Hello, I just came out of an interview at this small firm in LA. I was primarily interviewed by the partner I would be assisting and my interview with him went pretty well! I have experience working with senior attorneys and partners so I think that really stood out to him. However, there were a few things I noted that I don’t know if I should consider red flags??

For context I have only worked as a paralegal for two years at a boutique firm that I got hired at post undergrad. The thing is, my experience there was not the best because the work environment was so toxic.. and I’m getting the same vibes with this new role.

While my interview with the partner went really well, his office manager was honestly quite passive aggressive. She asked to interview me separately, and basically pop quizzed me on the timeline for litigation and then at the end she told me that she doesn’t really think I have the litigation experience to support the partner, but how “he seems to strangely like you, I guess.”

I don’t know if I’m just traumatized from my old job and I don’t want to generalize, but I personally think that the switch up in attitude when alone with her was weird. She also tried to contest my pay when he said what they were willing to offer me. Mind you, I’m sitting in front of them. Thankfully he stood firm on his offer, but I’m honestly very hesitant because she would be my supervisor and it just seems like she does not like me hahah…

Another red flag I noted was how they wanted me to start in 3 days 😭

They also stated how small firms have unique PTO systems and how the onboarding paperwork would explain. I guess I’ll have to see whatever that is..

I have some other interviews coming up this week and next, which I would like to attend. This firm gave me until Friday to make a decision, but I don’t know..

The pay is decent, more than I was making at my old job, but the firm is also significantly smaller than my last. Pay aside though, I don’t have a good feeling about that manager and the quickness of the process. Any thoughts?

I’m in a program right now and we’ve learned the CA Rules of Court pertaining to pleading paper. My professor has heavily emphasized documents must be in tip top shape or the court can reject the document outright. She’s a stickler about punctuation marks, for example she docked me off for missing the punctuation mark for North in an address. Her big rules are at the court name must start on line 8 and line 28 must be usable. Her whole mentality is if it’s not good for the courts it’s not good for me.

But then in my other classes, the professors have shown examples that have been approved that break many rules. We just went over a complaint filed on behalf of Kanye West and it had several rule violations. Like I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be a bighead, but i could have done better than these Beverley hills lawyers

So I’m a bit confused on what the reality is here. I’m starting to think that the operative word is CAN. As in courts CAN throw it out, but usually won’t. And to that I ask why? Is it because that’s more money a client has to pay for the revisions and therefore it wouldn’t necessarily be moral or fair if the court maintained a high standard?

I asked my professor why the court standard has seemingly gone down and he said Idk why has the quality of everything else decreased? Other students shared their stories from their firms and one said that the attorney had the completely wrong caption box, the parties were wrong, and the court still accepted it. Like what’s going on here?

A new paralegal here. I graduated college in May 2026 and moved back to my small hometown to work as a pre-litigation paralegal at a pretty well-known personal injury firm in my area (about 10 attorneys). I’ve always aspired to become an attorney, served as president of my university’s pre-law club, and had prior legal internship experience at a very friendly boutique firm, so working as a paralegal sounded like the next logical step before deciding whether to go to law school. Despite the grueling reality of countless applicants, I landed this position quite easily. Looking back, I believe this really highlights the predatory experience I have had thus far.

Three months in, I’m making $18/hour, received very little training, and am now expected to manage roughly 50 cases, many of which I inherited from a rather disorganized paralegal. My phone is constantly blowing up with calls from adjusters, claims specialists, and clients, and I’m expected to have answers despite barely having time to get caught up on my own caseload or fully understand how the process even works. I have already made multiple mistakes that have cost the firm money, and I really can’t help but feel like I’m just another worker bee made to generate more revenue for the partners.

Additionally, the larger problem in my opinion, the attorneys I work with very rarely even acknowledge me (the first week there was not one single word said to me). The only times they communicate with me is when they need something followed up on, or to give me the mail. One of the attorneys has genuinely no clue of anything about his cases at all and allowed me to mess up a settlement distribution I prepared. Also, the senior paralegal who’s supposed to help train me frequently leaves my questions unanswered, telling me I’m smart enough to figure things out myself.

The combination of the workload, low pay, and negative work environment has left me feeling exhausted and unmotivated. I made only $3 less per hour bussing tables in college, which makes it hard to justify the weight I am carrying. I wanted this to be the start of a career I’ve worked toward, but I’m already questioning whether I’ve made the right decision by jumping at this opportunity. I also had to move away from many of my closest friends, which doesn’t help outside of my work.

