Hate Being Paralegal, Law school? Forum

[testmachine45]

I know a paralegal is different than an attorney, but it doesn't really seem to be, especially not at the biglaw firms that I have paralegaled. The attorneys almost do the same work as the paralegals(occasional brief or researching excluded)..in fact they constantly try to steal paralegal work at one V10 NYC firm so they can meet their hours.

Should I not go to law school because I hate working at a big law firm and think it is ridiculous unless ur a desperate idiot?

[bk1]

There are other jobs, but if you think you'd hate being a lawyer then don't go to law school.

[testmachine45]

But do you think I'm wrong, that attorney lifestyle is materially different?

[bk1]

I haven't met a wide range of lawyers and have only had regular contact with a handful, but yes I think it is different for many things outside of biglaw.

Ask a mod to move this to the employment section as that is where you are most likely to get the best kind of responses to this question.

[deadhipsters]

I was a paralegal for a year in NYC biglaw and I hated it. I think the attorneys I worked with had essentially the same job as me, at least the newer associates. I plan on doing government/ prosecution work. I'd rather not spend my life or even another year of my life doing that shit. I'm applying this year. And I am still on the fence. FWIW, most of the other paralegals I worked with abandoned their aspirations of being lawyers.

[Lwoods]

My father was a prosecutor and judge, and I believe his jobs were notably different than the corporate transactional attorneys I worked with in BigLaw. I'm not sure his jobs were that much more exciting, though, and I certainly noticed a lot of common characteristics between my father and many of the BigLaw attorneys I know.

Before you make the investment in law school, though, you should find out if it's just that corporate law is not for you or if law in general is not for you. There's no point in applying on the off chance that you'll like a different sector of law better than the one you hate.

[fosterp]

I had the elected prosecuting attorney come and speak to my class the other day and hes the first lawyer I've met that seems like he really enjoys his job. There is a political aspect to it, but its still mainly a lawyer job.