The Sole Practitioner’s Paralegal

When I obtained my first entry-level employment in 1985, a sole practitioner looked me over at an interview in a cafe. The attorney looked over his steaming cup of coffee and out the window as he asked, "Can you type?" I assured him that I could, since I had done some editing and writing in a past profession. I also assured him that I did not mind typing and that I could get the work out that needed to get out-and that I would stay late to get it out.

Summary: advantages and disadvantages of working with a sole practitioner

Advantages

a) Greater consideration is given to the individual applicant than to the level of experience. A sole practitioner may be more likely to hire an entry person.

b) You can learn about how a law practice works: The ins and outs, the filings, the rules for service and evidence, and the many complex details that make a law office function. These fundamentals are invaluable.

c) If personalities are well matched and the working atmosphere is reasonable, it can be a full, varied, and enjoyable experience. With the right chemistry, this can be the most fun and rewarding experience for a paralegal.

Disadvantages

a) The pay can be lower than in small, medium or large firms. Many sole practitioners realize that they are giving you an entree into the profession and thus feel that this is a trade-off for the beginning paralegal.

b) If you want a calm and ordered work setting, a sole practitioner's practice can be a difficult place to work. His or her practice will be filled with change and unpredictability on a daily basis.

c) Because of the intimate setting, working with a sole practitioner can be extremely uncomfortable if there is bad chemistry. Your sole practitioner may be working alone for a reason. Since you must see each other every day, if you do not like each other as people (or at least respect each other) you can be in for a long and wearing tour of duty-or a short one.

Word-processing and the Sole Practitioner: "Can You Type?" Today's paralegal must have a reasonable typing speed and be willing to learn any software programs to which they are exposed. If you obtain employment that does not require much word-processing and computer utilization, get ready, because your next job will. That being said, if you are writing to, speaking with, and networking amongst sole practitioners, be sure that they are going to want you to fit into their computer and word-processing needs. Sole practitioners will hire people who fit into their situations with enthusiasm, skill, and versatility.

They are concerned about it because they do not want to have to worry about it.

Sole practitioner #1 might have no other support personnel besides you. This means you will be responsible for all the word-processing apart from that which the attorney produces.

Sole practitioner #2, however, might have a secretary and an associate. In this situation, you might be responsible for occasional secretarial work, your own work, and pleadings preparation. Let's look at how that might happen in a hypothetical office with a sole practitioner, an associate and one secretary:
 

1. Fill in for the secretary on sick days, vacation days, and lunch hours, and be capable of handling everything that the secretary does. Answer the phone, deal with clients, and handle notices and communications with opposing counsel.
2. Always be able to perform all of your own assignments so that the secretary is not burdened with an additional workload. Remember, if you are a burden to the already overworked secretary, then the sole practitioner does not benefit from hiring you.
3. Volunteer to handle the docketing if they do not ask you to first. This will relieve the secretary, give you an automatic view of the entire case load, and make you immediately valuable.

Word-processing and computer proficiency is demanded of paralegals at every level nowadays, but for sole practitioners it is an absolute requirement. This does not mean you will be typing all day. The strategy you must employ with a sole practitioner is to convey an attitude of confidence, ease, and comfort with word-processing. Usually, they do not want to train you; they want the technical aspect of the practice to be a "given" going in.

Remember, sole practitioners tend to focus on your technical abilities so that when filing deadlines are looming and late afternoon hours