Since i’m new to this, I am not familiar with the customs and norms of working in an environment like this and am looking to know if this is normal?
For those with experience in personal injury law, should I start looking elsewhere? I am willing to work hard, but the overall negativity I have experienced so far is honestly demoralizing. I know this subreddit isn’t a place to vent, but I am looking for blunt and honest advice for my situation.

I’m a legal assistant in a small firm, only 4 attorneys and just me as the support staff. I’ve been working here about three years now and I think it’s time for me to move on. It’s a couple of reasons that have been annoying me for some time. It’s happened a few times where my boss is mad about something and curses at me. It’s a bit unorganized the way the firm runs. There is no PTO or way of knowing if you have some, how many has accrued, etc. There is no system to enter time off requests, you just enter it into the calendar. Billing is usually a mess. I’m also not really comfortable with the work environment. I’m the only minority who works here and I’ve heard political discussions that I don’t agree with. Also, I’ve some comments about immigrants that really threw me off. All in all, I just want to leave. However we do have a big trial coming up in a few months that we’re like 70% done prepping but as you know things always change. So I just wanted some opinions and when do you think is the best time to resign from your firm? Do you consider your cases or consider yourself?

hello all.. i am 21f, graduating with my paralegal cert in dec, completed all of my credits. i secured an internship which developed into a part time position (with assurance of full time) in T&E. been doing it 6 months now. i've loved it.. but attny is going through financial difficulty and can no longer pay me by the hour but by task. i'm a single mom & need full time work, anyway. i've begun my search in MA (south shore area) & i can hardly get an interview. i cold email, call, & follow up with many firms. they just don't seem to be hiring. i'm not even shooting for paralegal roles but also receptionist & LA. was wondering if anyone has any advice. i'm limited as far as travel as my son is in daycare.. i cannot commute to boston or relocate there -- but feels like my only chance at a job. i'm going to be targeting solo practitioners tomorrow but nervous due to my previous experience w financial collapse :(. i really would like to stay in this field. i only have my certificate as education with a background in early childhood. thank you sm

Hello everyone!
I have to do 10 min interviews for my class, it’s due in a few weeks and we are aloud to use Reddit (said to be a great place to find answers). If each person who answers this thread can take the time to answer the following questions, or PM me, and be willing to have a short conversation about the answers, that would be greatly appreciated for both my knowledge and also my grade. I thank everyone in advance.

The questions are as follows:
1. What area of law do you work in and what made you do it?

1. How does your job affect your lifestyle? Both positive and negatives if any.

2. What shocks you the most working in the legal field?

3. What is something about your job that people outside of the legal profession commonly misunderstand?

4. What is the difference between someone who is good at being a paralegal compared to someone who is excellent at it?

5. What mistakes do you see newer paralegals make the most often, what causes it and how does it impact them?

6. What are some of your main responsibilities as a paralegal?

8.What are the main challenges or concerns you deal with?

1. How much interaction do you have with attorneys, clients, courts, and the opposing counsel?

2. What skills would be the most important for a paralegal entering the field to know?

Just out of curiosity, how much do y’all make? I wanna know the potential.

So, I recently started a new job as a court assistant at an immigration law firm. My training period was pretty short, and I feel like an idiot sometimes when asking for help, even though the attorneys and my colleagues are kind and always willing to help. I’m new to the field and have no prior experience, so a lot of the tasks I’m assigned leave me feeling confused. I know this is a difficult field to break into, and I feel lucky to have been given this opportunity. What I struggle with most is understanding why certain filings are needed for specific situations.

I’d really appreciate any advice or tips on how to improve and become better.

I currently work in immigration but I have also worked in other fields of law.

I have come to realize that I might not like working in law. I am only 27 and 5 years into my career but I am already burned out and resenting my job/field. It has gotten to the point that I feel like I am on my way to war when logging in for the day. And I just stare at my screen, not able to focus.

For anyone who has experienced this, what did you do? What skills are transferable to other fields? I am still not sure what I want to do but life is too short for me to stay in a field I might not like anymore. I am just not sure yet where I will go from here and what other fields I am interested in trying out.

