Non-J.D. Legal Staffing Questions Forum

[crossarmant]

So, I know the whole slew of complaints about Doc Review and the sweatshop attitudes and the like as a J.D. and how it follows you, but what if you aren't a licensed attorney nor have a J.D.?

After I graduated college I really wanted to get a feel with the profession before I dropped tons of money and the rest of my life in a profession. I worked with a legal staffing agency for a year after undergrad because I wanted to get a feel for the legal profession, so I worked 5-6 temp paralegal jobs with them at a variety of firms in the area and some in-house legal dept work over that year. A couple were doc review with NLJ250 firms, one was subpoena fulfillment in a corporate legal dept, another was sorting records for another corporate legal dept, etc. I felt that it was a pretty good experience and allowed me to see a bunch of different fields within the legal profession, especially coupled with the fact that I spent about 3 months interning with a family/criminal lawyer in a secondary market.

I've heard everyone knock on the attorneys stuck in dead-end doc review, but does having that kind of experience with a simple B.S. hurt like it does with a J.D.? I guess, more or less, what I'm asking is: Is Doc Review/Legal Temping like the Bog of Eternal Stench from Labyrinth, dip one foot in it and you'll stink forever? Did I make a huge mistake or will having something like that under my belt hinder or do nothing at all for employment prospects?

[sambeber]

You should ask this on the "Law Firm Recruiter Taking Questions" thread. She might have some good info for you.

[random5483]

It will not hurt. I know many people with paralegal type experience and if anything it is a plus. Any pre-law school experience does not matter. However, experience you get after starting law school should be substantive.