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Getting to Work as a Paralegal

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published February 18, 2013

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left

A number of career alternatives are open to a paralegal, from getting a job under and employer to alternative career tracks. In the first part of this article, we briefly mention alternative career tracks to a full job, and in the second part, we talk about finding your first job as a paralegal.

Contract Paralegals


Contract, or freelance, paralegals are hired by attorneys or companies to work on a case-by-case basis. It is quite rare for a newly graduated paralegal to attempt such a career, but it may be something you'll want to consider after you have several years of experience. The benefits of self-employment include the freedom to structure your own time and to choose the projects you want to work on. The disadvantages include uncertainty about your income and the necessity of paying your own business expenses. In addition, you must be able to market yourself.
 
Getting to Work as a Paralegal

Temporary Paralegals

Some paralegals prefer to work through temporary agencies. Some are placed by companies such as Kelly and Manpower that place a variety of workers in a variety of jobs. In a few larger cities, legal temporary agencies are sprouting up. These agencies place attorneys, paralegals, and legal secretaries in temporary positions. Many people enjoy temporary work; it gives you more control over your own time than full-time employment, with a bit more security than freelancing. If, as you finish your paralegal training, you're still unsure about the kind of paralegal work you'd like to specialize in, temporary placements give you an opportunity to try out a variety of positions. But it is less secure than full-time employment. You may have periods in which the agency has no assignment for you, and at times, you may have to take positions that you aren't interested in.

Independent Paralegals

Independent paralegals work directly with clients; their work is not directly supervised by an attorney. Independent paralegals help consumers; for example, fill out forms for bankruptcy, estate planning, and taxes. However, they still cannot give legal advice. So your clients need to know before they come to you which bankruptcy chapter they should file under, for example, or whether they should set up a trust. Once these matters have been determined by the client in conjunction with a lawyer, however, the client can save money by hiring a paralegal rather than a lawyer to fill out the forms.

I don't think you should consider being an independent paralegal until you have several years of experience. You will find, even as you attend your paralegal training that all your friends suddenly have legal questions they want to ask you. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between giving friendly advice and practicing law. You'll find your stock answer to certain questions becomes "You should check with an attorney practicing in that area." In every state in the U.S., it's illegal to practice law without a license, and you must be completely certain about what you can and cannot do.

How Do I Find My First Job?
United States

As you can glean from the above job descriptions, most employers prefer to hire paralegals with some formal training. On the other hand, many employers, particularly large employers, want to train their own paralegals. Most often, this in-house training is in addition to your paralegal education; occasionally, these employers want to hire someone with a bachelor s degree (but no paralegal training), or they promote a legal secretary from within the organization. Sometimes people with a background that is particularly desirable to a law firm or company, such as nursing or tax preparation, will be hired and trained in-house as legal assistants. But most people enter the profession after receiving formal paralegal training.

Many paralegal training programs offer or require an internship for their students. This is an excellent entree into the profession. Many lawyers were hired by their firm after interning there, and the same is true for paralegals. After all, firms don't take on an intern unless they have some work that needs to be done, and the internship period allows them to see if they like you and you like them before either of you contemplate making the arrangement permanent. And even if your internship doesn't result in a job offer, or you decide to decline the offer, an internship provides valuable experience that will help get you your first job. Most paralegals who don't get their first job through an internship will hear about openings through their paralegal school's placement program. It's very important to find out as much as you can about a placement office before you decide whether to attend a particular school.

Will There Be Jobs When I Start Looking?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of paralegals should continue to grow much faster than average. Most of these jobs will be newly created positions as companies and law firms continue to learn about the benefits of adding paralegals to their staffs. Of course, as more and more paralegal jobs open up, more people will enter the job market as paralegals, and the competition for available jobs will continue. This is why, if you want to become a paralegal, you will want the best possible training to be competitive.

The paralegal profession is affected by economic factors such as recessions, just as other occupations are. But paralegals can usually ride out any economic impact by being creative. In a recession, for example, people might put off spending money on estate planning, but more people will be filing bankruptcy. Also, I can see no sign that Congress or anybody else is considering the possibility of making fewer laws in the future; as long as they keep churning out laws, we will all need legal professionals to help us deal with them.

Where Will Paralegals Be Working?

Most paralegals will work in private law firms in the future, just as they currently do. Private companies, such as banks, real estate firms, insurance companies, and other corporate legal departments, will hire more paralegals in the future as well. Government agencies and departments on the federal, state, and local levels will also hire more paralegals in the future. Nonprofit organizations will probably continue to hire more paralegals as well, especially if the tide continues to move entitlement programs away from the government into the private sector. And as long as Legal Services Corporation manages to be refunded every year, it will continue to hire more paralegals in an effort to help keep costs down.

About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations—from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

  • Immigration law
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Insurance defense
  • Family law
  • Trusts & estates
  • Municipal law
  • And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

  • Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
  • Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
  • Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
  • Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success – The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm’s unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison’s legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here.

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials—he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison’s work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

  • Finds and creates job openings that aren’t publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
  • Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
  • Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney—no matter their background, law school, or previous experience—has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

  • Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
  • Senior attorneys who believed they were “too experienced” to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
  • Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options—only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
  • Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist—often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today – Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison’s expertise will help you take control of your future.

? Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.
Gain an advantage in your legal job search. LawCrossing uncovers hidden positions that firms post on their own websites and industry-specific job boards—jobs that never appear on Indeed or LinkedIn. Don't miss out. Sign up now!

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