Breaking Paralegal 2-year contract... how bad is it? Forum

[YourCaptain]

Law school is not going anywhere; do it for 2 years.

[whattheheck]

Being a paralegal is a very decent job right out of college. Its a career for some and they tend to make really decent pay as they progress. So please understand that to get one of these jobs is not that easy. The BIG LAW firms tend to hire for ivy leagues as well. So if you got an offer count your blessings. I say take it. It will give you a first hand look at what it is like working at a top firm. The perks, wining and dining along with the stress and pressure are all something better known with experience. At the very least you will have a better idea if BIG LAW is for you.

I have worked in BIG LAW for quite some time as a paralegal and it has opened a lot of doors for me. And the contacts that I have made are invaluable.

And also I believe that you be applying this fall for entry into the incoming 2012 class. If this is the case, that would give you close to a year and a half as a paralegal which makes a big difference is the amount of money you save up, the contacts you will build, and it gives you time to maybe consider going part time the first year and then transferring into the full time program the following which allows you gather more cash in case you don't have parents who are willing to support you.

[dr123]

If you couldnt stand to be a paralegal for 2 years, how do you expect to be stand being a lawyer for 20+

If you couldnt stand to be a paperboy for 2 years, how do you expect to be stand being a journalist for 20+

If you couldnt stand to be a waterboy for 2 years, how do you expect to be stand being a coach for 20+

If you couldnt stand to be a librarian for 2 years, how do you expect to be stand being a professor for 20+

If you couldnt stand to be a secretary for 2 years, how do you expect to be stand being a businessman for 20+

Analogy fail.

No you fucking dumbass, being a paralegal youre doing legal work. working similar hours, and working in the same environment as lawyers it definitely is analagous. Saying comparing Paralegal to Lawyer is like comparing a paperboy to journalist is fucking ridiculous.

[Entchen]

Any paralegals have experience with Manhattan DA's office ?

Major D.C. law firms ?

Also interested in learning why paralegals leave early. Thanks in advance !

I work at a major DC firm. I am leaving before 2 years because I started in the fall and am doing summer start at Michigan (so, I'll have been there 18 months). I felt a little bad about it at first, but nobody cared, and my boss wrote a very nice LOR for me. That said, I wouldn't go in planning to leave early.

[Anonymous User]

Different Anon, resurrecting because this is exactly what I'm looking for (mods if this is not worthy of anon, please just delete instead).

I work in a v10 firm as a paralegal. 2 year verbal commitment. Started there early summer. I expected to stay 2 years when I started but job satisfaction is dropping. All other paralegals are effectively miserable, telling me that you gain nothing out of this job after your first year (except money, but 45k in NYC isn't exactly great with the COL).

I feel I might as well go to law school a year early. I'm not interested in biglaw at all (PI/academia is my real area of interest). My numbers could get me in anywhere, but I'm not a lock at HYS.

I guess my question is: is it worth staying for the reference/LOR? Will it be bad if I leave? FWIW this place would be my only "business-environment-y" job reference (but again, not interested in big law).

Is it a good idea to throw out one or two apps this year? If I get in and am miserable, I'll go. If I want to stay another year, I'll defer. Problem with this is that, if I get in to the one school I apply to and don't end up going there (because I decide I want to stay another year, retake the lsat, and try for YS or something), then I'm assuming I stand no chance to get in to that school the next time.

[quakeroats]

The legal community is pretty tight knight.

This varies by practice group and location. But if you're practicing in a major group in NYC this couldn't be further from the truth.

[Anonymous User]

Different Anon, resurrecting because this is exactly what I'm looking for (mods if this is not worthy of anon, please just delete instead).

I work in a v10 firm as a paralegal. 2 year verbal commitment. Started there early summer. I expected to stay 2 years when I started but job satisfaction is dropping. All other paralegals are effectively miserable, telling me that you gain nothing out of this job after your first year (except money, but 45k in NYC isn't exactly great with the COL).

I feel I might as well go to law school a year early. I'm not interested in biglaw at all (PI/academia is my real area of interest). My numbers could get me in anywhere, but I'm not a lock at HYS.

I guess my question is: is it worth staying for the reference/LOR? Will it be bad if I leave? FWIW this place would be my only "business-environment-y" job reference (but again, not interested in big law).

Is it a good idea to throw out one or two apps this year? If I get in and am miserable, I'll go. If I want to stay another year, I'll defer. Problem with this is that, if I get in to the one school I apply to and don't end up going there (because I decide I want to stay another year, retake the lsat, and try for YS or something), then I'm assuming I stand no chance to get in to that school the next time.

