Are you a Paralegal/Legal Assistant?

What do you do? I am a commercial construction litigation paralegal. My supervision attorney focuses on multi-party complex construction litigation matters. The proper question would be what DON'T you do. In this firm, I am literally responsible for everything EXCEPT giving legal advice. I draft legal documents, I do limited legal research, I am responsible for knowing the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, filing deadlines, filing procedures, efiling procedures, federal filing procedures, responsible for knowing the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, I file, I fax, I scan, I email, I write correspondence, I maintain the firm schedule, I prepare 2 attorneys for hearings, trial and mediation/arbitrations. I also maintain the firm's document management system. I can easily scan 10,000 pages of documents for ONE client. I write demand letter, draft law suits, draft discovery outgoing and responses, and send out mechanic lien notice letters. It is my job to know where everything is and produce it when any attorney needs it. I also archive files when the client file closes.

How is your pay? I work in Central Texas. Pay here isn't that great because we are composed of smaller cities. Salaries here do not compare to that of those in bigger cities. In comparison to the wages in the area, I am paid well with a healthy end of year bonus. I have full benefits. My firm doesn't track sick leave. My firm is all about family first, which is rare. As long as I have my work done and perform when they need it, they are very lax.

Do you enjoy it? Yes. It was the best decision of my life. I have a fulfilling career doing what I love. You have to love being the person in the background that rarely gets recognition. I thrive on that. Many do not. If you want a pat on the head every time they do something right, this is not the field for you. There is rarely time for that. There is usually a high standard set on your shoulders. It is a lot of stress and pressure, but I thrive in that environment. I like being the pin that holds everything together. I don't need the constant positive reinforcement, and I think that is part of what makes me good at what I do.

How did you become a paralegal? - I was living in Washington State at the time. Ex-husband cheated on me, and I filed for divorce the same day. I had every piece of paper the attorney needed in a file folder. Everything was categorized and labeled. In fact, I pretty much drafted the divorce. I just needed an attorney to sign it. He offered me a job. I didn't take the job, but he told me I would make a great paralegal. I moved to Texas, and started my life over. My divorce attorney's encouragement is what made me choose this path. I earned an associate's degree in Paralegal Studies. I applied for a paid internship in my last semester. I was hired full time after a week and still work for the same firm. I am a member of the local bar association, the Texas Construction Division, and the State Bar of Texas Paralegals.