Paralegal Jobs
Inside the Work Day
Careerleak's Typical Day Series goes behind the scenes in everyday careers, with articles written by the employee themselves. Find out what they are excited about, what issues they confront and more.
A Typical Day of a Paralegal
The following is an accounting of one my typical days as a paralegal . I head into work each day running through my head what the day ahead may bring my way. There are days I know will be difficult and hectic. I begin my day by checking my inbox to see if there were any new messages for me or additional work to add to my stack of things to do.
 Once at my desk I go over the stack of things to do and revise by “To-Do” list. The phone often begins ringing before I am even seated at my desk. I take phone calls from clients. Phone calls range from the standard “is there anything new in my case” questions to the clients in crisis.
Since I am working with family law cases my emotions run high and people often act as in a state of emergency. Bankruptcy clients call because they’ve received a bill from a creditor who was listed in their petition. I get information over the phone, I share information over the phone and sometimes I just listen and let my clients who are in difficult situations vent after which I assure them that this too shall pass.
The other activity that fills much of time during a typical day is the drafting of pleadings and correspondence. I prepare Petitions, Motions, Judgments, and Orders under the direction of my boss. These documents range from short one page documents to lengthy Motions, Judgments and memoranda. The preparation of the before mentioned documents sometimes require research too; which is one of the more interesting parts of the job.
I also meet with clients. This can be very interesting and one of the more rewarding parts of the job. My clients are usually really nice people going through really hard times and if I can make things a little easier for them then I have done my job well.
I wind the day up making copies of the documents that must be mailed out and putting my filing away for the file clerk. Some days leave me emotionally drained, while other days I find happiness with a victory for one our clients.
I try to leave the job at work but many times I wake up with a thought about something new to try in a case or fretting over something I may have missed. All in all being a paralegal is a rewarding and challenging job.
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