The Poor Paralegal

10 ways to Eliminate Debt

2012-02-20T01:08:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I have last updated. I have been busy with work, life and trying to keep up with all my social activities. I have barely had any time to attend meetings with my cooking club or my investing club lately. However, I was fortune enough to go to my investing club meeting this past Valentine’s day and I got some great advice from a guy who does credit counseling and helps students with massive graduate school get out of debt. He gave a wonderful lecture and told us ways to live frugally and simple ways to cut costs to pay back student debt. If you are a college graduate or a law school graduate with heavy student loans (over $100,000 in debt), there are some ways you can cut your expenses and find ways to save money to pay back student debt sooner than you think.

If you are overwhelmed with student debt, here are some ways you can drastically cut your costs and save money to pay back those massive student loans:

Tip # 1.     Move back in with your parents after college or law school.

I know that this is a total blow to personal freedoms, and it’s hard to move back home after you finish college and grad school. This tip applies mostly to single professionals, because if your parents let you live rent free, you can knock out a good chunk of student loans instead of paying rent. You can easily put an extra $1,000 or more towards student debt per month if you aren’t paying rent and you can live for free with the parents. I know it’s tough on the social life, but it would only be short term and it will help you save a fortune. The speaker said that one guy paid of $24,000 in loans by living rent free at home with parents, and he only made $55,000 a year. He put every penny towards student loans and they were gone in a year.

Tip # 2.      Only go shopping with Cash.

Whenever I go to the grocery store or drug store, I always bring cash. I will not bring more than maybe $50.00 in cash. If I want to buy more things and “splurge” it will force me to think twice, because I won’t have enough money to buy the things I want, but don’t necessarily need. I can't spend more money than I have, and it will help me save money and not splurge.

Tip # 3     Drive a good used car.

The best advice I ever got was to not have a car payment in my youth. Think about it, a car is a DEPRECIATING asset: You are paying principal and interest on something that is LOSING value. He told us that a good way to get money for a used car is to use your tax return (For example $4,000-5,000 dollars) and buy a used car, and drive it until its dead beyond repair. Good used cars are Toyota Corollas, Honda Accords, Civics, etc. You should shop around and find a low mileage used car with a CARFAX so you know your car is in good condition. By not having a car payment you will have another $300-500.00 a month in your pocket. You can use that money to pay back loans and other debt.

Tip #4    Cut unnecessary costs and little expenses

Do you really need all those catalogs in the mail? Do you need to spend a lot of money on expensive pet food and pampering your pet? Are you paying for premium gas, but do you need it? Check your cell phone bill, you may be paying for more than you really should. Double check your utility bills and bank statements.

Tip #5   Drop the Store Credit Cards.

Do you really need a dozen credit cards? It’s good to have a Visa, MasterCard and/or American Express but you don’t need credit cards for every store in the mall. Unless, you really use a store credit card, then you should really think twice. Yes, you should have credit cards for emergencies, but are there really any emergencies at luxury department stores? The half yearly sale at Nordstrom doesn’t count.

Tip #6   Change your eating habits!

A friend of mine recently decided to stop eating out completely, except for on the weekends. He brings his lunch to work every day and avoids eating out during the week. Of course, he may eat out here and there, but he tries to only eat out on weekends. He has more time and money to enjoy dinner with friends on the weekend, rather than spending so much on lunch. Another friend became a vegetarian because of his girlfriend, and saves money by not eating meat.

Tip #7    Don’t buy fancy brands for generic items.

To me, hand soap is hand soap. I don’t buy all the weird smelling fruity anti bacterial hand soaps and hand sanitizers you see in the mall. I only buy the general hand soap in a big gallon bottle, because it lasts forever. Also, I don’t buy expensive brands of generic goods: Bleach, some cleaners and detergents, dry spices, greeting cards, Milk, and toilet paper. There is really no difference in quality when it comes to generic goods, and you shouldn't pay more money.

Tip # 8       Find a Second part time job.

If you are working 14-16 hour days, I know how hard it is just to find time to sleep and do laundry. It’s not easy, but if you have some time free in the evenings or weekends, then you should find another job. Get creative, maybe start a business? I used to work as a bouncer for a lesbian night club. The money was good and it was only 2 nights a week. Be creative, think of ways to make money.

Tip #9           During the holidays, ask for “productive presents” whenever you receive gifts.

You will likely receive a lot of presents for your Birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, Wedding, or whenever. When people ask you want or what’s on your “wish list” think of things that you actually need. During my holiday party last year, we had a “Secret Santa” and my co workers thought I was crazy. Everyone asked for money, clothes, chocolates, etc., but I asked for a Costco membership. My Costco membership expires in December, so by getting a membership as a gift, I save money. It’s a productive present, because its something I know I will use for the whole year.

Tip #10        You need to get educated!

Find out more about personal finance from online websites and figure out ways to keep track of your expenses, and find out ways to cut your debt and new legislation regarding student debt and changes in student loans that you should be aware of. Some great websites are :

http://www.wisebread.com/

Wise Bread's motto is "Living large on a small budget," and its community of bloggers informs and advises readers on a variety of personal finance topics. This is a very resourceful site to learn more about managing your debt, credit cards, and how to live frugal.

http://www.debtproofliving.com/

This is a website that is devoted to helping you live debt free and they have an email they send out every day called “The Everyday Cheapskate” with tips and tricks to help you save money and life a fulfilling life, without excess debt and even include shopping tips and recipes.

http://www.mymoney.gov/

The U.S. government has built a site to help assist and teach all Americans the basics about money, saving, getting out of debt, loans, and retirement. It’s a great resource to learn more about the personal finance and government resources that are available to you with up to date news information.

Well it’s late and I have to get up early tomorrow. I hope these great tips will help all of you save money and help you pay off those high interest loans faster than you think.
-The Poor Paralegal

DAVID SEGAL FROM THE NY TIMES ARTICLE

2012-01-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy lately, but I recently came across something very interesting. I found a great new video online of David Segal discussing the state of legal education and the realities that many law school graduates face. David wrote the New York Times article "Is Law School a Losing Game?" and here he discusses the current state of legal education. Watch the video below or you can also see it on Youtube.

-The Poor Paralegal

Law Schools could face a wave of lawsuits in 2012

2011-12-26T23:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy Kwanzaa!

It has been a while since I updated, but I have some time off and I have been busy with my job, my investment club and my cooking club. At a recent holiday party with my investment club, I met Linda who told me that she has heard a lot of bad news about the legal profession lately. She is an MBA who works in high tech public relations and meets many attorneys who have switched careers or wound up temporarily unemployed. Most who can't find jobs end up leaving the law once they find a decent paying plum job in corporate America. I told her that many lawyers are unemployed and she sarcastically told me that they should sue their alma maters.

Ironically when I came home that night, I was browsing through the online news. I came across this witty and insightful article in the Sacramento Bee, Law Schools could face a wave of class action lawsuits in 2012

You should read the article yourself to get an insiders view of what many legal professionals feel will be a very painful 2012 for many law school deans and administrators. Some are even calling 2012, " The year of law school litigation." All of the bogus employment statistics and job placement information that many schools publish are very questionable, and the awareness has now reached the masses. Legal professionals who read these blogs are no longer the only ones taking note of the fraudulent practices happening in many o these law schools. Many law firms and even some public policy advocates anticipate multiple class action lawsuits throughout 2012.

I still have hope that I can find some part time job in the legal profession on the side. I am kind of sad because I really enjoy learning about the law and I would have loved to find a job with my education and experience. However, the cliche is true: once you leave the legal field it is EXTREMELY hard to go back.

