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Paralegal Work and Growth Prospects with Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners

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published January 21, 2013

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left

The smaller general practice law firm enables the paralegal to learn in depth about one or several types of law. This size law firm is usually located in a suburban or rural area. In a small office, the paralegal can work on litigation, personal injury cases, criminal cases, bankruptcy proceedings, real estate transactions, and matrimonial cases.

In the smaller office, the paralegal can be expected to perform receptionist and secretarial duties as well as paralegal work. The paralegal who chooses to work in a small law firm will find that he/she is working closely both with the attorney and the clients. He/she will also find that he/she is expected to work with little direction from the attorney but at a high level of efficiency. Very often, a paralegal working in this type of firm will be the only one employed.

The law library will probably not be as complete as the law libraries in larger firms. The paralegal will be expected to do legal research in the nearby bar association's law library. In addition, there may not be a secretary or other office staff to assist the paralegal. This means that very often, the paralegal is responsible for typing and photocopying his/her own work.

One advantage to working in a small firm is being able to have extensive client contact. Much of the work delegated to the paralegal will be the same kind of work which a first-year associate would do in a bigger firm. Salaries may not be as high as those being paid to paralegals working in the larger firms, but the kind of training and experience received in the small firm will allow the legal assistant to become highly specialized in one or more areas of law.

Profile—Working for a Sole Practitioner

Vicki S., a paralegal working in Westchester County, New York, began her legal assistant career in 1975. An interior decorator in her mid-thirties, with a college degree in music, she sought a career change. She decided to attend a sixteen-week paralegal program in New York City and seek a legal assistant position in Westchester.

Unable to get placement assistance from her paralegal program and with very few paralegal positions available in Westchester County at that time, Vicki found that she had to invent an ingenious way to get "her foot in the door" in this career. She was particularly interested in the area of family law and felt that her litigation specialty would stand her in good stead. She researched all of the matrimonial attorneys in Westchester County, chose the one with the busiest practice, and volunteered to work for him without pay during the summer to prove how valuable a paralegal could be to his practice.

Eager to try Vicki as a paralegal, the attorney spent many hours teaching her about his matrimonial practice. That summer her duties included filing and organizing files, interviewing some clients, and reading law journals to find relevant matrimonial cases which she digested on file cards for future reference. Later on in her paralegal career she found how valuable this experience was; it saved her much time when she was doing legal research on a particular case and wanted to refer back to relevant cases. She also added cases from advance sheets that came into the office.

By the end of July she was going to court with her employer. She discovered that the attorney was spending an hour and a half or more waiting for the judge to call a case, causing the attorney to lose time that he could be spending working at the office. At the $125 an hour he charged, Vicki figured out that he was losing about $250 each week. So she convinced him to allow her to go to court to answer calendar calls for him, and to call him to court, if necessary, to save him that $250.

By the end of the summer, the attorney realized how indispensable Vicki had become to his practice, and arranged a part-time, two-day-a-week schedule for her at $40 a day. Her duties increased, and she attended examinations before trial, prepared orders to show causes and exhibits to be produced, and had more client contact. Vicki found that her organizational abilities were the key to her success as the only paralegal working in this law office.

A large desk calendar and a day-to-day diary became invaluable to her work. The diary would serve to remind her when and which papers were due into the office and court. She was then able to inform the clients so they could have the necessary papers ready on time. By becoming a notary she was able to notarize clients’ signatures when needed.
Since the law practice was a busy one, Vicki found that she was meeting with many different clients each day. To refresh her memory before meeting with each client she would refer to the fact sheet she prepared for each one. She also knew that nothing could be sent out of the office without first being copied. This included all letters, checks, and legal documents.
One of Vicki's other major roles as a paralegal was to bring along a capsule summary of each case to prepare her to speak to the court clerks. Before going to court she made sure to find out how many copies were needed of each document and what the filing fees were. The courts often proved to be slow when processing papers and Vicki found that anxious clients would want to know the reason for the delays in getting their case on the court calendar.

To better accommodate the clients, Vicki asked to see how a certain type of paperwork was routed through the courts. She found that it would have to go through seven places before the card giving the date for the trial would arrive in the office. By being able to explain this to anxious clients, she was able to reassure them.

Vicki's duties increased over the next few years to include drafting legal memoranda, writing motion papers and bills of particulars, and hiring the other personnel in the office. By 1980, she was making $100 a day. Vicki proved to be a thorough, efficient, and professional matrimonial paralegal. After six-and-half years of working for one attorney, she decided that she would like to freelance as a matrimonial paralegal.

She printed up new business cards, revised her resume, and called up some of the attorneys she worked with through her firm's clients, and set her fee at $125 per day. In each law office she contracts with, she begins by reorganizing their files and ascertaining the papers needed to be served and answered. She draws up the client fact sheet and financial affidavit. Her client contact now includes four-way conferences with the husband, wife, and their attorneys. Although she still works under the supervision of an attorney, she enjoys the independence of doing things her own way and controlling her own work schedule.

Read More: Paralegal Work Environment and Growth Prospects in Large Law Firms

Read More: Paralegal Work and Growth Prospects in Mid-sized Law Firms

About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations—from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

  • Immigration law
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Insurance defense
  • Family law
  • Trusts & estates
  • Municipal law
  • And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

  • Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
  • Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
  • Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
  • Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success – The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm’s unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison’s legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here.

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials—he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison’s work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

  • Finds and creates job openings that aren’t publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
  • Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
  • Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney—no matter their background, law school, or previous experience—has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

  • Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
  • Senior attorneys who believed they were “too experienced” to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
  • Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options—only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
  • Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist—often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today – Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison’s expertise will help you take control of your future.

? Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.
Gain an advantage in your legal job search. LawCrossing uncovers hidden positions that firms post on their own websites and industry-specific job boards—jobs that never appear on Indeed or LinkedIn. Don't miss out. Sign up now!

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