Question for the Legal Eagles on CP...(No not a legally billable question)

[Mosbonian]

A friend of mine who is a Paralegal is seriously thinking about getting completely out of the business because she feels a complete lack of respect on the part of the Partners she works for. ( a medium size law firm in a large city)

I am lucky in that, while I have my Paralegal Certificate, I have a completely different profession that keeps me significant to my company. But she says that most of her Paralegal compatriots all over her city feel the same way.

So...do Attorney's truly respect and appreciate the work that is done by Paralegals? Or do they just see them as glorified Legal Clerks?

[58-4ever]

Like any business, it depends on the person. Some are very well respected I'm sure,

but some are treated like the glorified legal clerks that they are. Same goes with

Doctors and Nurses.

[Baby Lee]

Though I have not worked with a paralegal in some time [and then it was in a plaintiff setting], it would seem, particularly in a defense [billable -v- contingency] setting, increasing billable hour pressures would create some strife between attorneys and paralegals.

[verbaljitsu]

That depends a lot. We love our paralegals at my office, but it also took going through several before we found ones we liked.

Just like any field, assholes will be assholes. Lazy pieces of shit will be lazy pieces of shit.

[Prodigal Son]

It depends on the setting and the person. Some are really good, but one fact that is not lost on lawyers is that the paralegals are paralegals (and not lawyers) for a reason. I've heard a lot of paralegals claim they are as smart as the lawyers they work for--and a select few are--but the majority who think that never apply to law school, and a number of others think highly of their intelligence all of the way until they get their LSAT scores and then realize exactly how smart a person has to be to get into a top tier school. And being a lawyer involves a lot more than being smart. Law school + bar prep = hard work.

In other words, paralegals who think they are lawyers are annoying, so I think some lawyers go out of their way--perhaps to a rude extent--to knock them down a peg from time to time.

[Saulbadguy]

So...do Attorney's truly respect and appreciate the work that is done by Paralegals? Or do they just see them as glorified Legal Clerks?

Depends on how hot they are.

[luv]

Some interesting takes. I am currently going to school to become a paralegal. So far, I can definitely tell that they are more than just "glorified legal clerks". My teachers have worked in the field, so we hear a lot of stories on how what we're learning applies to the job. One thing that we've been taught is that, while sometimes it feels like paralegals are the ones who do all of the work, we are to respect our attorneys. We are not authorized to practice law while they are, and they are held responsible for the actions of their paralegals' actions. Basically, while we do most of the leg work, they are the ones who apply our research to the court room, win cases, and give the legal advice based on our findings. However, if we do a poor job, and our attorney is not fully prepared, then that reflects poorly on the attorney in the courtroom.

I'd definitely say that the paralegal either has a jerk attorney, or maybe they need to reflect on some of their actions to make sure their attorneys are not simply reacting.