On a lighter note, my investment club has recently brought in some personal finance speakers to help us figure out ways to eliminate student debt. I have found some useful new tips that I will post in the near future.

In the meantime, enjoy your holiday weekend and have a happy new year! I think the worst of the recession is over, and 2012 should be a much better year for us than 2011. I hope all of you who are unemployed and underemployed find good jobs and work towards a great 2012! It should be a great year for all of us..except maybe the deans of the law schools. :)

- The Poor Paralegal

CNN is right: Law school is a waste of time

2011-11-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

LAW SCHOOL IS A WASTE OF TIME

My job has been ho hum. Working hard, making some decent money and basically just getting by. I get funny looks from strangers and co workers when they find out I am also a parlegal, and they think I should leave and get a job in a law firm. Unfortunately there are no jobs in law firms. I make more money now than most TTT and TTTT grads make their first year out of law school. I am just thankful for the job that I have, but today one of the VP's in the company had their son come and visit the office. His son is a student at one of those liberal arts colleges (Williams/Amherst/Swarthmore types) and majoring in Philosophy or some other useless major. He sat next to meet today at break and was flipping through his LSAT book and I told him that law school really isn't worth going to unless you go to a to a T14 school, because most lawyers won't make enough money to pay back their loans. I told him that I was doing better at my current job than if I had gone to a law firm.

Sadly, he is denial. All those fancy liberal arts colleges feed their students ego's about how they can do whatever they want and how they are all "special" students. Its such bullshit. I told him he should only go if he gets into a top school and it would be better for him to get a job with his dad's connections.

He really believes he will get a job making $160,000 starting from ANY law school he goes to. I told him to look at articles on the internet exposing the realities of the legal profession. As my break was ending, he came across this CNN article on his laptop. It really opened his eyes and it will probably open your eyes, too!

-The Poor Paralegal

Lawyers join the "OCCUPY WALL STREET" movement

2011-10-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Lawyers are now getting involved to protest the corporate greed in the US! Make your voice heard and fight the greedy bastards who are ruining this country. To find out more please visit :

http://www.occupywallst.org/

-The Poor Paralegal

LAW SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR ADMITS TO STEALING FUNDS

2011-10-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

A law school administrator has been charged with stealing over $173,000 over a period of 2 1/2 years from his law school. According to the court documents, the administrator used his computer to get access to the school’s accounting system over a period of several years. During that time, he created many false checks for a total of over $173,000 in school funds, which he deposited into his personal bank account, records show.

You can read more about the article here : Law School Administrator Steals School Funds

What really amazes me is that there are no articles talking about law school administrators stealing funds by misleading students with phony job data and fraudulent advertising! If this guy is stealing over 173k from his law school, imagine what else may be going on at this "institution of higher learning" ?!?!
Law school administrators are evil, greedy and manipulative bastards. They are the lowest forms of species on the face of planet earth! What surprises me is that school administrators don't get beat up one of the law school students who were ripped off by the law school scam. However, some students fight back ..literally..

Watch the video below!

- The Poor Paralegal

Lawyer Turns Topless Dancer to Pay bills

2011-09-15T01:33:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a great new article about unemployed lawyers getting desperate to pay the bills. Some are even turning to extreme measures to help make ends meet. Some are even turning into strippers, exotic dancers and topless dancers. In fact, you should all read this article I just found on MSNBC:

Lawyer turns topless dancer to make ends meet

When I read this article I was sitting at my cubicle during lunch break, and a VP of research came by my desk to ask me to run a report. He saw me reading the news on my computer, and saw me reading the article about the lawyer turned stripper. He made some awful joke about how this girl must wear a lawyer outfit with a miniskirt when she strips at the club. He is this 300 lbs obese prick, and doesn't seem to understand the frustrations that many unemployed legal professionals face.

I read this article and it really made me sad. I can't imagine how horrible it must be to have so much student debt, bills to pay and resort to working as an exotic dancer to make ends meet. In the article it goes on to say that she will get another law job as soon as she can and leave working as a topless dancer.

I have had my share of crazy bad jobs to make ends meet:

I have worked as a bouncer at a lesbian bar ( the money was great 200-300 bucks for 2 nights of work)

I have worked as a laborer in construction

I have worked as telemarketer for fast food companies in college

I have also worked in South Central LA and survived a drive by shooting ( Thank God they missed and the sheriffs came right away)

I hope that God protects this girl and all the other legal professionals resorting to stripping, porn or any other type of job that puts them in danger. Also, be careful if you are a stripper, the work itself can be dangerous! If you don't believe me, watch the video below on Youtube!

- The Poor Paralegal

Great new Article from CNN MONEY!

2011-08-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

I recently found a great new article on CNN MONEY: Law School Graduates Sue their Alma Mater

This is a great new article discussing how many students are now suing their schools for fradulent misrepresentation of material facts. It will be interesting to see how all of this is covered more intensely by other media outlets.

On a lighter note, Ramadan has officially ended and I wanted to wish everyone a very HAPPY EID MUBARAK!

I think my present this year is the peace of mind knowing that more students will read articles like the one above and think twice before going to law school and taking out massive debt. I hope everyone has a happy holiday and I found a great new song on Youtube! To celebrate...enjoy! Happy Eid and Bayram everyone!

- The Poor Paralegal

Tough Job Market Drives Young People to Suicide

2011-08-17T00:12:00.000-07:00

Tough Job Market causes young Koreans to commit suicide

In South Korea, the suicide rate among young people in their 20's has skyrocketed! It is now the highest it has ever been in recent history, and many of these people are young law school graduates. The law school saturation is not just limited to US graduates having problems, but also in other countries. There are too many attorneys and not enough jobs to absorb all the recent graduates.

Suicide is now the # 1 cause of death for young people in South Korea.

As the article goes on to say, "At least 10 of the suicide cases that have been reported so far this year are believed to be linked to a failure to find jobs. A study by an Internet job search portal conducted in April showed that six out of 10 respondents felt tempted to take their own lives due to the increased difficult and related stress of finding work in Korea's overheated job market, which is causing employers to pare down their new hires."

Law School Graduates Face Grim Reality

This article talks about how there are too many law school graduates in South Korea and not enough Jobs for most of them. So many people are unemployed and contemplating suicide, this is horrible! This problem is not limited to just US law school graduates. However, what shocks me is that the ABA is allowing new law schools to open up across the USA!

-The Poor Paralegal

Law School Graduates Sue Law Schools for being Misled about Job Prospects

2011-08-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Law School Graduates sue for being "Scammed" by Law Schools?

New York Law School and the Cooley law school in Michigan are now being sued by their recent graduates in a class action lawsuit. Read the article in the link above! The graduates of these schools feel that they were misled about job prospects, starting salaries and employment prospects when they enrolled in these law schools.

The plaintiffs in this case accuse the law schools for misleading them and are seeking millions in damages for lost tuition money and other damages they incurred while enrolling in law school. As the article in the link above goes on to say,

'The law school industry today is much like a game of three-card monte, with law schools flipping over ace after ace, while a phalanx of non-suspecting players wager mostly borrowed money based on asymmetrical information on a game few of them can win," according to the New York lawsuit.'

Are you listening all you pre law undergrads? These students are smart, hard working and did everything right, but the legal profession simply cannot absorb all the graduates that come into the job market each year.

