A paralegal new to the field has many options as far as career opportunities. One major decision for a paralegal pursuing a career at a law firm is whether or not to seek employment at a small or large firm. Taking into consideration some of the pros and cons of both small and large firms will give oneself an understanding on which to set their criteria for their final decision.
Law firms with 25 or fewer attorneys are usually considered small law firms. Since small laws firms out number larger law firms, the majority of all paralegals work for small firms. In small law firms 14% of paralegals work for firms that contain just one attorney, 29% in firms with two to five attorneys, 18% with six to ten attorneys, and 17% of all paralegals work in firms containing eleven to twenty-five attorneys (Miller, Urisko 23). In small firms competition between paralegals would be slim to none depending on the how many paralegals work for the firm. Sally Kane says, “With fewer employees vying for assignments, promotions and a slice of the profits, legal professionals in small law firms face less in-house competition than their big-firm counterparts” ("Small Law Firm Life - 10 Benefits of Working in a Small Law Firm - Small Law Firm Employment."). A paralegal just starting out would have the privilege of becoming familiar with many processes of law at a small firm.
Small firms tend to be less formal and may have a more relaxed, casual, dress code. A less formal dress code would save the paralegal money in the long run because there would be no need to keep up with expensive formal clothing.
Small law firms offer the paralegal a chance to work in many different areas of law and allow them to provide many different services while working on...
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...ook, “Paralegal Career for Dummies”, Scott Hatch, JD, says, “If you think that attorneys are the only legal professionals capable of making six-figure salaries, you’re wrong!” (13).
Whether you’re a paralegal looking for a high salary or a casual work environment with a chance to work on many different areas of law, a large law firm and a small law firm both offer a paralegal what they ultimately set out to find the chance to assist an attorney at law.
Works Cited
Hatch, Scott A., Hatch, Lisa Zimmer. Paralegal Career For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub., 2006. Print.
Kane, Sally. "Small Law Firm Life - 10 Benefits of Working in a Small Law Firm - Small Law Firm Employment." About.com Legal Careers. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
Miller, Roger LeRoy., Meinzinger, Mary. Paralegal Today: The Legal Team At Work. Clifton Park, NY : Delmar Cengage Learning, 2010. Print
Pagan writes a captivating story mingled with the challenges of the Eastern Shore legal system. This book gives a complete explanation backed up by research and similar cases as evidence of the ever-changing legal system. It should be a required reading for a history or law student.
Abadinsky, Howard. Law and Justice: An Introduction to the American Legal System. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
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"Most individuals turn to their friends when they need to hire an attorney. The survey found only two exceptions to this. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 typically turned to the Internet in their search for a legal professional. Of the survey participants in this age group, almost 18 percent retained a lawyer using this method, with only 12 percent turning to a friend for a recommendation. Furthermore, individuals who made more than $150,000 a year turned to the Internet rather than a friend when searching for a lawyer," Andrew Moses, attorney and spokesperson for the firm, reports.
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Oct 1993. Retrieved November 18, 2010. Vol. 79. 134 pages (Document ID: 0747-0088) Published by American Bar Association
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A law firm, which does not have to be located inside the compound, be available to take care of their legal matters.
The Paralegal Professional, A reference to the source of legal information chapter 1 and lettures from class powerpoints.
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