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Hey all -

I've noticed a lot of people saying they currently work at a law firm while they're studying for the LSAT. Since we're all in similar boats, I'm curious to hear other people's stories.

I graduated from undergrad in June and have been working in biglaw ever since (basically as an admin). My plan was to see how I like it and determine if I should take the LSAT/go to law school after that. Turns out, I hate it, but only because the work I do is boring and not challenging. Therefore, I'm takin the LSAT.

I manage to study during my lunch break and occasionally if I'm having a slow day, doing drills at work. Most of my study is after work/on weekends.

Calling all paralegals, legal assistants, administrative assistants, etc! What's it like working at a law firm and studying for the LSAT? How's it going?

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Hey everyone. What do you think is the best way to go about securing a paralegal position at a law firm. I'm definitely not going to law school straight through and would like to gain work experience.

TrunksFan1 wrote:Hey everyone. What do you think is the best way to go about securing a paralegal position at a law firm. I'm definitely not going to law school straight through and would like to gain work experience.

I know some firms will recruit directly from schools, though your best bet is most likely reaching out to HR people and inquiring about openings. I landed a good number of paralegal interviews that way.

carasrook wrote:
I manage to study during my lunch break and occasionally if I'm having a slow day, doing drills at work. Most of my study is after work/on weekends.

Calling all paralegals, legal assistants, administrative assistants, etc! What's it like working at a law firm and studying for the LSAT? How's it going?

Sneaking in a practice section or two during downtime is definitely helpful, although the bulk of your progress will likely be made on weekends/after work. I had very difficult work hours (think 80+/week) while studying for the LSAT and still managed to do extremely well. If you have the cash on hand, investing in a prep course can be a good way to work yourself into a routine. Stay strong out there- I was in your shoes last year.

TrunksFan1 wrote:Hey everyone. What do you think is the best way to go about securing a paralegal position at a law firm. I'm definitely not going to law school straight through and would like to gain work experience.

I struggled to secure a paralegal position straight out of school with no paralegal experience, but I was able to get a job as an admin and if I want, I could switch to the paralegal department now after being here for 7-8 months. If you can't get a paralegal job, you might be able to sneak in as an admin and move over to the paralegal department. But - I'm also working in a city where competition is very very high, it might be easier to get a paralegal job in a different city.

Another word of caution - I actually make a lot more $ as an admin (surprisingly) than the paralegals do, and they do a lot more overtime work than I have to. It might be better experience, but while I'm saving money for law school and studying for the LSAT, staying an admin makes sense.

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TrunksFan1 wrote:Hey everyone. What do you think is the best way to go about securing a paralegal position at a law firm. I'm definitely not going to law school straight through and would like to gain work experience.

Find firms in your town on Google, go onto the "career" section of their websites, and apply.

ETA: you probably won't be an actual paralegal. Most people in your boat get jobs as "legal assistants" or something similar.

I also have been a Project Assistant, which is essentially a junior Paralegal, in Biglaw since I graduated in March. I am currently running out the clock and only have about 4 weeks left to work. I am doing summer start at UMich starting at the end of May!

EDIT: By March, I mean March of 2015, of course. I can't believe it has been a year already!

GFox345 wrote:I also have been a Project Assistant, which is essentially a junior Paralegal, in Biglaw since I graduated in March. I am currently running out the clock and only have about 4 weeks left to work. I am doing summer start at UMich starting at the end of May!

EDIT: By March, I mean March of 2015, of course. I can't believe it has been a year already!

UMich, congrats homie

HennessyVSOP wrote:

GFox345 wrote:I also have been a Project Assistant, which is essentially a junior Paralegal, in Biglaw since I graduated in March. I am currently running out the clock and only have about 4 weeks left to work. I am doing summer start at UMich starting at the end of May!

EDIT: By March, I mean March of 2015, of course. I can't believe it has been a year already!

UMich, congrats homie

Thank you! I can definitely sympathize with the long hours (50/week) and studying for the LSAT grind. I essentially had no life at all for 6 months. I can promise that it's worth it in the end though!

Been working on a spreadsheet for cost-to-file in about 40 countries (transposing it from partner's written edits of spreadsheet I previously printed out for him.)

Partner says it can't be sent to client until the header shows row __ and the first country is at row 1. I tried to explain to him that's the ruler, and it can't be edited.

"Just change the 1 to a 0 and hide the 0"