Why not just apply to your top choices and see what happens? I did, got into my top choice school, and said fuck this. Inside of my first year. Probably won't be returning to that firm, but I wouldn't want to work there anyways. Also my boss acted totally happy for me and fine with it, still serves as a positive reference.

Cross that bridge when you come to it imho. For me, a good deal at a t14 beats the hell out of working a long hour job that doesn't pay enough to generate any savings anyways

[Anonymous User]

Why not just apply to your top choices and see what happens? I did, got into my top choice school, and said fuck this. Inside of my first year. Probably won't be returning to that firm, but I wouldn't want to work there anyways. Also my boss acted totally happy for me and fine with it, still serves as a positive reference.

Cross that bridge when you come to it imho. For me, a good deal at a t14 beats the hell out of working a long hour job that doesn't pay enough to generate any savings anyways

Thanks for your encouragement. I think I'm going to do that. 2 questions; 1 specific to you:

1. So you think the attorneys I work with will be reasonable about this and I won't be burning bridges? I'll still have a reference to rely on in 1L so long as I keep doing good work?

2. (More general question) I actually applied last year and got rejected from a lot of places despite very good numbers (3.96, 172-174). If I only apply to my top choices and get rejected again, will they even consider me the third time (I will most likely retake the lsat if I get rejected).

[Anonymous User]

Why not just apply to your top choices and see what happens? I did, got into my top choice school, and said fuck this. Inside of my first year. Probably won't be returning to that firm, but I wouldn't want to work there anyways. Also my boss acted totally happy for me and fine with it, still serves as a positive reference.

Cross that bridge when you come to it imho. For me, a good deal at a t14 beats the hell out of working a long hour job that doesn't pay enough to generate any savings anyways

Thanks for your encouragement. I think I'm going to do that. 2 questions; 1 specific to you:

1. So you think the attorneys I work with will be reasonable about this and I won't be burning bridges? I'll still have a reference to rely on in 1L so long as I keep doing good work?

idk how anyone could answer that for you, lol... Just think about their personality I guess? Some partners in my office had thrown staplers and shit; if they were my supervising atty I suspect it may not have gone over as well, who knows...

I was more than a little nervous about giving the news to mine, but ended up being unfounded. I gave 1 month notice instead of the normal 2 weeks.

[sc-123]

Different Anon, resurrecting because this is exactly what I'm looking for (mods if this is not worthy of anon, please just delete instead).

I work in a v10 firm as a paralegal. 2 year verbal commitment. Started there early summer. I expected to stay 2 years when I started but job satisfaction is dropping. All other paralegals are effectively miserable, telling me that you gain nothing out of this job after your first year (except money, but 45k in NYC isn't exactly great with the COL).

I feel I might as well go to law school a year early. I'm not interested in biglaw at all (PI/academia is my real area of interest). My numbers could get me in anywhere, but I'm not a lock at HYS.

I guess my question is: is it worth staying for the reference/LOR? Will it be bad if I leave? FWIW this place would be my only "business-environment-y" job reference (but again, not interested in big law).

Is it a good idea to throw out one or two apps this year? If I get in and am miserable, I'll go. If I want to stay another year, I'll defer. Problem with this is that, if I get in to the one school I apply to and don't end up going there (because I decide I want to stay another year, retake the lsat, and try for YS or something), then I'm assuming I stand no chance to get in to that school the next time.

I was a paralegal at a small firm, left before my 2 years was up. All the non-$ value I got out of being a paralegal came in the first 6 or so months. Bottom line is you have one life to live, you shouldn't spend it being a paralegal just because you told some lawyers (who realistically don't give any shits if it's you or some other faceless [to them] drone putting together their binders) that you'd stick around for X amount of time. Highly, highly, highly recommend leaving whenever you damn well feel like it, as long as you have something else to go to, such as law school.

[Anonymous User]

I'm at NYU. Friend of mine left a V5 paralegal job after only 1 year. He did very well in recruiting with median grades. Same market.

I'd say leave after a year if you want.

[Anonymous User]

More recent anon here:

Thanks for your advice--I'm going to throw out some apps. Question: will law schools contact my current employer? Obviously this wouldn't be good...

[Pound]

I don't see how or why they would contact your current employer if you never even give them your employer's contact information. I presume you're not asking anyone at your firm to write you a recommendation. It's been a while since I applied to law school, but I don't remember filling out a phone number or email for each employment experience I had. Correct me if I'm wrong.

You should do the two-year contact and finish it up. I think it'll look great on your resume, and law school will ALWAYS be there. Application numbers are going down and down every year, and it's only going to get easier to get into a good law school two years from now.