I recently talked to an investment banker at my company who is a JD/MBA and he said many graduates of lower ranked law schools get duped big time. It all comes down to their glossy brochures! When a naive young liberal arts graduates reads the law school brochures, he gets hypnotized by the "success stories" in the admissions brochure! In a nutshell, this is how many pre law students get scammed by law schools:

Oliver the Overachiever graduated Summa Cum Laude from an Ivy League School with a triple BS in Quantum Physics, Applied Mathematics and Political Science. He then applied to law school and decided to attend ( lower ranked non elite law school) . He had scores of law schools to choose from, and now he is a happy graduate of our school. He was editor of law review and graduated at the top of his class. He now works for a BIG law firm making $160,000 a year and is a successful attorney. He credits his success by attending (lower ranked law school)!

Nearly every law school student thinks that he or she will end up like Oliver the Overachiever and making big bucks! This is not true, and the vast majority will end up underemployed, unemployed or employed in a non legal profession.

In my last post, I wrote about the crazy Attorney who was like a motivational speaker on drugs. I recently met up with him again, after I got off of work. He ended up talking to me about some of his problems and financial hardships he is going through. I began to think about him as a professional and how people assume that just because he is a successful JD/MBA from an ivy league school, that he is super successful. Everyone assumes that if you work in corporate law that you are rich and successful, but you aren't. You still have many problems, MASSIVE student loans, and most of these people don't make as much as you think they do! Most are beyond miserable in their jobs and just try to work to pay back their student debt.

This is the problem with the legal profession: It warps your reality!

All the pre law students think big salaries, see inflated employment statistics, and offices in skyscrapers! They don't realize that when they see people like "Oliver the Overachiever" in the law school admissions brochures, it is just a fantasy! Success stories like that are rare exceptions and not the reality for the vast majority of law school graduates! Most end up doing temp jobs, document review and will struggle to find anything to pay the bills.

It will be interesting to see if more students will sue their law schools for being misled about job prospects!

On a lighter note, Ramadan just started over a week ago and fasting has really screwed up my gym schedule. I am running, lifting and going to the gym during odd hours of the night and still trying to do my best at work. I was cooking food for dinner last night and I found a great recipe on Youtube. I know we are still in a recession, and many people can't afford to eat out, so I found you a great recipe! If you like Indian/Pakistani food, then try this easy chicken curry recipe. It is really easy, tasty and it goes great with rice or naan.

If you want to save some money by not eating out this weekend, then cook at home this weekend! Have a spicy south Asian Saturday night!

-The Poor Paralegal

Joke of the day

2011-07-22T01:31:00.000-07:00

So today I was having a super crappy morning at work.

Then, I met with a group of Vice Presidents and Managing Directors to discuss the financial results for the end of the 2nd quarter. Many of them were talking about future projects, profits in the second half of the year and even merging with another financial services firm to expand our office. It was interesting since my boss brought in a corporate finance attorney who worked for a lot of dot.coms in the Silicon Valley back in the late 90's. His name was Andy* the Attorney, and he was a very enthusiastic guy. He was jumping up and down the halls with his presentation kits, smiling and I am sure he could have used some decaf coffee. He has served in house counsel for many large corporation and successful entrepreneurial ventures. Andy had been working in corporate America for a very long time.

He gave our project team a big lecture on the benefits of merging with XYZ company, and how if we buy them out, then our product diversification mix will grow substantially. We will have more clients, industries and function groups to work with our clients. He was so enthusiastic, our entire staff gave him a standing ovation after his lecture.

After his lecture, I had a lunch meeting with him and 3 guys in my department.

He used to work for one of the biggest coffee house chains in the world. I will give you a hint, the company starts with the letter "S" and is based out of the west coast. This company does NOT franchise its coffee houses anymore, but for a brief time back in the mid 90's, they used to offer some franchises.

He started telling me about the franchise process and how he would get investors to join this GIGANTIC coffee house chain. During lunch, he stood up and started running around our table in circles, moving so fast and telling me about the marketing, products, start up money and so on. He then said "To buy a coffee house franchise with (guess the company name?) back in 1995 , you needed to have 5 million dollars in liquid assets. Then you need to qualify with good credit, and then there is the training.."

Suddenly I started laughing in the middle of lunch. My boss looked at me like I was crazy. The other co workers looked at me like I was out of my mind. Andy the Attorney wouldn't stop talking about this coffee house. Andy started to get bothered by me laughing, and then I looked up at him.

I said, "Andy, If I had 5 million dollars in liquid assets, I sure as hell wouldn't be buying a coffee shop. I don't know what the hell you are smoking, but if I had 5 million dollars in cash I would be in Hawaii. I'm Sorry. That is wrong, but that is funny!"

Then my boss started laughing.

Ok so it really wasn't that funny of a joke of the day, but it made my day a little better! I guess it was one of those "you had to be there" moments and you weren't there. Oh well, have a great weekend everyone!

- The Poor Paralegal

*name has been changed to protect privacy

Enrollment Drops Drastically at Law School

2011-07-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

Good News....

It looks like more and more law school administrators, faculty and staff are now accepting the facts about the legal profession. There are so many unemployed lawyers and not enough jobs. I do applaud Vermont Law School for addressing this issue by lowering their class size by nearly 25%! You read about the article here: Law School Enrollment down 23.8 %

The article discusses how the school is coming ot terms with the fact that we simply have too many attorneys chasing too few jobs in the United States. One of the staff members at VLS even said, "With the recession and tough legal job market there are more lawyers and fewer legal jobs”

VLS is known for having one of the best environmental law programs in the country, and it is a very well respected school. I have a lot of respect for the administration of this school for actually coming to terms with the changing legal job market. I wonder what made them decide to lower enrollment? Was it all these scamblogs? I will never know, but I just hope more schools follow and start lowering enrollments.

If you are a law school faculty member or administrator, please keep reading these blogs. Listen to the sad stories you hear about graduates drowning in debt, with no job prospects and working dead end jobs. Don't dismiss us as whiners, actually take the time to listen to what we have to say. It reminds me of a scene I once saw on Ally McBeal on youtube. You can watch the video on Youtube yourself.

- The Poor Paralegal

Would you go to law school to become a Paralegal?

2011-06-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's about that time of year again...

ARE..

YOU....

READY....

FOR ....

MORE PROBLEMS IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION THIS YEAR???

Just when you thought the legal profession would not hit a new low, you are wrong:

The University of Texas at Austin has now launched a 5 month paralegal program and sent brochures to its law school alumni, telling them of this wonderful new program!

WOW! Imagine, spending 3 years of your life, tuition, room and board and lost wages only to get an invitation to a paralegal program after you graduate!

If you want to learn more about this debt for diploma program read about it here:

Go to Law School to Become a Paralegal!

I have a friend who is working in document review, graduated from UC Hastings school of law and we both were talking about this hilarious new article in Above the Law. UTA is a very well respected school, but if a top 15 law school is telling its graduates to become paralegals, what does that tell you about the legal profession? UNDERGRADUATES BEWARE!

My friend said "Lawyers working as paralegals, what’s next ..lawyers working as cops?" It reminded me of a funny video I once saw a while back. I uploaded the video below for your viewing pleasure. Usually the Bailiff/Sheriff keeps order in the court and protects civilians from violence, but in Pakistan a group of lawyers started to beat the police. The world is changing...

