What Do People Misunderstand About Being A Paralegal?

A lot of what I do, which I didn’t expect, is clerical work and document organization. I’ve gotten perspective on what lawyers do day to day, but I’m not as directly involved in the cases they’re working on.

Another misconception I found was that cases take a lot longer than I expected. A paralegal I work with brought me onto a case that she’s been on since starting 2 years ago.

Lastly, although it’s technically a 9-5 job, the hours of a paralegal, as with most others in the legal field, are primarily dictated by caseloads and deadlines. Attorneys expect us to be available for any urgent matter, whether it’s an hour before the workday starts or after 5pm on Friday during a slow week.