While a paralegal's personal beliefs are officially unimportant, they can disqualify themselves in interviews by making remarks that fall on the "wrong side of the fence." A naive applicant should avoid making comments about practice areas and plaintiff vs. defendant issues until that applicant discovers:
- Does the firm handle only Plaintiffs?
- Is this a Defense firm?
- Does this firm handle both sides?
The truth is that most paralegals keep their personal politics and philosophies to themselves so that they can remain employable and economically viable. Some get uncomfortable doing one kind of work (Plaintiff or Defense), and then quietly work their way toward a firm where things are more congenial to their mindset.
Plaintiff and defense: There are some paralegals who by life-style, fashion, and general demeanor consciously align themselves politically, declaring to everyone where their sentiments lie. That is fine as long as applicants are aware of their conduct and only want to work in a certain area of the law. The challenge for most of us who want to have broad acceptability is to look as neutral and sound as unaligned as possible when writing and interviewing.
Those who come into the legal world with the word "environmental" on their lips are generally speaking philosophically of one side, and do not realize that many "environmental" jobs are on the other.
There are two sides to the practice area called "criminal": defense and prosecution. Some people will work both sides, and some will only work for the district attorney. Others' sympathies come down on the defense side. Defense firms are so named because they generally represent large corporations, insurance companies, and "deep pocket" clients (a common term for wealth). A lawsuit generally comes about because deep pockets have been discovered. A Plaintiffs firm is in business to take up the cause of a smaller company or an individual or group of individuals who feel they have been wronged in some way. This is the simplest of pictures to describe what happens in this adversarial system we have constructed.
most sophisticated level. You only need to appear as "un-political" as possible and be able to handle some questions.
You may get questions like:
- How do you feel about working for a criminal defense firm?
- If you've had nursing experience, how do you feel about defending doctors?
- Our firm is full of activists and we take on churches and large corporations. How do you feel about that?
Wolf in sheep's clothing
The hiring of a new paralegal brings a professional into a team in the middle of adversarial contests. The team concept is implicit in your job description. The firm wants to feel you will be a part of the team. In the intense competition for available openings, the applicant who appears the most sympathetic, or even the most innocuous and neutral, is probably going to be considered and hired over a person who creates some doubt about his or her polarities. You do not need to play a cheerleader game either. Do not attempt to be more ardent than the already ardent. The best image is that of professionalism, neutrality, and objectivity. Sympathy for "our side" is a natural process that will arise in any effort after you are hired and going to trial. Do not drum up sentiments you do not have. The main goal is not to look like a "wolf in sheep's clothing."
Mind you, if you disguise your true sentiments about something in order to get hired, and then you spout off continually about it, you will probably end up unemployed anyway. Under the umbrella of professionalism is a smaller word-discretion. If you have this quality as you employ your opening moves and use job strategies, you will surely benefit yourself.