-The Poor Paralegal

Middle Class Jobs are Vanishing

2011-06-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

Most of America's middle class works making between $40,000-70,000 a year salaries as middle managers will see dramatic shifts in their future opportunities. Due to outsourcing, globalization, streamlining and changes in the US economy, there is no need for many of these jobs. India produces over 800,000 engineers a year, whereas the US only creates about 60,000 engineers. I am part south asian, and many students who grow up in India, Pakistan, etc. end up becoming very well educated. I had one friend from Arabic school who told me in India he grew up learning Hindi/Urdu, Panjabi, English, Arabic and one western language (French, Spanish, etc.) Keep in mind, that this is in PUBLIC school, not some fancy private school.

Many of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are rapidly growing and outsourcing is taking those jobs away from the US and sending them to overseas. Globalization is killing the legal profession, as many document review and legal research jobs are being sent abroad. Read this article in the Wall Street Journal, to learn more about these changes, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-well-paid-middle-class-job-is-in-danger-2011-06-16

Even many well paid workers are now seeing their jobs vanish, and the odds of getting very high paying jobs will be very difficult for years to come. Since I work in investment banking, and I met quite a few survivors from the Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns collapse when the "Great Recession" started.

Just last week I met one guy who was at BS and worked as an Associates in the Fixed Income Group division of corporate banking. He was well educated, out of a top 20 MBA school for 3 years and was making around 250-300k a year. He was on his way to becoming a VP, but the mortgage meltdown and recession made him lose his job. He now works for my boutique company, and I know he makes like barely 100k a year. He even told me that the odds of getting one of those really high paying jobs on wall street will be rare for many years to come. He even thought about taking his CPA exam and doing accounting, since he has friends who are controllers, CFO's, and such who make more than him.

Even for someone who was making so much money on wall street, he gave me some great insight. You have to constantly adapt to the changing job market. You can't always just keep looking for a job in your industry. If you are in a profession where there are no jobs, then go out and figure out a way to find another job. Don't just sit around moping and being depressed. I couldn't find a legal job as a paralegal, so I went back to corporate America. I recently met one M&A attorney who needs a paralegal on contract basis, so I may work for him on the side while I work my full time job. I need to constantly figure out ways to make money, find part time work, learn new skills and figure out how to survive.

The point is that while a lot of these middle class jobs are vanishing, we all need to figure out how to survive. Yes, law school is a scam, there are no legal jobs and I can constantly bitch about it..or..

We can all go out, find out where the jobs are, learn new skills, figure out ways to make ends meet and work hard at adapting to the changing job market.

To all you underemployed and unemployed lawyers and paralegals: be an active learner and try to make your own way, there is hope in this terrible economy!

- The Poor Paralegal

5 step plan to fix the Legal Profession

2011-06-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

I recently found out about the class action lawsuit filed against Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego by Anna Alaburda and recent graduates of TJLS. I think this is just the beginning, and eventually many more law schools will be sued by their graduates for fraudulent misrepresentation of material facts and NIED. These schools gave out false employment statistics and misled their graduates into thinking they would get jobs paying $70,000 + starting with a 80-90% placement rate.

Many of these graduates are now doing document review, part time jobs, or have no way to pay back their loans. Many prospective law students and graduates have e mailed me about the myths of the legal profession. They read the scam blogs, they read the New York Times article, but this should really open their eyes..Law school graduate can't find a job

Eventually many third and fourth tier law schools will likely face class action lawsuits by misleading their graduates with false promises of jobs, high starting salaries, and lucrative career opportunities.

A lot of changes will eventually impact the legal education industry.

I have come up with my own way of fixing the legal profession.

THE POOR PARALEGAL'S

FIVE STEP PLAN TO FIX THE LEGAL EDUCATION INDUSTRY

1.)   Every law school needs to lower enrollment by 1/3.

Every year we have 45,000 + law school graduates and only 30,000 jobs that require a JD. This will lead to law schools having fewer students and less funding, but they should just lay off greedy faculty members and hire more part time professors.

2.)   Require at least 2 years of full time work experience as a prerequisite to attending law school. So many English, History and Political science majors go to law school by default. They have no idea of what to do after college. MBA programs require several years of experience for their applicants, and so should law schools! They should get more work experience and at least have some idea of the real world before they commit 3 years of their life to law school and the financial burden it requires.

3.)   Eliminate all NON ABA approved law schools and paralegal programs. All these CBA schools in California need to be shut down. These scam diploma mills aren't worth the paper they are printed on! All these online paralegal programs are full of shit. They need to have only ABA approved programs, and all legal employers should not hire anyone who doesn't graduate from an accredited program.

4.) Make every law school student attend a seminar on financial counseling as a part of the application process to law school. This should be done BEFORE they even take the LSAT exam. This should be an intensive 1-2 day course  and it should give potential students the straight facts of the cost of a legal education, employment prospects and give them a "reality check" on their ability to repay loans.

5.) Enable a third party market research company that is NOT affiliated with law schools to provide accurate information in regards to employment statistics, salary information and such.

This is my 5 step plan to fix the legal education system. I think it would be a great idea of these steps were taken to fix the legal profession. I applaud Anna Alaburda for being such a brave and courageous woman to be the first law student to fight back against the law school scam.

To all you law school graduates who are struggling, hopefully things will get better in the near future!

-The Poor Paralegal

Refugees from the Legal Profession

2011-05-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Mazel Tov!

I have met quite a few refugees from the legal profession working in non legal fields. I recently went to a Persian Jewish wedding in Beverly Hills and met a lot of attorneys and paralegals who have escaped from the law.

When I was a little kid, I was not allowed to eat "outside" meat, and we only ate halal and kosher meat in the house and when we went out to restaurants. My father was very strict and I still remember getting yelled at in third grade when he found out I had Mcdonalds chicken nuggets(non kosher/halal). I cried for days, it was horrible!

Growing up, I remember meeting a lot of guys at the kosher delis on Pico and Robertson in Beverly Hills and west LA. Even though we lived in the suburbs, we would always buy meat from there whenever we were in LA. Back in the day, it was very hard to find halal meat butchers, so kosher delis were the only other option. My father and I would meet many of the customers who were working in the legal profession. Many were practising attorneys and I had never heard of anyone leaving the legal profession.

At the wedding, I met many attorneys and some former legal professionals. One was working as a high school English teacher and another took over his parents rental properties. At the bar, I saw a very beautiful woman sitting all by herself.

Out of curiosity, I asked my friend who she was.

The moment I saw her, I was startled by her piercing blue eyes. She had dark long wavy hair and olive skin, but her eyes were as blue as the Mediterranean sea.

I knew I had to meet her.

She was a Yemeni woman who graduated on law review  from a top law school and worked as an attorney for several years before opening up her own consulting business. She gave me some great tips on how to transition into a non legal career for lawyers and paralegals. She charges over $600.00 an hour and helps CEO's and CLO's find jobs.

She gave me a few pointers on how to transition into a non legal career with a legal background. Since she charges a lot of money for her services, I thought I would post some valuable tidbits of information for my fellow poor legal professionals.

1.)   Emphasize your business courses- Contracts law, U.C.C., Trademark, Real Estate, Corporate Finance, etc. If you have a useless BA in English, History or Poli Sci, then put business courses on your resume that you took in college. If you took an elective in economics, then write it down. If you haven't worked in business, learn the basics through the library and on your resume that you know how to read financial documents, basic accounting, and multiple computer programs.

2.)   Discuss how your coursework and internships/jobs were NON law related. This is very tricky since if you were working as an associate or paralegal, then you were actually involved in legal practice.

Here is an example of how it can be done:

If you were an associate working with a real estate company, then say you were involved in "legal transactions involving land, leasing, capital management and budgeting."

