Would a paralegal answer a few questions for me for a paper I'm writing?

1. I work in a 3 attorney law firm that specializes in construction litigation.

2. I have an Associates in Paralegal Studies from an ABA approved program.

3. My Associate's was from a community college. It took two years.

4. The program was ABA approved when I enrolled, but was no longer ABA approved when I graduated. I made sure my program tailored to the ABA requirements and received the distinction. I believe it is very important to attend a program that is accredited. It means there are standards and with standards, it ensures that you are receiving what you paid for.

5. Absolutely. I 100% feel that the classes I took prepared me for the duties I would be responsible for.

6. I will celebrate my 2nd anniversary as a paralegal on December 1st.

7. My employer trusts me with more than the average paralegal. On my first day, he told me that he would give me as much as I was willing to learn and handle.

8. Yes, I have my own office with a window.

9. I work with very three very eloquent, educated and polite attorneys. The secretary is like a Mother to me. All four of my co-workers treat me as an equal and tell me how valued I am on a daily basis.

10. We are a small firm and all share one secretary.

11. I am very computer literate and use those skills daily. I use all the advanced editing and reviewing tools in Microsoft Word. I would say that I am expert level on Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. I am often consulted by the entire firm when they cannot figure out something. I've taken advanced classes in all of Microsoft Office and my boss even had a sign made for my bulletin board that says, "Microsoft Office Guru."

12. No. We usually mediate or settle before going to trial. Our firm has only participated in one trial in the 1.5 years I have worked for them. If we do go to trial, I would be very confident that I would play a very important role. In the one trial, I was responsible for the trial presentation software, electronic scanning and OCR'ing of trial exhibits.

13. 100% ethical. All three attorneys do everything as they should and have never put me in an ethical dilemma.

14. My employer pays for my PPO insurance. It has low co-pays and an excellent prescription plan. I receive a month of paid vacation per calendar. Two weeks in the winter, two in the summer. I also have life insurance through the firm. Our firm is truly like a family. I am given time off whenever it is requested and I am paid. They do not track time and it is understood that if I abuse the privilege, it will be taken away.

15. I am on salary, so no overtime.

16. I am salary, I don't expect overtime. They pay me well and reward me well.

17. I work in a small city. The average starting salary would be $12-13/hr. I make more than that, but again. This is all dependent on experience and capability. We all make different wages. With bonus, I am currently making around $36k a year. I would honestly say I am higher paid than more experienced paralegals in this area. Again, this would be dependent on the size of city you work in. I work in a fairly small city.

18. Yes, I do. I do not have to be babysat. Out of respect, I report to my supervising attorney anyhow. If I need to leave the office, I let him know why and when I will be back. Communication is crucial in a law office. While they do not require me to do it, I do it anyhow.

19. Yes, construction litigation. We specialize in government contracts, joint ventures, teaming agreements, large scale construction disputes (by large scale, I mean millions at stake), and we throw a lot of rocks at the construction related state government departments. This includes equitable adjustment claims to city and state entities for reimbursement for time delays.

20. I am a member of my local and state bar associations. I am currently studying for my Certified Paralegal designation through NALA. My plan is to test for all designations.

21. I love it. There are too many individuals out there that are not fit for this line of work. They were enticed by poor programs with promises of jobs and that their pieces of paper were worth something. I 100% feel that paralegals should be responsible for their actions and conform the profession to a higher standard of professionalism. I run into too many "paralegals' that should have no business calling themselves such. Higher education standards and professionalism is needed to weed out those that don't truly respect and/or understand the profession. I feel a license will set a nationwide standard and give true paralegals the credit they deserve. I think that paralegals should be able to be "disbarred" for lack of ethical integrity and incompetence.

22. We take very little pro-bono work.

23. Yes. I am responsible for 20 hours of CLE for the State Bar of Texas, and 6 hours for my local paralegal association. My supervising attorneys also send me to attorney level CLE as they feel I am 10

--Type of law office, bank, insurance company, corporation, etc. in which the paralegal is employed-I work in a publicly traded alternative energy company.

--Did the paralegal have any formal education, or was he/she trained on the job? Formal education.

--If the paralegal has a formal education, was it from a 2yr., 4yr., Certificate program? Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies.

--Was the paralegal training program approved by the ABA? Does the paralegal feel

that ABA approved programs are necessary? The program I graduated from was and still is ABA approved. It is absolutely necessary the program is ABA approved as that is the minimum standard for any legal education.

--Does the paralegal feel that his/her education prepared them for their first entry-level job? To a certain degree but on the job training is probably much more valuable.

