So . . . any legal professionals here?

[glatt]

There are a few of us. I'm a legal assistant who is in management now. I help run a department of ~100 legal assistants for a big patent firm.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Legal assistants? They're the ones that do the work but don't make the money, aren't they?

[glatt]

Something like that.

The truth is the associates work their asses off trying to make partner. They probably work the most.

But yes, legal assistants work hard and aren't paid as much as those with the degrees and bar membership.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Who does the looking up in the law library, the associates or assistants... or is that the clerks?

[glatt]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Who does the looking up in the law library, the associates or assistants... or is that the clerks?

Varies from firm to firm and by type of law practiced. In my firm, the student associates and associates do most of the legal research, and the legal assistants come behind them and proof what they have done to make sure there are no obvious mistakes.

[Cloud]

Originally Posted by glatt

There are a few of us. I'm a legal assistant who is in management now. I help run a department of ~100 legal assistants for a big patent firm.

glatt: I'm very impressed. That's an important and responsible position. Beaucoup bucks, too!

Just so you guys know, I am a paralegal. The term "legal assistant" is going out of style. I have been in the legal support business for 20 years, am a certified professional legal secretary and a certified paralegal.

I have always worked for small firms in general or boutique practice, so I'm a do-it-all kind of gal. I also teach a franchise paralegal course, which I love to do (even though the course itself has a few . . . problems). I have also prepared and presented seminars on legal support staff ethics. "Attorney ethics" means something a little different to me than it might to the general public.

Oh! and I went to the Supreme Court!

We lost though--the opinion came down this week. Doesn't matter (to me--to the client it does)--it will always be an experience I cherish.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Cloud

glatt: I'm very impressed. That's an important and responsible position. Beaucoup bucks, too!

LOL @ Beaucoup bucks comment!

I help run the department. There's the director of the department (my boss), her secretary, me, and my secretary (who I share with like 4 other people.) But yeah, it's a decent job. I get to do a variety of things. Lots of interviewing and bringing in temps/contract attorneys lately.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Cloud

Oh! and I went to the Supreme Court!

Describe that. Not the stuff they report in news interviews. What really goes on in peripherals? What do you see and smell? What did you not expect?