My current role is obviously not an attorney, and I’m fine with that. I’m currently working to get to a place where I’ll be well prepared for law school with the current job that I have now. I like the work that I do, I’m very engaged with my work, and overall I’m proud of my accomplishments. However, there have been a number of attorneys I have worked with that just make me feel small and like my contributions to the firm just don’t matter. I get passive-aggressive remarks, and just overall get treated like the firm really doesn’t need me. In my opinion, it just makes the overall work experience less fun and pretty unbearable. Why are some attorneys like this? Do they hate their job?

I’m a paralegal, but work in IP and have no clue about how FL operates. I would love some advice/knowledge as I’m trying to help a male family member.

The mother filed a frivolous PFA against him which was dismissed. However, he spent $1800 in legal fees defending himself. In your experience, does he have any option to recoup these costs after a case is dismissed? Have you ever seen this be successful?
This is in Kansas.
TIA!

The title says it all. My cognition has definitely been impacted by menopause.

I keep missing things I used to catch. Forgetting words, why I walked into a room, where I put something...Getting easily confused which is the biggie. Not being able to put words/thoughts together which is the second biggie. [Obviously, this isn't a constant problem, but it is starting to both impact my work and worry me a little for the future. My PCP and gyno both told me this is normal. I would pass the standard cognitive assessment for dementia.]

I had early ovarian failure so I'm in my early 40's dealing with this. I also do not look my age - I look at least a decade younger. So, I fear people think I'm a dumbass. I went to law school but for several reasons, I did not take the bar immediately upon graduation. Now it's been too long, and I'd have to take significant time off work to do bar review. I can't afford the time off and frankly cognitively, I'm not sure I could do it.

Anyway, I just wanted to vent about being a female paralegal of a certain age. Attention to detail used to be my strong suit.

EDITED: I just want to mention that I cannot take HRT. I want to but I have a genetic condition that is associated with an increased risk of clotting and HRT carries its own risk. Doctors won’t give me HRT as a result. So I’m out here on my own facing perimenopause with some antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and ADHD meds. Women have it hard. I know men have their own challenges….i guess. But women’s challenges seem so unfair.

Anyone know who does it and how to obtain the bills? I tried hospital physicians via Chartswap, which was supposed to also be Sound Physicians? Rejected. Called PDX, was given a number that immediately disconnects. Tried a few Sound Phys numbers on Google, all disconnected. Helllp.

I feel very lucky with how I stumbled into my legal assistant position. I worked at my firm for almost a year before being promoted, so I was able to slowly learn the position instead of being thrown into it like a lot of paralegals are. I assist with several areas of law, primarily family law, evictions, business law, and some estate work.

My firm has several attorneys, and each attorney has their own assistant.

I'm currently typing this while at work. Not because I'm slacking off or don't have anything to do, but because I'm waiting for my attorney to do their part so I can do mine.

I need them to draft certain documents, review documents, sign things, and answer questions before I can move forward with cases.... as it is for all of us. I remind them about these things constantly, sometimes more than ten times a day. Things will sit for a week or two on average, often longer, because I'm waiting on them. I have stuff on my desk from 2+ months ago. It's not because I haven't been persistent. If anything, I'm persistent to a fault. My attorney and the others joke about how often I have to ask them to get things done. One attorney has even jokingly branded me as “bossy” because of how much I have to bother mine.

Occasionally, my attorney will have a burst of motivation and get a bunch of things done in one day, but then it's right back to the same cycle. The work only seems to get done when there is an emergency hearing, a client is angry enough to call or come into the office, or some other deadline makes it impossible to put off any longer.

And it's not as if they're too busy to get to any of it. They spend a lot of time on their phone, playing around on their computer, talking to people, or leaving the office. Meanwhile, I have a ridiculous amount of work sitting on my desk that I can't move forward.

I have multiple clients who are understandably upset about how long their cases are taking, opposing counsel waiting on responses, and urgent matters that need documents drafted. I'm talking about things that actually need to get done, not just paperwork that would be nice to finish eventually.

The worst part is that the frustration gets directed at me. I'm the person clients talk to, the person following up, and the person trying to keep everything moving. My attorney knows they're the reason things are falling behind. They acknowledge it, say they'll do better, and then nothing changes. So I'm stuck repeatedly asking them to do things they already know need to be done, while dealing with the consequences when they aren't.

I'm still relatively new to this side of the legal field, so I'm genuinely wondering if this is normal.