If you did business litigation then say you were involved with "accounts management, operations and business policy."

3.) Emphasize that you did "management roles" as a legal professional. Explain how you effectively managed assignments, cases and the office team.

4.) Discuss interaction with non legal professionals. Your resume should say "member of strategic management team of the CFO" or "corporate partner with CTO and anythingcom.com "

To all your unemployed and underemployed legal professionals, try using these tips to help find a non legal job!

There were just tiny pearls of wisdom I learned which are very useful for tweaking your resume to find non legal jobs. I feel very fortunate to have met such a smart and intelligent woman, but I just wish all of you could have seen her in person.

-The Poor Paralegal

Law School Applications Plummet in 2011

2011-05-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

It looks like the word is getting out that a JD is not a ticket to print money like many people think it is. I found this great video and article online by Fox News in Minnapolis, MN.

I highly recommend you watch it!

Law School Applications Plummet

- The Poor Paralegal

I Finally Got A Job

2011-05-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Darwin was wrong, there is a God.

All those years of Arabic school my parents forced me to attend as a child have finally paid off....

I finally got a job working for a boutique real estate investment banking firm in their corporate finance department. Thank Allah (swt) I have a BA in Business Economics and I worked in business for several years before becoming a poor paralegal. A staffing agency found the job for me and now I am working full time in the operations division under two vice presidents and one managing director. The job pays pretty decent, and I am just thankful that I found a job in this horrible economy.

After being laid off and doing odd jobs it feels really weird to have a real normal 8-5 job again. I am up at 6 am, getting my clothes dry cleaned, and working hard to make ends meet. Many of the banking executives wonder why I don't go and work as a paralegal, but they don't realize how shitty the job market is. This job is temp to hire and they will give me a full time offer after 60 days, so I don't want to screw this up.

I have realized that when you work in corporate America, you have to be very careful and be cautious of your behavior as a professional. I reflected on my past jobs, bosses and decided to write down some thoughts on how to succeed in the work place.

10.    When you go to work, never get too comfortable with co workers or act casually in the office. Your boss is your boss, he is NOT your friend! Your co workers are your co workers, they are NOT your friends! Do not talk too much about your personal life, the shitty legal profession, or reveal all your inadaquacies/mistakes in past jobs.

9.     Pick and choose your battles wisely. This comes in many forms, you should always listen more than you speak. Never get too carried away in a conversation with a co worker and/or force your views on someone else. Don't have the attitude of "I am always right!", let it go, and don't argue. Even if your boss has the IQ of a mosquito, let him think he is right. Make him feel like the king of the world, because if he likes you, then when it comes time for that holiday bonus, YOU WILL FEEL LIKE THE KING OF THE WORLD! Even if your co workers/boss force views on you, just smile and do what needs to be done. You are there to get paid, use the bathroom(like the pictures Nando posts on his blog) get benefits and go home. Don't dwell upon petty issues.

8.      Keep your personal life OUTSIDE the office. No one in the office is a therapist, they do not want to hear your problems, nor will they help you solve your problems. NEVER talk about your personal finances, political, religous or other views in the office. Your business is no one else's business. Also, you don't want people to have prejudices about you, when they don't know the details of your personal life. Ignorance is bliss!

7.     Do not hang out with co workers outside of work. This is very difficult for young college graduates, because after graduating college and going into the real world, it is really hard to make friends. You work so many hours and you don't really have social activities like you did in school. You may find people at work who are cool and seem nice, but first and foremost they are your coworkers. Don't hang out with them. Be cordial and friendly, but don't get too close with them or add them on Facebook and such.

6.    Keep your attitude in neutral. Never show your emotions too dramatically-whether happy or sad. Once your managers know how you operate, then they will also know your weaknesses.

5.   Never seem desperate for anything: A job, a promotion, a corner office or a longer lunch break. Be civil and let things happen on their own.

4.    Do Not Date Co Workers. PERIOD! If you are that desperate for dates, then go to match.com.

3. Be respectful to everyone in your office. Even the Janitor, the temps and elevator operators. Giving everyone little compliments will GREATLY complement your career. Karma really does work in mysterious ways.

2. Never talk bad about anyone in the firm or a client. Remember, those who gossip to you, will gossip about you and vice versa!  However, everyone needs to engage in worthless water cooler gossip once in a while, and so you should talk about external topics: The weather, the Lakers losing, insane gas prices, weekend plans, etc.

1. Always try to do your job better than no one else can! I was originally hired for two days and then when I left after one week, the staff was very sad. I was respectful and cordial to everyone. When I left, I even thanked all the analysts, associates and secretary for giving me the opportunity to work with them. I left a nice thank you note to the managing director's desk when I left the office when I left work on Friday. As I was stepping inside the elevator he came running down the hall to say that he wanted to thank me for everything and how  he was upset that I didn't go into his office and didn't say goodbye in person.

My firm hired me as a temp, and they were so impressed with me, two days turned into two weeks and now two months...who knows where it will go from here?!

The whole point of the Poor Paralegal's 10 strategies to success in the work place is that you have to prove yourself. Once you work diligently, make everyone like you and make everyone in the office WANT to see you regularly, then they will want to keep you.

It is tough and I don't know how long this job will last, but I do have faith in myself and my other fellow broke unemployed/underemployed legal professionals. I am not working in a law related job but I have decided to expand my horizons and am now back in corporate America.

We are still coming out of the horrible recession and the job market is slowly but surely improving..

My advice for everyone is to hang in there and have undaunting persistence! There are 2 secret ingredients in the recipe for success: INTEREST AND EFFORT!

Take the interest and effort in your career, eventually something will come up for you.

I will keep you posted on my job and I will still write about interesting articles on the legal profession, money saving tips, and other words of wisdom I will hopefully find at this new job!

I wish everyone and their hard working mothers a very happy Mothers day!

-The Poor Paralegal

PS: I recently found an old Mazzy Star CD that I bought when I was in high school, and it's been years since I heard this CD. Luckily, I found the video on youtube..enjoy!!

Great New Article

2011-04-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

http://theweek.com/article/index/214616/the-law-school-lie

I found this article in The Week magazine entitled "The Law School Lie" and it will shock you!

I suggest everyone read it!

-The Poor Paralegal

Confessions of a Car Salesman

2011-04-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

I am really into cars, repairing automobiles and if worse comes to worse I will become a mechanic with my own auto body shop. A good friend of mine was recently looking for a new car and so she decided to bring me along with her to go car shopping for a new sedan. She looked into Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, etc. and we went to several different dealerships. We went to the Cerritos auto square and Tustin auto mall, looking at different cars.

We ended up at one foreign automotive dealership to look at Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys. Most of them were used and only had low mileage, so it would be a much better buy for her other than buying a new car and losing money on depreciation.

The car salesman was Sam* the sales executive.

He began to talk to me about selling cars and how he was the #1 sales guy two years ago, but due to the bad economy his sales have fallen drastically. He used to pull down 7-8 grand a month but now he only makes about 3-4 thousand dollars a month.

He started asking me about my background and I told him I was in sales, too. I told him I was also a paralegal, notary and tax preparer. He said, "It is very hard to make it as a Paralegal these days" and I told him that there are no jobs to be found anywhere.

We talked about how horrible it was and I said "I don't get these news articles about how great it is to be a paralegal and how there are all these jobs. There are no jobs anywhere!" and he said "Yes, I know. All of my friends from law school are working as paralegals and legal assistants!"

I took a step back.

