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Why working for attorneys is like a hamster wheel

 By: Holly Sheriff Edited By Jennifer Dudehoeffer

I recently read a blog written by an anonymous paralegal ranting and raving about how horrible her job is.  Although, she tried to put humor in her post; most of what she had to say was negative.  This got me thinking — is being a paralegal that bad?

After thinking for a few minutes about what I do; I have concluded that working for an attorney is like a hamster in a wheel.  You either love running around and around, or you don’t.  The anonymous paralegal truly does not understand what paralegals really do. Being a paralegal is like being in a hamster in a wheel, we repeat the same cycle over and over, but the upside is we never get the same result twice.

There is never an intake exactly the same. There is never a pleading exactly the same. Obtaining service on an individual is never the same. The motions we draft are never the same.  The discovery process may look the same, but the results are always different.  The results of the discovery is where you learn the most not only about the client, but about  how do your job as a paralegal better.  The motions paralegals draft may appear the same, but the argument they create is always different.  Let’s not forget the most important event of preparing for trial, preparing a viable case, covering all the bases. The work we do affects people’s lives. What we do is important, it has a purpose. If we lose sight of that purpose we risk becoming ineffective and the case becomes ineffective. There is a process which may seem boring, but each case is very personal as it is that client’s life and livelihood; whether it is civil or criminal. We must never lose sight of that fact.