I suspect this is unusual outside BigLaw. Most civil defense firms I know do bill their paralegals’ hours (or occasionally bill associate work at paralegal rates). IME, institutional clients rarely even look at legal bills anymore; review is done by software, and supplemented by third party billing review outsourcing providers.
Collections as in collecting the firm’s bills, not handling collections litigation for clients.
If the attorney can’t be arsed to make his/her clients pay him/her, and gives it to you, then definitely flee to another firm. As between “doing attorney work” and “getting clients to pay you” … well, any schmuck with a JD can do the former, but it’s the latter that counts.
Yup - I mean pursuing receivables from our clients.
And fleeing can be tricky, as a skill set you learn as a paralegal is very limiting. Once you pick a legal field, that can be it, as your PI skills don’t translate into corporate tax work, or whatever.
When I was at a big law firm, the paralegal culture was much as Kimmy describes. I would note, however, that my firm tended to hire very young people as its paralegals, presumably with the expectation that people in that phase of their lives are less likely to have families and other commitments that would interfere with their ability to drop everything and work 30 hours over a three-day weekend. Someone coming to the job later in life might have trouble getting noticed by firms of this nature.
My situation–
Tennessee State Government pays poverty wages, and I want out!
Of the State, and out of State, in that order!
Current wages, <$30K. Much less.
Rotten work environment.
Boring as f&ck.
Paralegal might yet be an improvement.
I’m looking for $40K, & a chance to move North.
I am 50 years old. I have a Liberal Arts Degree.
Will Paralegal cut it?
Other than the pay increase, why are you attracted to the field? There a lots of jobs that pay $40K or more. What is that you think a paralegal does all day? What do you like about that? What do you think you might find challenging as a paralegal?
You said that you’re hoping to move to a Northern state. Depending on where you move, the higher cost of living might wipe out the difference between your current $30,000 “poverty wages” and $40,000 or more elsewhere.
Bosda - I got my paralegal certification 25 years ago here in Nashville. Although I did well in the course (3.75 GPA - would’ve been better but it took the first couple classes to get back in the routine of school). Nashville is pretty conservative (and even more so back then) and I couldn’t find a paralegal job right away. I went to my fall-back job as a credit rep for a major local company. After a few years I moved up to credit manager and was in charge of the company vault files and UCC filings, as well as new accounts and some credit and collections. I’m now a senior analyst to data mining for a different company. The paralegal certification helped me take on the responsibility for the vault files and UCC filings, but hasn’t really improved my life. I’d’ve been credit manager without it and had less work.
StG
Anybody got any better ideas for a career?
I’m fresh out.
Well, can you get a similar job elsewhere? In other words, what else can you do with your current experience and background?
http://degreedirectory.org/articles/Schools_for_Registered_Health_Information_Technicians_FAQs.html
RHIT programs, which is related to medical coding but has expanded responsibility. It’s an extremely fast growing field. You do need aptitude in science and computer skills, but it can be highly lucrative.
At 50 years old with no experience, $40K probably isn’t happening even in the big cities. BigLaw isn’t going to look at you. Small law probably doesn’t pay that well for a newly minted paralegal.
Ex legal secretary checking in. Went back to school to become a paralegal, actually. Got the degree then decided I didn’t want to put up with assholes (as in, lawyers) all day.
I worked at quite a few law firms and never met a male paralegal, FWIW. Your gender won’t help you, IMHO, in some parts of the country (particularly the south).
Go to nursing school. You’re certainly bright enough, there’s always a nursing shortage and it’s a job you can do anywhere in the world.
While I would agree most paralegals are women, I have certainly met many male paralegals - especially at the film studios in LA, but even here in Las Vegas at mid-sized law firms.
Not so sure about that shortage of nurses - just heard recently on the news about newly graduating nurses having difficulties finding jobs. Depends where you live perhaps.
It certainly isn’t happening outside the big cities. I make less than that with six years’ experience (though I’d probably be making at least a third more doing plaintiff-side work).
Chemical photography?
Not a damn thing.
I don’t want a degree program.
I want out, soon!
Not years from now!
You can find certificate programs that give you the same content and allow you to sit for the registry exam. Do a little digging if it seems interesting.
Have you gone to a career counselor? It’s hard to offer advice piece meal. Sit with a counselor, have a coherent conversation and make a plan.
You may want something fast, but the fact is time passes no matter what. The time you spend dithering around could’ve been spent actually completing a program. Get some professional advice, is my experienced advice.
You’re right; chemical photography is dead or dying. But is your job purely photo development? Or do you also take or analyze photographs, which you can still do in the digital world?
Also, I second the suggestion to visit a real career counselor.
Great–how do I find one, here in Bug Tussle?