becoming a paralegal??

i've been knocking around the idea of going back to school. i've been saying that i don't know what i want to be when i grow up.

i bought "what color is your parachute"... just started reading it.

along the thinking, a friend suggested i become a paralegal. for some reason the thought has taken hold in my little head.

if the thought continues to grow, what should i know?

once a paralegal, can i "specialize"?
the thought of staying in the industry i currently work in would be nice (employer sponsored retirement plans)

any info would be wonderful. tia

Re: becoming a paralegal??

you don't actually "specialize" but you do become (what I call) 'labeled'. What I mean is that you can do any type of work as you do not specialize in school but if you work in a certain field for a long time - you can kinda get stuck there and labeled 'real estate paralegal, criminal paralegal, etc.

Do you have any paralegals at your company now?? I can't image an employer sponsored retirement plans field to have a need for paralegals??

Re: becoming a paralegal??

Hey!

If you have any questions, I'm a Paralegal. Just fm me.

As pp mentioned, you don't really specialize - you kind of get labelled. I started with personal injury but learned litigation while I was there. I went with that and am now a business litigation paralegal.

As for working in your industry, I think that depends on whether the company has an in house legal department or not. I don't really know a lot about your industry but that may be something you can find out.

Re: becoming a paralegal??

Re: becoming a paralegal??

Re: becoming a paralegal??

Although you do not specialize in school, you can, however, specialize in a particular field, which, from what I have seen in the last 18 years as a paralegal, it is to your advantage. Once you have worked in a particular area, whether it be real estate, matrimonial, personal injury, etc., you become proficient in that field and can garner a much higher salary. Unless you plan on working for a general practitioner, which is an option, I think it is to your advantage to pick an area and become the best that you can be at it. This is not to say that you can not get a job in another area once you have worked a particular field for years. I have been able to work as both a defense and plaintiff medical malpractice paralegal as well as a plaintiff personal injury paralegal. Regardless of what you choose to do, you should, however, keep up your education in all areas through reading the law journal or taking seminars so you can have knowledge in all areas of the law which will make you a better paralegal. Good luch with your decision!

Message edited 7/19/2009 1:00:38 PM.