Not hardly!
However, as the economy has tightened, law firms have had to rethink their firm’s economic structure which includes not only whom they hire or lay-off but also how they are going to draw customers to their firm through new marketing strategies.
So, if you have recently lost your paralegal job, are a paralegal student or you’re perhaps considering this field, don’t be disheartened.
As I’ve mentioned in my book, “Legal Break-In”, if you’re new to the field, it’s important that you consider very seriously how to enter the legal field through what I call the “back door”. By this I mean, it’s entirely possible to get your “foot in the door” by interviewing for and accepting a position in a law firm as a receptionist, legal secretary or runner. This is a very smart way to enter this job market.
If you’re in paralegal school now, you’re probably thinking, “You mean I’ve spent all of the time in money and the only job available to me will be as a receptionist?”
Think of it this way: if you go to culinary school, do you think you’ll be interviewing for the executive chef position right off the bat? No, right?
You must keep an open mind and be flexible when it comes to how you will ultimately get the job of your dreams. Paying your dues now will lead to greater rewards later. Be patient and again, be flexible.
And speaking of flexibility, what if you’ve just experienced a lay-off? And what if the paralegal job market is a bit tight right now? What do you do? Are you really open to switching positions?
Personally, in order to land a job, I’ve had to remove any mention of paralegal from my resume and cover letter and focus, instead, on my abilities as a legal secretary. Even though I have a 2 year degree in Criminal Justice from a junior college, I have had to remove that information in order to get my foot in the door.
If the market was tight for paralegals in a particular city, I had to be flexible enough and “eat humble pie”, so that I could obtain employment. My typing, computer and organizational skills were very good, so I knew I could land a job in the legal field that didn’t have the title “paralegal”. Instead of listing the word “paralegal” on my resume and cover letter, I had to change the title to “legal assistant”. Why?
I knew that Administrators reviewing my resume would believe that I would require more money if they saw the title “paralegal”. I also knew from experience that if you listed your job title as “paralegal” that if you were interviewing with their company for a legal secretary position, the Administrator would be fearful that you would bolt out the door as soon as the next paralegal position became available.
Make sense?
I’m friends with law firm Administrators, my husband was employed in this capacity as well and I have acted as interim Administrator for one of the law firms I worked for in the past. So, I understand why law firm managers resist hiring people whom they feel are over-qualified for the job.
Keep an open mind when applying for jobs in the legal field and practice flexibility. Your patience and humble spirit will get you where you want to go!
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