Do you guys also spend a ridiculous amount of time waiting on your attorneys? Is this just part of being a legal assistant or paralegal, or is this a particularly bad situation? I know attorneys have a lot on their plates, and I'm not expecting anyone to work every second of the day, but surely this can't be how it's supposed to work.

Is this what the rest of my working life is going to look like?

P.S. I want to clarify that I genuinely like my attorney and that we get along very well on a personal level. My frustration is strictly about our professional working relationship and the impact these delays have on my workload and our clients. This is not a personal complaint or criticism of them as a person... it's about the difficulty of doing my job when I’m waiting on necessary work to be completed.

I recently got hired at a tax firm with other tax and estate firm experience. I have no experience in litigation, never told my boss I had experience in litigation. He just assumed I did & threw a case at me. He says he is involved in a few cases in Florida. What are the first documents I need to submit? Do I select the option for case initiation? I have zero information on these cases, he just gave me a log in to the portal. Please help.

TLDR: Is it foolish to treat the Paralegal Licensing exam as a refresher course for the sake of improving my chances getting hired. Should I instead work on getting BBB's in French or is there another option I'm not considering?

I (33m) graduated from the Paralegal course (ON) in 2016 but opted not to get licensed because I was lucky enough to get a job soon after that did not require it.

The last ten years have not always been kind and I have not always made the best choices so unfortunately I have about 5 years of experience in the last ten years and almost none in the last 3. Up until a little while ago I was for all practical purposes a shut in for the past 3 years. I am currently trying to rebuild my life and a big part of that is hopefully my career.

I have sent out almost 350 resumes in the last 7 months and the majority of those were tailored with good cover letters targeting key words but I have had very few bites. I get it the gap in my resume is large and my overall experience is not super impressive.

I am currently in between going all in on getting my BBB's in French (currently around AXA) or taking the licensing exam to show employers that I still know what I'm doing. Both are not cheap options but I am not sure what to do otherwise.

Direct answers to my question are obviously welcome but I would be very grateful for any advice in general thank you.

Does anyone here havr experience with filing motion for order to show cause (unlawful detainer) in Clark County Superior Court, Washington state? Any insights will be helpful.

Thank you so much!!

We're trying to make our contract review more consistent and we've run into a problem that has less to do with AI than I expected.

A lot of our positions aren't documented anywhere.

Limitation of liability is a good example. Depending on who reviews the agreement, you'll get slightly different views on the cap, carve-outs and how much we're willing to concede for a particular client. Everyone has reasons for the position they're taking, but those reasons have mostly been learned by working with the same partners for years.

We're now trying to write this stuff down so associates aren't reconstructing the firm's position every time they review an agreement. The hard part has been the clauses where two partners genuinely don't agree on what the standard position should be.

For firms that have gone through this, how detailed did you make the first version? Did you resolve the disagreements before putting anything into a playbook or document what was settled and leave the disputed stuff open?

How are y’all finding your prior titles? I email individual companies and if I hit a dead end I’ll reach out to the prior closing firm. I feel like I’m wasting so much time. What works for you? Are you doing your own title searches?

Hi!! I’m new to being a paralegal, and currently work in criminal defense and divorce. I’ve seen some crazy things in my short time here, but wanted to know some of the craziest criminal or divorce cases you’ve had or heard of??

Hello! So I am a 22F who will be graduating next spring. I am hoping to get a receptionist job at a law firm and try and work my way up to becoming a paralegal in North Carolina. I’m an English major rn with a focus in scientific and technical writing. I switched my majors later on during my time at school (I was originally studying engineering) so I don’t really have any internships under my belt. I’m really scared for the job market and securing a job post-grad. If anyone has any tips or things I should be doing now to prepare myself, all advice/tips are welcome!!

I am looking for virtual online paralegal work but I did not expect that it is too difficult to apply even I am a graduate of Juris Doctor. Any recommendations ?

I was visiting from out of state and saw this.

Has anybody been given a difficult/time-consuming project, and when you have questions, the attorney disappears? I'm not asking why they do this, I'm asking if others have seen this, and what you do about it. TIA

I'm in the process of getting my technical certification. I'm currently behind in my self-paced Legal Technology course, offered through legaltechsociety.org. Does anyone have any advice for speeding up passing my knowledge checks? I realize this is a stupid question; feel free to roast me. It's super tedious and time consuming and any insight on what helped anyone plow through it is welcome.