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Stephanie, Paralegal at Legal Services Company: Advize Career Interview
A UCLA history graduate's journey from near-miss fellowship application to a thriving paralegal career at a Legal Services Company offers invaluable insights.
The interview reveals a multifaceted role demanding organization, time management, and multitasking, with responsibilities spanning document drafting, client intake, and extensive communication.
A love for the "sporadic" nature of the work, constant learning, and ability to help underserved communities are highlighted as key rewards.
Obstacles such as work-life balance and imposter syndrome are addressed, with tenacity and curiosity emphasized as crucial for navigating the legal field.
The interview also details entry-level opportunities, including receptionist and legal assistant positions, and the significance of undergraduate skills like writing and analysis, balanced with extracurricular involvement and self-care.
This inspiring career path emphasizes self-advocacy, continuous learning, and the importance of embracing challenges, making it a compelling example for students interested in a legal career.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Stephanie Henriquez
Paralegal
Legal Services Company
UCLA: 2018
N/A
History, Art History
Law
Legal
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
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Career Path Of A Paralegal At Legal Services Company
Stephanie, a UCLA history graduate, initially pursued law-related fellowships during their final year of undergraduate study, applying to "a UCLA law fellows program" but ultimately being unsuccessful due to late application. This experience led to their current role as a paralegal, and Stephanie now mentors UCLA alumni, sharing knowledge of such programs to help others avoid similar setbacks.
Main Responsibilities of a Paralegal at a Legal Services Company
Stephanie's main responsibilities as a paralegal include "drafting documents," such as "complaints, demands, mediation briefs, and discovery requests," and conducting client intakes to interview potential clients. This highlights a crucial role in the legal process, encompassing both document preparation and direct client interaction.
A Day in the Life of a Paralegal at a Legal Services Company
A typical day for Stephanie, a paralegal, involves managing email correspondence, organizing files ("saving it to the client's files"), and prioritizing tasks using Google Tasks and spreadsheets to meet deadlines. The work includes drafting documents, client communication, and extensive calendaring, showcasing the multifaceted nature of the role.
Most Important Skills For A Paralegal At A Law Firm
Stephanie, a paralegal, highlights the critical importance of "staying organized" and "time management" in their role, emphasizing that organization allows one to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines effectively. The ability to "multitask" is also crucial, as the job frequently involves unexpected requests and shifting priorities, but strong organizational skills mitigate this challenge.
Favorite Parts of Being a Paralegal at a Legal Services Company
Stephanie, a paralegal, finds the most enjoyable aspect of her role to be its "sporadicness," leading to constant learning and preventing boredom. This continuous growth, where Stephanie "never feel[s] like [they] will ever be a hundred percent informed," is what makes the career so rewarding.
Biggest Challenges Faced by a Paralegal at a Legal Services Company
Stephanie's biggest challenge as a paralegal is knowing "when to stop working on something," a struggle stemming from a desire to deliver "the best product" while maintaining work-life balance. This highlights the conflict between passion for the work and the need for professional boundaries.
Favorite Parts Of Working In The Legal Industry As A Paralegal
Stephanie, a paralegal, finds the constant learning and variety of work most rewarding, stating that "it's never boring". The ability to help underrepresented communities access legal solutions and achieve positive case outcomes, like "settling a case for a client," is particularly fulfilling.
Who Thrives In The Legal Industry According To A Paralegal At A Law Firm
Stephanie, a paralegal, highlights the importance of self-belief and curiosity for success in the legal industry, stating that "the more Curious you are the better it is for you". Their career advancement, they explain, stems from "tenacity", "effort", and a realistic perspective on growth and learning from mistakes.
What a Paralegal at a Law Firm Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Legal Industry
Stephanie, a paralegal, emphasizes that the legal field is a journey of continuous learning, stating, "you don't really learn a lot of what the law really is until you're working in the industry." Success requires embracing the learning process, perseverance despite imposter syndrome, and the understanding that even experienced professionals "mess up sometimes."
Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Paralegals
Entry-level legal positions for undergraduates include part-time roles like "receptionist," which Stephanie highlights as "extremely...undermined," handling significant documentation, and "legal assistant," involving client interaction and document work; case manager positions offer experience with document collection and record requests. Internships with courts, such as those offered through programs like "Core blue Corp" (name possibly misremembered), provide valuable firsthand observation of legal work.
Significant Career Lesson From a Paralegal at a Legal Services Company
Stephanie's significant career lesson centers on "being curious and not being afraid to ask questions," a trait that propelled their advancement from a receptionist to a supervising case manager and then into a new legal field. This proactive approach, combined with self-advocacy ("I said, you know what screw it...Let me apply"), resulted in multiple promotions and rapid career growth.
College Experiences That Helped A Paralegal In Legal Services Succeed
Stephanie's undergraduate experience, initially focused on social sciences and then history, instilled valuable skills like "writing, reading, and analyzing," crucial for a legal career. Beyond academics, extracurricular involvement, like joining Latinas Unidas, and prioritizing "mental health, physical health," alongside academic tasks, provided the organization, professionalism, and self-advocacy necessary for success in the "real world" and beyond the "college bubble."
How Identity Has Influenced A Paralegal's Career In Legal Services
Stephanie, a first-generation Latina paralegal, shares how imposter syndrome significantly impacted career navigation in a predominantly white legal field, noting that "Latinas in the legal field are only about three percent." Overcoming this, Stephanie emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy, embracing fear as motivation, and continuously striving for growth to achieve career goals beyond the current paralegal role.
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