Paralegal 

(Female, Age 37) from Bennettsville, SC

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 37 who works as a Paralegal in Bennettsville, SC. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Paralegal
Salary $35,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 41
Company Size (not answered)
Location Bennettsville, SC
Years Experience 11 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
Our company has 5 locations and employs over 500 people total. We handle various legal matters, from worker’s compensation to product liability to business transactions and deeds.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I do legal research, criminal records searches, typing up of legal briefs and filings, hearing prep.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
medical, 401K, healthcare savings account, dental/vision, vacation

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with several other people during the day. I work with people who have more education than I do and people who have less education. I work with people both in person, on the telephone, and on-line. I generally like each of these interactions.

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.
The work that I perform is one piece of the puzzle that helps the attorney do his job effectively. My co-workers may also play a role or augment the work that I have done on a particular case. Without the foundation work of my support people, my co-workers, and myself, the attorneys would not be able to have all of the information that is vital to winning cases.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 3
Benefits: 6
Hours: 8
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 4
The Actual Work: 1

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am Getting ready at home and leaving for commute to work.
8am to 9am Log in to computer to check emails. Receive inter-office mail; process checks with criminal searches; print off list of hearings/appeals
9am to 10am Telephone call with plaintiff attorney’s office to schedule depositions; type up notice of deposition and accompanying paperwork; receive postal mail; open and distribute mail; log in hours to inter-office computer network; meeting with attorney handling case set for today to go over paperwork/filings
10am to 11am Read over mail from client to determine what needs to be done next; prepare file paperwork for copying by assistant; put latest hearing notices, deposition notices, and appeals on computer calendar/paper calendar
11am to 12pm Telephone call from opposing council’s office regarding deposition venue; new paperwork generated to reflect change in deposition location; changes to deposition location noted on computer/paper calendars; criminal background check performed on all new cases received today; inter-office mail generated to request check from corporate to pay for criminal background searches; final read through of brief before presenting it to the lead attorney for his signature; preparing of the certified mailing of brief due today
12pm to 1pm Returned telephone calls that rolled over to voice mail while I was on the phone earlier in the day. Checked email for new messages, read new information sent on-line, and responded to email questions from colleagues.
1pm to 2pm Took lunch break
2pm to 3pm Updated calendar on paper and on-line. Received afternoon mail. Processed mail and prioritized what needed to be finished up today. Scheduled meeting between plaintiff and defendant attorneys regarding settlement of upcoming court case.
3pm to 4pm Went back through upcoming cases to verify that all paperwork that needed to be sent out was generated and ready for signatures. Checked attorneys credenzas for any letters that needed signed today. Started making copies of correspondence that was being mailed out today.
4pm to 5pm Telephone calls from opposing counsel regarding upcoming hearings. Schedule changes to subpoenas. Completed copies needed for briefs to be filed today. Typed address labels for all interested parties and prepared filing packets. Ensured all pages were copied properly.
5pm to 6pm Dropped off all mail packets that needed today’s postmark. Verified that I had entered all billable time online. Checked voice mail and email for any vital messages that needed a response today. Logged out on the computer. Left work for the day.
6pm to 7pm not at work
7pm to 8pm not at work
8pm to 9pm not at work
9pm to 10pm not at work
10pm to 11pm not at work
11pm to 12am not at work

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
The attorney approached me and asked if I was interested in working for him.

What was the application process?
I met with him a couple of times over lunch to discuss specifics of the job.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I met informally with the attorneys I would work with to see if our personalities meshed. They were already aware of my capabilities, having interacted with me previously on several cases.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I think they asked me about where I hoped to be in 5 years, if I expected to pursue further education.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes and no. They did the best they could given the time restraints. A lot of what I need to know was and is learned by doing it. Each day is different, each case is different.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I was able to shadow a co-worker for a week and given a manual on certain job procedures. But I have primarily used my prior experience to forge my own way in doing the tasks that need to be done.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Definitely. My college emphasized writing skills and this helped me to become an effective writer. I also had to learn how to do research from several different sources.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
n/a

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
If someone wants to work for an attorney, they could start in the mailroom or as a file clerk. They could learn how the office works and what type of law that particular office specializes in. Once they had this foundation, they could either move up to a legal secretary and learn on the job, or take some classes for legal secretary or paralegal at a local college.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
A person would need to operate a computer, type, and do research. They would need to be able to juggle several projects at once and understand how to prioritize their workload.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
A college degree is very useful.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be flexible and don’t take things personally. Read everything over again before hitting “print” and again after you have printed. Keep records of what you do.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Not really part of any career plan. I just enjoy doing it. I have a small child and that is more important to me.

What are your current career goals?
I mainly just want to do the best that I can each day, with each case that I touch. I have put my career goals on hold until my child is older. Only then will I focus more on career satisfaction and growth.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
no

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 office manager 1.4 years 28000 Managed patient flow, handled payment transactions, typed reports, and daily running of a doctor’s office. Interacted with patients, doctors, and attorneys. Performed therapies.
Prior Job 2 hearing representative 4 years 35000 Represented employer’s interests at hearings, composed correspondence regarding hearings and future action/strategy; visited client job sites to assess safety issues; attended ongoing training sessions.

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:4

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3 COW B.A.
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)
n/a n/a n/a

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