Any legal secretaries or paralegals out there?

I am 4 classes away from getting my paralegal certification from Suffolk Community College. I just finished my masters in education and am having great difficulty finding a teaching job. I am debating finishing my paralegal courses and getting a job in that field andpossibly continuing to send out resumes to schools. Thoughts? Can you FM me starting salary ranges and how benefits packages work? Any info would be greatly appreciated! TIA

Re: Any legal secretaries or paralegals out there?

I was a paralegal for 7 years and worked in many different fields - I worked for the city in Legal Aid which was low pay, straight 9-5 with good benefits. Then I worked for a huge national firm which was okay base salary/awesome overtime $$, but many long hours depending on the case, benefits & perks were great too and 4 weeks vacation.

I would definitely recommend that you get a paralegal job and continue looking for teaching. Plus if you still need further education, many places offer tuition reimbursement.

Good luck!!

Re: Any legal secretaries or paralegals out there?

I've been a paralegal for the past 7 years myself and my expertise ranges from civil, PI, to corporate...I can tell you that in NYC you will most likely be starting off with a salary ranging in the upper 40s to 60s in some places...it depends on the size of the firm, its expertise and prestige.

If you have any other questions feel free to FM me.

Re: Any legal secretaries or paralegals out there?

Bump anyone else since this is more and more likely going to be my future career. Thanks!

Re: Any legal secretaries or paralegals out there?

I have been a Paralegal for nearly 16 years - both on LI & NYC. The city pays way more - so does Nassau County. Suffolk is the worst! Starting salaries are very varied - small firms usually pay less. Every firm I have worked in (3 in total) have paid well & have had good medical benefits (no dental or eye care) and I had to pay a weekly amount (right now about 35.00 per week). This is only a plan for myself - my job does not pay for family. I have found that the longer you stay with a firm, the more time off, you get & the pay raises & bonuses increase yearly. If you are good at what you do & keep up with the industry you can do very well. You need to get really good training from an attorney or a seasoned paralegal when you start. Finally, DO NOT CONFUSE A PARALEGAL WITH A LEGAL SECRETARY! They are very different jobs - we do not take dictation or type work for attorneys - we create our own documents/forms and other work. We have cases assigned to us that we work on independently. We are under the guidance of attorneys, but the work we do is work that they would be doing if we weren't there (ie. - a paralegal can handle all work on a case other than making court appearances and most importantly, they can not give out legal advise)! When I took the program at Adelphi University in 1991, we had to take an ethics class that really helped outline the role of a paralegal. I know since then, the program no longer exists, so I do not know what type of classes people take now to become a Paralegal, but I had to have a certain amount of hours in each specialty plus the ethics & also in legal research. It was an intense program, but I know it has helped in my success in this field. GOOD LUCK TO YOU & LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED MORE INFO!

Re: Any legal secretaries or paralegals out there?

I am not currently working as a paralegal, but I am certified. I received my BA from Stony Brook in History and then went to CW Post for my paralegal certification. I took it over a summer. It was three months of schooling M-F.

I currently work in lending, but I would have never landed this job without the paralegal certificate. It was one of the job requirements.