I was in shock. He told me he graduated from a fourth tier law school in San Diego and struggled to find any legal job after finishing in 2007. He has done internships and worked in different firms, but no one offered him a job. He was offered a shit law job paying $15.75 an hour, but he was making more than that selling used cars. He said he doesn't know if he wants to stay in the car business forever, but when you have $128,000 in student loans, you need to find a way to pay back your loans.

He said the worst part of it all is that once you leave the legal profession, it is extremely difficult to get back into the law and find a job as an attorney. He doesn't like to tell a lot of people that he has a law degree, but he knew since I was a poor paralegal that I would understand his dire financial situation.

I told him about how I lost a job offer that paid over 70k a year because they thought I was going to be a "flight risk", but I am still trying hard to get a full time job with benefits.

This is the biggest misconception that many people don't understand.

He said, " A law degree is not a Super MBA, you can't do anything with a law degree. If you apply to banks, financial firms, consulting firms, marketing and management positions, they won't even look at you. I have been turned down for those types of jobs with my JD, and this is why I'm still selling cars."

He was really impressed with knowledge of cars and automotive repair, and said he would ask the dealership if they had any openings. I wouldn't mind working in service or sales, but man ....it must fucking suck to have 128k in student loans and find whatever job you can to pay them back.

I told him that I doubt I will ever find any legal position, and said that about half of his graduating class in 2007 is working in non legal positions. At this point, most of them are so desperate, they are willing to do anything just to pay the bills.

We ended up leaving without buying a car, but will do some more shopping next weekend. I was really surprised to have such an insightful conversation with a car salesman. It makes me wonder about how many other JD's are out there selling used cars?!

That's all for now, and everyone have a happy Easter!

-The Poor Paralegal

*Name has been changed to protect privacy

Second round Interviews

2011-04-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have been going on some final round interviews for some sales and contracts management positions. Things have been going okay for me thus far, but I was very sad by a letter I received from a recruiter this afternoon. It turns out that with my education and experience, I was considered to be "overqualified" for a position.

I was thinking "WTF!?!? How can I be freaking overqualified for a job in IT sales?"

I have a BA in Business Economics, an ABA certified Paralegal certificate, a California certified Tax Preparer and a Notary Public ( I do a LOT of freelancing on the side to make extra money, thats how I am surviving).

She was impressed with my work history with VAR's, OEM's, Salesforce.com and other technology related applications.

However, she said that she was afraid I wouldn't last long in sales because once I found a "lucrative job in the legal profession" that I would bail and find something "better." She said I was their top and first choice for the job in their El Segundo office, but she was scared that I would be a "Flight risk" so they chose another candidate. The job pays $76,000 a year.

Why the fuck would I want to work as a Paralegal if I can make $76,000 a year working for a firm that does business with Boeing?!?!?

Such bullshit!

Let this be a lesson for anyone who thinks any sort of legal education will "help you in all sorts of fields", because it FUCKING WON'T!

People will think you are overqualified to work in other areas or that you won't want to stay in anything else but the legal profession.

-The Poor Paralegal

Update

2011-04-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have updated my blog. I have been very busy and I have gone on 18 job interviews, done odd jobs and have done other things to keep myself busy.

I even talked to my friends dad who was nice enough to help me try to get a job in his law firm. He graduated from Harvard and went to Yale law school, where he was on law review. He is a very smart, intelligent and insightful guy. He is a litigation partner at one of the 10 largest law firms in the nation.

I had lunch with him a while ago and told him about how I have several job offers on the table that are in the final stages. They are all non legal related and he flat out told me " I am glad you did the paralegal program when you lost your old job!"

I thought he was a bit crazy for telling me that, since I haven't been able to find any job what so ever in the legal profession. He said, "Now you know the ugly truth about how the legal profession is not as glamorous as tv makes it out to be. At least you did your paralegal program for free and now you have no debt. Imagine going to a third or fourth tier law school, having six figures in debt and making around $40,000 to try to pay off your debt. How would that make you feel?"

He wasn't trying to be mean to me or hurt my feelings, but he was right about one thing: The legal profession is very overrated! At least I had a first had look by doing my internship, working in a courthouse and seeing how few law jobs there are in corporate America.

A while back, he even advised me that I should only go to law school if I got a job after my paralegal program working with an attorney, and to do night school. This way I would at least have some experience, learn the industry and be able to start my own practice after graduating. I have had no luck finding ANY legal jobs whatsoever, so I am 99.99% sure I will never go to law school.

I will keep you updated on my job search and post more money saving websites soon!

-The Poor Paralegal

ATTENTION EVERYONE: MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR BROKE LEGAL PROFESSIONALS

2011-03-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make: I am obsessed with personal finance!

I love finding good deals, freebies and getting discounts whenever possible. I have found every website known to manking where I can get tons of coupons, freebies and goodies by signing up for various different programs. I even had a sorority in college pay me money to take a bunch of the girls around the garment district in Los Angeles in a chevy suburban to help them find great deals.

To all you law graduates (or any graduate) who are drowning in student loans, you have to realize the reality of the situation.

You have NON dischargeable student debt. You may have six figures in student loans. The job market sucks and there are no jobs in this horrible economy.

Your loans ARE NOT going to magically disappear AND you have to pay back every penny you took out.

Look, I know it sucks that many people got screwed. Everyone believed false employment statistics based on bogus salary information and job placement rates. Many of you were misled into thinking that you would have a job and be able to pay back your debt. However, what’s done is done. We can all sit around and bitch about how we can’t pay back our debt, or we can do something about it. In my humble opinion, everyone who has massive student loans must work to cut all of their every day basic expenses in order to have more money to pay off student debt. I know living in big urban areas, such as NYC, Chicago, SF, LA, DC, and Boston is not cheap. However, with a little creativity and effort, you can make it happen. You don’t have to live in the richest parts of town or have a fancy lifestyle, but you can find everything you NEED when you don’t have a lot of money. I am just a poor paralegal and not a JD, but if I can do it, so can you!

I am on 347 money saving websites

I get 120 free samples a month

I get dry cleaning for $.99 each clothing item

I get oil changes for $8.00

I get free appetizers for different restaurants each week

I have listed below some of the best websites to find great stuff at discount prices or for free on the web. These will help you find cheap deals and allow you to save more of your income to pay off your student debt. I have always been good at scoping out deals, so I decided to use my knowledge to help others who aren't as fortunate. Take a look at the websites and see if they can help you out!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GETTING STARTED:

Before you set sail on the seas of savings, you must do the following…

1.) Create a new e mail account. You will be bombarded with tons of e mail and you don’t want it to get mixed in with your job search, potential employers and professional contacts.

2.) Don’t use your real phone number. Use a second line or leave it blank when you fill out forms because you don’t want people calling you 24/7

3.) Realize that I am NOT going to guarantee you anything, but these sites have helped me tremendously. They may or may not work for you, but I have seen every spam and scam website out there, and I thought these were pretty useful websites.

4.) Always consult with a professional before making any personal, professional or financial decision.