--How long has the paralegal been working in the profession? 13 years.

--Does the paralegal feel that his/her employer gives him/her enough responsibility? Depends on the employer. Some attorneys feel the paralegal is an attorney while others feel the paralegal is a secretary.

--Does the paralegal have his/her own office? Yes.

--Is the paralegal treated with respect by his/her employer? Yes.

--Does the paralegal have his/her own secretary? Does the paralegal share a secretary? Shared executive assistant.

--How computer literate is the paralegal? Does he/she utilize that knowledge? Paralegal must be the most computer literate of the legal group because they are called on for technical support.

--Has the paralegal attended a trial with his/her employer? Was he/she permitted to sit at counsel table with the attorney supervisor. When I worked as a litigation paralegal, I attended many trials.

--How ethical does the paralegal think that his/her employer is? Extremely ethical.

--What type of benefits does the paralegal receive? Health Insurance? Paid vacation? Vacation, health insurance, 401K, stock grants, tuition reimbursement, life insurance

--Does the paralegal receive compensation for overtime? No, I am salaried

--Does the paralegal feel that he/she should be compensated for overtime? Nope.

--What is the salary range for paralegals in the market and specialty that the interviewee works in? (Some paralegals are reluctant to answer questions relating to pay and others are very open). Make about 95K with bonus per year.

--Does the paralegal have the freedom to come and go from the office without reporting to his/her supervisor? Absolutely.

--Does the paralegal specialize in one particular area of law. Corporate governance; intellectual property; litigation; and contracts

--Does the paralegal know anything about National Paralegal Associations? Belong to local association and National Federation.

--How does the paralegal feel about possible licensing of paralegals? Think that it is going to be necessary with the influx of new paralegals and the lax education programs.

--Does the paralegal do any pro-bono work for attorneys or other law-related organizations? If so, How much time is devoted (weekly, monthly or yearly)? Work with CASA but it is not a requirement.

--Does the paralegal participate in any continuing legal education courses? I attend and teach several CLEs.

--Is the paralegal satisfied with her/his job? If they had the chance, would they choose paralegal as a career again?? Depends on the day on how satisified I am with my job but overall still love the field of law.

My sisters a paralegal and she says it's mad stressful lol doubt this helps but ye

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RE :Would a paralegal answer a few questions for me for a paper I'm writing?

I just need a few questions answered from a paralegal about your work environment and employer.

This would really help me out and I would be forever grateful for any/all help.

If you do not feel comfortable answering the questions on here, you can email me. Also, any questions you do not want to answer obviously that is okay.

Thank you so much for any/all help!!

I will do best answer for whoever helps the most!

Questions:

--Type of law office, bank, insurance company, corporation, etc. in which the paralegal is employed

--Did the paralegal have any formal education, or was he/she trained on the job?

--If the paralegal has a formal education, was it from a 2yr., 4yr., Certificate program?

--Was the paralegal training program approved by the ABA? Does the paralegal feel

that ABA approved programs are necessary?

--Does the paralegal feel that his/her education prepared them for their first entry-level job?

--How long has the paralegal been working in the profession?

--Does the paralegal feel that his/her employer gives him/her enough responsibility?

--Does the paralegal have his/her own office?

--Is the paralegal treated with respect by his/her employer?

--Does the paralegal have his/her own secretary? Does the paralegal share a secretary?

--How computer literate is the paralegal? Does he/she utilize that knowledge?

--Has the paralegal attended a trial with his/her employer? Was he/she permitted to sit at counsel table with the attorney supervisor.

--How ethical does the paralegal think that his/her employer is?

--What type of benefits does the paralegal receive? Health Insurance? Paid vacation?

Life Insurance? Etc.???

--Does the paralegal receive compensation for overtime?

--Does the paralegal feel that he/she should be compensated for overtime?

--What is the salary range for paralegals in the market and specialty that the interviewee works in? (Some paralegals are reluctant to answer questions relating to pay and others are very open).

--Does the paralegal have the freedom to come and go from the office without reporting to his/her supervisor?

--Does the paralegal specialize in one particular area of law.

--Does the paralegal know anything about National Paralegal Associations?

--How does the paralegal feel about possible licensing of paralegals?

--Does the paralegal do any pro-bono work for attorneys or other law-related organizations? If so, How much time is devoted (weekly, monthly or yearly)?

--Does the paralegal participate in any continuing legal education courses?

--Is the paralegal satisfied with her/his job? If they had the chance, would they choose paralegal as a career again??

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