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Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:14 pm
by nmoor1501
I hate it, I mean... it has almost made me change my mind about law school. I work (when I manage to be employed) in a plaintiff's personal injury law firm - I am hoping that is my problem.
Paralegal work is so damn boring. Calendaring and discovery, yuck. I was recently fired because I just couldn't help myself from being a smart ass to my dumb ass 26 year old attorney (who graduated from a t6). I don't really have the personality for it, or the patience. I am hoping I enjoy being a lawyer more!
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:20 pm
by billykelly76
There is a lot you can with a JD that doesn't involve firm work.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:27 pm
by Garinold
What did you do that got you fired?
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:35 pm
by Leeroy Jenkins
Hahaha, you got fired. Now you have to explain why later when you apply to the bar.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:37 pm
by nmoor1501
Lxw wrote:Hahaha, you got fired. Now you have to explain why later when you apply to the bar.
What? No way. Really?
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:42 pm
by Leeroy Jenkins
nmoor1501 wrote:Lxw wrote:Hahaha, you got fired. Now you have to explain why later when you apply to the bar.
What? No way. Really?
Yea dude, most bar associations ask you to list all employment you've held, and to attach an addendum explaining yourself if you were fired or quit in lieu of a firing.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:43 pm
by broncos06
Paralegal-ing is awful. Enough said.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:46 pm
by nmoor1501
Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:47 pm
by Clever username
nmoor1501 wrote:Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Why don't you read this poster over again and then tell us who the idiot is.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:50 pm
by nmoor1501
Clever username wrote:nmoor1501 wrote:Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Why don't you read this poster over again and then tell us who the idiot is.
Ok, you can read this one and tell me who the ass hole is.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:52 pm
by Leeroy Jenkins
nmoor1501 wrote:Clever username wrote:nmoor1501 wrote:Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Why don't you read this poster over again and then tell us who the idiot is.
Ok, you can read this one and tell me who the ass hole is.
Both of you read this over and tell me who the failures are

Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:54 pm
by nmoor1501
Lxw wrote:nmoor1501 wrote:Clever username wrote:nmoor1501 wrote:Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Why don't you read this poster over again and then tell us who the idiot is.
Ok, you can read this one and tell me who the ass hole is.
Both of you read this over and tell me who the failures are

Ouch. I didn't expect such negative feedback while sharing my story of being fired. Thanks guys.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:56 pm
by Leeroy Jenkins
nmoor1501 wrote:Ouch. I didn't expect such negative feedback while sharing my story of being fired. Thanks guys.
I didn't expect you to totally misread facetiousness. I'll even wink to let you know:

Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:59 pm
by Sesame_Jesus
I work as a paralegal in DC. I do cite-checking and Bluebooking, which is supposedly something that a lot first-year associates do in other firms. It's not enthralling or intellectually stimulating, but it's very far from terrible. Graduated college a couple of years ago, so it's not like I'm a career paralegal or anything. But it sounds like my conception of working as a paralegal is very different from yours.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:02 am
by river85
nmoor1501 wrote:Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Yeah I'm a paralegal and it blows. But um it sort of sounds like you deserved to get fired. Sending the wrong correspondence, going home hung over during trial, yipes, all of that is pretty serious stuff.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:07 am
by nmoor1501
I have been doing personal injury work, which I personally find pretty disdainful. There is a lot of fraud going on on the part of clients -I saw a chiro bill for a 5 year old for 20k. Ridiculous! Though insurance companies are not very good to their customers, so they deserve some of it.
Hopefully, the work I find after law school won't be so morally objectable... who knows though.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:13 am
by nmoor1501
river85 wrote:nmoor1501 wrote:Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Yeah I'm a paralegal and it blows. But um it sort of sounds like you deserved to get fired. Sending the wrong correspondence, going home hung over during trial, yipes, all of that is pretty serious stuff.
Yea... maybe. I am really not the best paralegal, to be honest, I am a bigger picture kinda gal and I hate getting paper cuts.
However, the day I was fired a subpoena was sent to the wrong office by another paralegal who had been there for over a year. And you had to search case folders for the name of the opposing counsel since they didn't enter it the case management software and my attorney held the files hostage. Also, my attorney would just drop docs from one case into another, instead of using standard form docs, so misinformation was all over the files.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:14 am
by nmoor1501
nmoor1501 wrote:river85 wrote:nmoor1501 wrote:Hm... I have been temping for a few months, and I just added that month to temp experience. Will I really have to dredge up that short employment? Damn.
I was fired for logging on to Facebook, but since the only time I ever logged on was the day before I was fired, I don't believe that is truly why. I think the attorney I worked for didn't really like me, or appreciate that I sent some correspondence to the wrong opposing counsel. He was such a 26 year old daft, and I sort of let his idiotic personality get to me. I can be a smart ass. Oh and the second week, during trial for a case I was on, I went home sick with a hangover. And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
Yeah I'm a paralegal and it blows. But um it sort of sounds like you deserved to get fired. Sending the wrong correspondence, going home hung over during trial, yipes, all of that is pretty serious stuff.
Yea... maybe. I am really not the best paralegal, to be honest, I am a bigger picture kinda gal and I hate getting paper cuts.
However, the day I was fired a subpoena was sent to the wrong office by another paralegal who had been there for over a year. And you had to search case folders for the name of the opposing counsel since they didn't enter it the case management software and my attorney held the files hostage. Also, my attorney would just drop docs from one case into another, instead of using standard form docs, so misinformation was all over the files.
Not sure if that makes sense to anyone but me...
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:24 am
by srb
Being a paralegal sucks. The people who are good at it realize they can go to law school and get paid for doing the work they are already doing, the people who suck at it make being a paralegal shittastic because everyone automatically thinks you are lazy and stupid. It's a no-win situation. Hence why I will only be doing it for 4 more days. Longest 2+ yrs of my life!!
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:29 am
by freighton
Couldn't have put it better myself.
I am counting the days until I put in my two weeks notice.
What kind of work paralegal work did you do?
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:32 am
by Kohinoor
nmoor1501 wrote:Ouch. I didn't expect such negative feedback while sharing my story of being fired. Thanks guys.
To be fair, you made yourself look like you really deserved to be fired.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:36 am
by Leeroy Jenkins
nmoor1501 wrote:Yea... maybe. I am really not the best paralegal, to be honest, I am a bigger picture kinda gal and I hate getting paper cuts.
However, the day I was fired a subpoena was sent to the wrong office by another paralegal who had been there for over a year. And you had to search case folders for the name of the opposing counsel since they didn't enter it the case management software and my attorney held the files hostage. Also, my attorney would just drop docs from one case into another, instead of using standard form docs, so misinformation was all over the files.
I understand it. Paper cuts aren't that bad, in the end, when you consider that the alternative is 'flipping' through hundreds of documents that are entered into a computer, which are only accessible by craptastic proprietary software that crashes at least once a day, where the documents have seemingly random 3-4 letter long designators which make no sense, are scanned into the computer in the form of (sometimes accurate) searchable text that doesn't correspond to the actual document, thereby nullifying the entire purpose of using a searchable text when you end up having to read the original document anyway so you can properly cite them.
And when your boss tells you to jump, you not only ask "How high?" but "Off which leg?" and "Shall I try to touch the ceiling?"
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:39 am
by jschuyler
nmoor1501 wrote:And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
You know Mormons are the same
No matter time nor place
They don't understand that us kids
Are going to make some mistakes
So to you other kids all across the land
There's no need to argue
Mormons just don't understand
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:43 am
by Leeroy Jenkins
So at work this guy who was Mormon asked if anyone wanted to help him move at the rate of $20/hr. Some guy was like "You don't have to pay me, just buy me a beer."
The Mormon responded "Well, I don't drink beer, and I certainly wouldn't buy anyone a beer."
Social Fail.
Re: Does anyone else hate paralegal-ing?
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:44 am
by Drake014
jschuyler wrote:nmoor1501 wrote:And 9 of 11 employee's were Mormon. They didn't understand...
You know Mormons are the same
No matter time nor place
They don't understand that us kids
Are going to make some mistakes
So to you other kids all across the land
There's no need to argue
Mormons just don't understand
Not bad, not bad at all.