IN THIS CHAPTER

Enhancing your paralegal career

Avoiding behaviors that can hurt your success as a paralegal

After you secure a paralegal position, you can do — and avoid doing — a few key things to make sure your career is successful. Here are few tips from working paralegals.

Continue Your Education

The practice of law changes, especially in specialized areas, like bankruptcy and estate planning, so keep on top of your profession by enrolling in continuing legal education courses periodically throughout your career. You’ll not only gain valuable information but also good friendships with other paralegals. Local colleges, bar associations, and paralegal organizations are good sources for specialized paralegal courses.

Keep a Good Legal Dictionary Nearby

Legal terminology can seem like a foreign language (and in many cases it is — Latin!). To ensure that you understand every document you read and apply the correct terminology to the documents you draft, have easy access to a comprehensive and comprehensible legal dictionary, such as Webster’s New World Law Dictionary (Wiley) or Black’s Law Dictionary, Pocket Edition. websites such as https://thelawdictionary.org/ and mobile apps provide immediate sources of legal definitions.

Maintain the Integrity of Your Profession

The paralegal profession requires strict adherence to moral and ethical codes and a strong sense of responsibility for the welfare of your office’s client. Discipline yourself to maintain a sense of decorum when you work with attorneys, clients, and the courts. If you allow your integrity to slip, you’ve lost the trust of your supervisors, co-workers, and clients, and when your integrity is gone, getting it back is difficult.

Be Polite and Patient with Court Clerks

If you’re in charge of scheduling hearings and filing documents with the courts, you may be dealing with court clerks. They’re good people to have on your side, so be kind to them regardless of how frustrated they may make you. You’ll probably need a favor from them later on, and you know the old saying about honey and vinegar… .

Take a Mind Reading Course

Most paralegals concur that their supervising attorneys expect them to know what they want before they express it. One paralegal even bought a crystal ball for the office to see if it could tell the staff what the boss was thinking!

You won’t be able to literally read your supervising attorney’s mind, but in the high-stress environment of the law office, having a sense of humor — and getting to know the operations and your supervisor’s style well enough to anticipate needs before they arise — is a huge help.

And if you come across a good mind reading course, let us know!

Enjoy Problem Solving

Analyzing legal issues requires law professionals to think creatively. To be a good paralegal, you have to enjoy tackling tough problems. Legal problems are a lot like puzzles: You have to search for the smallest details and try pieces in different arrangements to solve them. Sometimes the frustration tries your patience, so it helps if you like playing detective.

Refrain from Badmouthing Other Paralegals and Attorneys

Just like court clerks, you’ll end up relying on all the members of the legal staff eventually, and it’s amazing who can catch wind of an offhand unkind comment you make about another. The same advice applies to attorneys and paralegals who work in different law firms. You never know when you may end up working with them (or for them!).

Never Act as though You’re Irreplaceable

Although the attorney you work for would be lost without you, don’t act as if you know that! If you cop a diva attitude, and treat others without respect, you may find yourself replaced in a hurry.

Don’t Count on a Normal Work Schedule

Paralegals who work for litigation attorneys can expect late hours and lots of overtime. No matter how prepared the legal team may be for deposition or trial, something always needs attention at the last minute. Paperwork is so voluminous, it may require days (and nights) to comb through it all. And, you may be asked to attend an eleventh-hour settlement conference on a Saturday afternoon. If you’ll only be happy with a 9-to-5 schedule, stick to areas of law like estate planning and intellectual property that traditionally don’t involve a lot of litigation. But be warned. Every area of law is subject to long hours at unusual times.

Resist the Urge to Gossip about Clients

It’s inevitable: The characters you meet in the practice of law will amuse and baffle you. And talking about them with your co-workers and family can be tempting. To maintain your respectability, don’t chat about client idiosyncrasies with the rest of the office staff. And to uphold your ethical duty, never discuss clients with anyone outside the law office, even your closest friends and family members.