.)
Submitted resume via email along with cover letter - Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail? (e.g., number of interviews, who you interviewed with, group interview, individual interview, etc.)
1 interview with a questionnaire which entailed different situations as well as questions pertaining to law. - If you can remember, what questions were you asked at your interview?
Do not remember - Is this the job / field you planned to work in?
Yes - If your job is in a different field from your original plan how did you get here? Explain (Plan can be from high school/college/post college/personal plan)
5. Background: Are you qualified?
- Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Training involving the Bankruptcy Process as well as the Bankruptcy Software we use. - Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, I feel very confident with my work skills. - Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, I have a degree in politics, laws and the courts. - If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare you for your job?
6. The Future and Beyond (FINAL SECTION)
- If someone were to observe you at work, what would he or she say is "fun" about your job?
You feel very independent at my job. - What is (are) the most fulfilling aspect(s) and least fulfilling aspect(s) of your current employment? (e.g. fiscal, spiritual, type of work, hours, commute, compensation, etc.)
I get to help people resolve their money situations. - Is your current employment part of your career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, because I want to eventually become a lawyer. - What are your current career goals? (Can be broad or specific)
Be a successful lawyer that helps resolve people's problems. - Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
N/A
7. A Day in the Life Of...
- 7 am - 8 am
Commute to Work - 8 am - 9 am
Arrive at Work. Check emails from bankruptcy court and voicemails. Begin planning out the day. Speak with my boss and he will instruct me on what is important to pursue for the day. - 9 am - 10 am
Meeting with Client. New bankruptcy client meetings involve collecting documents pertaining to the client's financial status. Additionally, we discuss fee and run a credit report for the client. - 10 am - 11 am
Preparing bankruptcy petition for client. Collect all documents needed to file with petition and send via internet to court. Once we receive notice that the court has received the documents, we notify client. Court will also appoint a trustee as well as schedule a day for the hearing to take place. - 11 am - 12 am
Once we receive notice from the court assigning a trustee to the case, we prepare evidence to be sent to the trustee prior to the hearing. The trustee needs to see the backup paperwork , therefore we need to prepare email as well as a packet to send to the trustee with all supporting documents. - 12 am - 1 pm
- 1 pm - 2 pm
Lunch. - 2 pm - 3 pm
Once I return from lunch, I prepare all documents that need to be filed into stacks pertaining to each type of case, whether it be MVA, PI or Bankruptcy. Filing consists of putting the most recents docs at the top of the file. - 3 pm - 4 pm
Preparing bankruptcy petition for client. Collect all documents needed to file with petition and send via internet to court. Once we receive notice that the court has received the documents, we notify client. Court will also appoint a trustee as well as schedule a day for the hearing to take place. - 4 pm - 5 pm
Leave Work - 5 pm - 6 pm
N/A - 6 pm - 7 pm
N/A - 7 pm - 8 pm
N/A - 8 pm - 9 pm
N/A - 9 pm - 10 pm
N/A - 10 pm - 11 pm
N/A - 11 pm - 12 pm
N/A