TOP MONEY SAVING WEBSITES

www.wififreespot.com

Find free wireless internet service wherever you are located! This is a great website to visit when you are in a remote area, traveling, or you are using your laptop in public!

www.chegg.com

Chegg is a great website that allows users to rent textbooks intead of purchasing them. Many students buy textbooks for $100-200 dollars and end up selling them after the semester is over. They sell them for a price that is much less than what they originally paid. Many sell their books for 70% or more off the original price they paid. Buying textbooks can be ridiculously expensive. Use Chegg to rent textbooks and return them after the class is over.

www.dealnews.com

Deal news is a great website for comparing prices of different products on the web. It also works as a search engine and it highlights the lowest price possible the site can find on the internet. It’s awesome! It compares prices for you and even tells you which deals are “hot” by a hotness factor.

www.currentcodes.com

Currentcodes is a great website to find discount coupon codes for online retailers! Many retailers, including amazon.com accept coupon codes to give their customers an additional rebate or discount on their purchase. This website is great because it gives you coupon codes that are current and that you can presently use. They update the site daily, so you can always find useful codes that aren’t expired!

www.freebirthdaytreats.com

Happy Birthday! Free Birthday Treats is a great website to visit to find out great places that give you FREE things on your birthday! They have an interactive guide that will show you places where you can get free food, clothes, desserts and gift items in different states across the country. Make sure you visit this site 1-2 days before your birthday and find out all the places where you can get free things.

You need to strategically maximize your birthday benefits:

Check this website before your birthday to find out where you can get a free breakfast, lunch and dinner. Find out where you can get free clothes, novelty items and gifts.

If your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, child or family member is having a birthday and you can’t afford to get them something, find out places where you can take them. Even if you can’t afford much, try to get them something for free.

www.freestufftimes.com

This is a great website to find out where to get more free things. However, IMHO the deals on this site are just “Ok”, and not as good as some others. If you subscribe, every day you may be able to find some free things and useful coupons to use.

www.freecycle.org

Freecycle is a great website to find good quality free things. The whole concept of the website is to stop putting good useful things in the trash and if you have some older items that you don’t need any more, you can donate them in the network. They also have a “wanted” section where you can put something that you need badly. For example, if you need a new couch for your apartment, you can place an ad on the site. Maybe someone in your metro area has an older leather couch they don’t need any more. They can give it to you!

Freecycle is similar to the concept of Craigslist “Free” section, but you won’t attract a wider audience. The main advantage of Freecycle is that you may end up dealing with the same people for free stuff and it doesn’t attract as many “characters” as craigslist. Check out the site and find reviews on the web to get more information about Freecycle.

www.couchsurfing.org

Couch surfing is a great way for budget travelers to visit other cities, states and countries by staying with a friend on their “couch!” It is similar to Facebook, in that you have a profile and pictures. You can get reviews from friends and make new friends to visit and stay on their couch for the weekend. It’s a great way to explore new cities and travel if you can’t afford a hotel. You get to meet new people and have interesting experiences.

I enjoy this website, but you must read and agree to their terms of service. Everyone is making friends with other people, but make sure you make good friends and get references from other people before using this service. Always be cautious when staying with someone else or allowing someone to stay with you. Read the website for more details.

www.freeshipping.org

Find out current deals to get free shipping on all of your purchases, gifts and other items in your area.

www.discountelectronics.com

A great website to find discount electronics, monitors, and computer supplies! It even has a rating by the Better Business Bureau.

www.freemedicalcamps.com

This is a great website to find out free or discount medical and dental services in your area. They have programs available for those who qualify and want to receive very affordable health care treatments. They have links to different organizations, so find one in your area and see if they can help you!

www.gasbuddy.com

Gasbuddy is a great website for finding cheap gas stations. With all the turmoil going on in Egypt, Libya and now in Japan, it seems as If oil prices are out of control. Many people are now paying around $4.00 a gallon for gas in their areas, and if you live in a city where there is no public transportation, it’s useful to use this site. Many cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas and Houston have the majority of people driving cars, instead of using public transportation. Find out ways to cut your driving costs if you drive a lot by using this site!

http://www.all-free-samples.com

All-Free-Samples is a great website to find free samples on all sorts of goodies! They even have categories such as beauty products, health, baby, food and entertainment! This site has some good deals, but you won’t very many (if at all) restaurant coupons on here. It’s a good website to check once a week or so to find great free samples.

http://redtape.msnbc.com/

The Red Tape Chronicles is a news magazine run by www.msnbc.com , and it is a blog run by Bob Sullivan. It covers consumer fraud, warnings, and how to avoid getting ripped off! They have great articles and update information that every consumer should know. Many sleaze ball companies target young graduates who are naïve about personal finances, so this is a great place to read stories about how people try to scam to you. Protect yourself and make sure you bookmark The Red Tape Chronicles on MSNBC!

www.ebay.com

Stop rolling your eyes! Yes, everyone has heard of Ebay and many people buy and sell things all the time. However, I have found two items that are the best kept secrets on EBAY. If you really want to save money, I suggest you buy these items:

1. Perfume/Cologne:

Many people sell testers, lightly used bottles and half used bottles of your favorite perfume. They sell at much lower prices than full retail and it won’t break your bank! My favorite cologne sells for $150.00 at a high end department store. I bought the tester on Ebay for $39 bucks! There was no box or cap, but why pay for trash?

2. Magazine Subscriptions:

Many publishers have quotas they have to meet for advertising and so they sell their magazine subscriptions for very cheap on Ebay. I won 5 years of a popular men’s magazine for $2.00! Yes, you read right, I only paid 8 quarters for 60 issues of a popular men’s magazine. I bought my friend a women’s fashion magazine for $8.00 and it was 36 issues or 3 years! The regular subscription price was around 30 dollars.

www.tiphero.com

The tip hero is a great website for getting all sorts of tips and useful information on saving money for a variety of things. It is not so much coupons as it is money saving tips.

www.giftcardgranny.com

Many people who receive gift cards don’t always use them up. Gift Card Granny is a great website that sells gift cards from people who have no use for them. For example, if a gift card to Macy’s is 100 dollars and someone doesn’t want it, they will sell it online. They will start an auction at a lower price and sell it to the highest bidder. Many times these cards sell for around 10-20% less than the actual value of the card. I once bought a gift card to Saks for $77.00 and it was worth $98.00!

http://www.bradsdeals.com/

Move over great whites, Brads Deals is for the deal shark at heart! This is a great website and on the right side they have a “top rated” section where you can find the best online deals, discounts, coupon codes and freebies. This website is one of the best on the entire net for finding good deals. They even have a whole section dedicated to Black Friday during winter!

www.annualcreditreport.com

The ONLY legitimate website I found that allows you to get your free annual credit report run by a government clearinghouse. There are many bs sites out there that try to give you credit reports, but don’t be fooled! IMHO: THIS IS THE ONLY RELIABLE PLACE TO GET A FREE CREDIT REPORT! They will give you credit reports form Transunion, Equifax and Experian. If you don’t believe me, go to any local government office and ask them where to get your free credit report. My guess is that they will direct you to this site!

www.govbenefits.gov

This is a great GOVERNMENT RUN website to find out government benefits in your area. It has a list of all the government benefits programs they have available in different cities, states and for different people. Check their website and see if you qualify for any of their benefits or programs that can help you. Think of this service as an ROI on all the taxes you have paid over the years!

www.sampleaday.com

This is my favorite free sample website! You fill out your e mail address and then they send you an e mail every day in your inbox with 3-5 different free samples. You can click on each sample to have it sent to you, and it usually takes a couple of weeks in the mail or you can print them out immediately. You will find a variety of free samples on this site.

I have gotten free appetizers at Chili’s, food courts in the mall, and skin care samples from Lancome.

www.freesamplesbaby.com to get free samples for baby products! They are affiliated with sampleaday.com and have great freebies they send you by e mail or in the mail. This is very useful if you are trying to cut child costs in this horrible recession!

http://www.kidsmealdeals.com/ is a great place to find discounts for kids meals when you go out to eat. If you are a parent or a recent graduate taking care of younger siblings, this is a useful website. You can find places to get discounts, free meals, and lots of other cool stuff for kids when you eat out!

