Paralegal
(Female, Age 46) from Crowley, TX
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 46 who works as a Paralegal in Crowley, TX. 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 | $55,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Crowley, TX |
| Years Experience | 4 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.
I work for a law firm. We practice Personal Injury, Bankruptcy, Social Security Disability, Family and Criminal law. There are approximately 48 employees.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I am a Senior Negotiator in the firm. I negotiate settlements on personal injury claims with the insurance companies. I evaluate each claim and assess the damages to each client.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
2 weeks vacation, 4 sick days
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel I am well compensated.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I do work with others. Before I receive the file, a legal assistant gethers the police report, medical and billing records and any potential liens on the file. Once they send out what is called a Demand packages which includes all of the client’s medical and billing records, the file is given to me for further evaluation. During my evaluation of the file, I consistently talk to the legal assistant who prepared the demand for any further information I may need or any items which may be missing from the file. I do like the team environment.
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.
I work in a 2 story office building which is owned by the attorney. I have my own office and greatly enjoy the people I work with everyday.
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: 7
Hours: 6
Co-Workers: 1
Supervisors: 4
Job Title: 3
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 2
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 | |
| 8am to 9am | Arrive at work at 8:30. I check my work emails and respond to any that were received. I look through any correspondence I was not able to respond to the day before and make sure I respond and/or log in the correspondence in the client’s file and file the document(s). Take incoming calls as needed. |
| 9am to 10am | Return any phone calls not returned from the day before. Respond to any faxes which came in from the afternoon before. One of the receptionists gets all the faxes, sorts them and puts them in each person’s inbox. Transfer any files that have been settled and any that need suit filed on them. Take incoming calls as needed. |
| 10am to 11am | Review my client list for any upcoming Statute of Limitations cases. In Texas, either a claim has to be settled or suit filed or the client loses all rights to their claim. If there are any coming up within the next 3 months, I pull them to discuss with the attorney in the afternoon. I also check for any cases where I sent out counter demands where an adjustor has not responded and I start pulling those files one at a time to respond to. Take incoming calls as needed. |
| 11am to 12pm | Continue pulling files to follow up on counter demands. Do any filing that needs to be done. Take incoming calls as needed. |
| 12pm to 1pm | LUNCH! |
| 1pm to 2pm | Return any calls that were not taken in the morning. Discuss any cases that have statutes coming up, cases with issues or large cases with large offers with the attorney. After discussing with the attorney, I follow through with his suggestions on each case. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Take incoming calls as needed and return any calls not taken while with the attorney. Review and evaluate between 3-5 new cases, prepare the case evaluation form, send each client an email introducing myself and the negotiation process. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Continue evaluating cases. When evaluating a case, I review the property damage, police report (if there is one), medical and billing records, client’s injuries and any other important information. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Check my inbox for mail and any new faxes. Sort and respond to the mail and faxes. Take incoming calls as needed. |
| 5pm to 6pm | From 5-5:30, I wrap up any loose ends for the day and place any files on my desk that I need to take action on for the next day. |
| 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?
I applied for a personal injury law firm position I found in the newspaper.
What was the application process?
I mailed my resume to the law firm. This was in 1990 so there was no email available and they did not give a fax number.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I interviewed with the attorney who owned the firm. I went in at 10:00 a.m. and received a phone call by noon that I was hired for the job. I was really surprised as I had no legal or computer experience. At that time, no one really had to have a degree or much computer experience for a legal assistant position.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I only remember a few of the questions. One was if I had any prior legal experience. I told the attorney no. Also, did I have any computer experience. I told the attorney very little.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, he did. I had a lot of detailed instruction and was able to ask questions as I went along.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I don’t recall any formal training other than maybe a few seminars but I could not afford them at the time. All of my training came on the job by 2 amazing Paralegals who had been the field for many years.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Only in the sense of having a good work ethic and great spelling and grammar.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I never interned anywhere.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would highly recommend getting your Legal Assistant degree from your local college. During your course studies you will be required to do an internship and this will get your feet wet working in a law firm. Ask friends or family who are in the same field what they like and/or dislike about the area of law they are working in and why.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Great organization skills, detail oriented, great customer service, patience, punctuality and able to work in as a team and independently.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
If you can get your foot in the door at a law firm and learn with hands on experience, I feel that is the best way to learn. A college degree will definitely help you get in to a firm quicker.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Pay attention and learn as much as you can. Take great notes for future use. Details, organization and deadlines are extremely important in the legal field. Miss a deadline and you could very well lose a case and cause the attorney to have a grievance filed against him and possibly a lawsuit by the client.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. I enjoy my job, the people I work with and the attorney I work for.
What are your current career goals?
To continue as a Paralegal and take on more responsbilites as time moves on at the firm I work at.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I love the personal injury area of law because every case is different and I meet some very interesting clients.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Paralegal | 5 years | 63000 | Sign up new clients and explain the process. Prepare petitions, discovery requests and responses, prepare motions, affidavits, trial documents and other legal documents. Accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll. Supervise, hire and terminate employees. Prepare tax reports for CPA. Go to trial with the attorney as needed. Meet with clients and take case related calls. |
| Prior Job 2 | Paralegal | 2 years | 40000 | Answer phones, type up real estate contracts and agreements, set up corporations with the Secretary of State and file necessary documents, make copies, set appointments, accounts payable/accounts receivable, miscellaneous projects as directed by attorneys. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.6
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.4 | Tarrant County College | Legal Assistan/Assoc. in Applied Science |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
N/A |
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