Entry-level Positions for Aspiring Attorneys at Best Best and Krieger
Brandon from Best Best & Krieger, LLP suggests that aspiring legal professionals consider starting as paralegals, emphasizing it as a "really accessible path" and highlighting how a good paralegal can transition into becoming a "great attorney"; he also mentions legal secretary positions and internships/summer associate roles, but those assume the candidate is in law school.
Paralegal, Internship, Entry-Level Positions, Legal Secretary, Law Firm
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Brandon Kline
Of Counsel
Best Best & Krieger, LLP
California State University, Sacramento
Lewis & Clark Law School, JD/LLM
Economics, Political Science, American Studies
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management, Law
Legal
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Paralegal positions are a really good foothold into the legal profession and a very accessible path.
2. Being a good paralegal can translate into being a great attorney.
3. Legal secretary positions don't require a legal background and can be a good entry point into the profession.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate or graduate student might consider?
A lot of people come to the practice as paralegals. I think being a paralegal is a really good tool to hold.
My contracts professor's brother is an attorney. They both went to Harvard Law School. I remember learning from her that her brother started out as a paralegal.
I think that's a really accessible path. By and large, if you were a good paralegal, you could be a great attorney.
But there are internships too, and generally first-year summer associates, things like that in a law firm. This is assuming you've already gotten into law school.
Legal secretaries don't have to have a legal background, and that's also a good way into the profession.