Legal Assistant 

(Female, Age 39) from Melrose, MA

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 39 who works as a Legal Assistant in Melrose, MA. 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 Legal Assistant
Salary $63,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 35
Company Size (not answered)
Location Melrose, MA
Years Experience 20 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.
Law firm with approximately 100 employees dealing with civil litigation, criminal, real estate law, corporate, reinsurance, domestic relations.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I work with three attorneys drafting motions, correspondence, docketing court dates, answering phones, billing, time entries.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
4 weeks vacation, 1 week sick/personal, 80% health insurance paid; 401 (k) employer match program

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

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes – love my job

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

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 to leave for work
8am to 9am Commuting to work
9am to 10am read emails, check phone messages.
10am to 11am open mail delivered, calendar court dates
11am to 12pm update files and check emails for work that may have come in
12pm to 1pm lunch
1pm to 2pm possibly deliver motions to court or get ready for court dates the next day
2pm to 3pm check with attorneys to see if they are all set for the next day
3pm to 4pm finish up last minute work that may have come in and needs to be completed that day; check for outgoing/incoming faxes and deliver them to the appropriate person.
4pm to 5pm Make a check list for things to do the next day and put in time entries
5pm to 6pm commute home
6pm to 7pm
7pm to 8pm
8pm to 9pm
9pm to 10pm
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
Newspaper – Boston Globe

What was the application process?
Submitted resume

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes – I interviewed with the office administrator who in turn had me meet with the attorneys whom I would be working with.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
It was too long ago to remember, but I do remember he asked me what I thought I was worth.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
The woman who I replaced was not there to guide me, therefore, I think I went in to the job without knowing anything but was able to catch on by asking my supervisors questions

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
When I first started, the company was small and I had to self-train.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Absolutely. I took several computer classes, legal research and writing classes so I was familiar with the legal terminology. I also did a co-op and wokred part time at a law firm so I had some experience before I got my full-time job.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Yes, see above

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get into the firm of their choice by taking something to get their “foot in the door” and then move up the ladder.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You should have at the minimum an associates degree as most firms are not even looking at resumes unless they have or are attending college. Computer skills are very important also. They should be proficient in Word, Excel and possibly Power Point as well as understanding how to multi-task and how to deal with high stress at times. Deadlines happen frequently and you must be able to think under high pressure.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, see above

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Build up a good trusting relationship with your attorney(s). Always be one step ahead of them to show them you are involved in their practice and that it is not just “a job” to you. It makes them appreciate you more by showing an interest in their cases and that you are always aware of what is going on, in case they are not.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes and no. I would still like to do something part-time to try out something different from the legal world.

What are your current career goals?
I would like to go back to school and learn more about insurance/health care legal issues.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
If you want to work in the legal field, but do not want to go to law school, this is the job for you.

Prior work history

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

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Legal Assistant 20 years 63000 Legal Assistant
Prior Job 2

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:3.4

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.8 Fisher Paralegal/Legal Assistant
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)

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