Take a look at those websites and see if they can help you get discounts, freebies, and lower your expenses. They have helped me a lot, and maybe they can help you as well. Everyone have a great weekend!

-The Poor Paralegal

A New Direction with my Blog

2011-03-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

I have been deeply depressed about the tsunami that has devastated Japan. When I saw that giant tsunami engulf all those cities on the Japanese coastline, it really broke my heart. So many people have died, many are missing and the rest are without basic necessities.

I recently got an e mail from a girl who asked me about good websites where she can to find discounts, free things and such. Earlier in my blog, I posted about how I am on 347 money saving websites for coupons, freebies and discounts. She had read my posts and asked me if I could give her some tips to save money. Her family is originally from Japan and she has so much student loan debt that is eating away at her monthly paycheck. She can't even afford to save up enough money to go back and see her family in Tokyo. She wanted to figure out ways to get discounts and free things, so she can spend less on everyday expenses to afford to visit her family back home. I e mailed her dozens of coupons and free things I get in my e mail every day.

I did some soul searching and I have come to realize that I am very blessed. God has given me the gift of being extremely passionate about personal finance. I love finding good deals, freebies and cheap things to help make life a little easier.

I read so many posts on these blogs about students who are drowning in debt, have massive student loans and who don't know what to do.

I have decided to move into a new direction with my blog. I will keep writing and focus on several issues.

1. A paralegals perspective on the legal profession and current events in the law.

2. Money savings tips, websites and useful information to help those with massive student debt.

3. Useful new information, websites and things I find in my every day life to help broke professionals.

Stay updated on my blog, I will be writing useful new entries very soon!

-The Poor Paralegal

The State of Kansas Bans Gay Sex

2011-03-11T01:40:00.000-08:00

I hope Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz isn't a lesbian!

In Topeka, lawmakers have decided to leave a law on the books in the state of Kansas that bans gay sex! The law that bans gay sex in Kansas will not be removed from the books. It seems as if Kansas wants keep the bill on the books that bans "Sexual acts" and it doesn't need to be repealed since this law isn't enforced! One government represenative even said that "The statute itself is unenforceable!" Let's hope that it will stay unenforceable, I don't want to think about how they would "enforce" these laws!

The Los Angeles suburb of Chatsworth is known as the "Porn Capital of the world", since they film a lot of adult films in the valley. My guess is many gay and lesbian adult films will not be filled in the sunflower state anytime soon!

It will be interesting to see how this "banning gay sex law" will affect the tv stations throughout the state of Kansas! I just hope they don't cancel all the the funny gay and lesbian sitcoms such as Will & Grace, The Ellen Show, and especially The Family Guy.

-The Poor Paralegal

Is US NEWS & WORLD REPORT finally starting to realize that law schools mislead students?

2011-03-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Every year thousands of young wannabe lawyers take the LSAT and apply to the nearly 200 or more ABA approved law schools in hopes of becoming an attorney. Many of these young souls justify their six figure debt load and career aspirations based on the US News & World Report "Best Graduate Schools Rankings."

However, recently, even this magazine is beginning to realize that maybe the employment information that the law schools provide are not 100% accurate. They even published a new article U.S. News Urges Law School Deans to Improve Employment Data written by Bob Morse. This piece highlights the needs for more employment placement transparency by law schools. The article goes on to say that,

"In an effort to make our law school employment data more reflective of the current state of legal employment, U.S. News has modified how we calculate the employment rates that are used in the new law school rankings."

It seems as if US News is doing the right thing by making sure they publish accurate information so their readers are not misled by false promises in the legal profession!

-The Poor Paralegal

LAWYER JOKES - 20 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER TELL A CLIENT IN A LAW FIRM

2011-03-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

20 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY TO A CLIENT IN A LAW FIRM

20. Having a DUI can be very hard on your personal life. I am still on the 12 step program.

19. You shouldn’t worry too much about products liability. Besides, in 10 years most of your manufacturing will probably be outsourced to China.

18. Trying to understand these discovery documents is worse than the reading comprehension questions on the LSAT.

17. Most of our clients in white collar criminal defense did not go to jail; they just retired and moved to the Cayman Islands.

16. Oh, you mean that bar. I’m sorry, I thought you were referring to the new hotspot in West Hollywood.

15. This case will help me pay off a huge chunk of my student loans.

14. I would tell you the answer now, but I need to bill another 100 hours this month if I want to get my annual bonus.

13. You could have avoided this whole age discrimination lawsuit. You should have just bought some hair dye and gotten rid of that gray.

12. What don’t you understand about a retainer fee? Did you think that it was something you pay your dentist?

11. Not everyone in this profession is unethical, and I have a variety of friends. My best friends are Chiropractors and Mortgage brokers.

10. You will be billed in 15 minute increments for every text message you send me.

9. The last time I was in court, it was for traffic school.

8. I’ve never actually practiced patent law before, but there is a first time for everything. Intellectual property or real property, everyone owns property!

7. Neither you nor your spouse deserves custody of your child, but the kid has to stay with someone.

6. I just realized something: You graduated high school the same year I was born!

5. Please calm down, there is no reason to yell and scream. I understand your frustrations, anger and that you don’t like dealing with anyone else in the firm. However, I am a paralegal and I can’t represent you in court. If you want this matter resolved, you have to see the Judge with one of our attorneys. I’m sorry, but that’s just the reality of the situation.

4. As an immigration attorney, I am only fluent in two languages: English & spring break Spanish!

3. Sure, the documents are valid. I got an A in contracts when I was in law school.

2. As a bankruptcy attorney, I am a little concerned: If you can’t pay off your creditors, how do I know you won’t pay me?

1. This will be the hardest case of my career. It will be nearly impossible to prove the other party is at fault. Why would anyone try to sexually harass you?

Young Adults are Unemployed

2011-03-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

A recent article on a Seattle area news channel highlights the ugly realties for young adults in this "Great Recession." The unemployment problem for young adults has hit the state of Washington so hard, that in fact more than 22% of the people in the state ages 18-24 are unemployed. Many people are struggling to find any job that they can get, but it is not limited to young adults. 18 years or 80 years old, it seems as if no one can find a job these days!

- The Poor Paralegal

New Law School Article in the New York Times

2011-03-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

After David Segal wrote Is Law School a Losing Game in The New York Times, it was one of the most e mailed stories of the year. In fact, many people are interested in learning more about whether or not law school is worth it.

A new article just came out!

Armies of Expensive Lawyers, Replaced by Cheaper Software came out yesterday in The New York Times, and it raises some serious questions about the future of the legal profession.

Outsourcing, stream lining, and globalization is destroying the legal profession. Most of the higher end document review jobs are being outsourced to India and legal software has substantially lowered the demand for lawyers.

David H. Autor, an economics professor at MIT even goes on to say that the US economy is being "hollowed out."

If you want more information read the article for yourself!

-The Poor Paralegal

Retired Lawyer Tries To Blow Up Wife's Lover

2011-03-05T01:43:00.000-08:00

Retired Lawyer Tries To Blow Up Wife's Lover!

A retired lawyer in the midwest was very upset that his wife was having an affair with another man. He put an advertisement on craigslist for a mechanic or technician to help him build a bomb to send to his wife's lover. Apparently, he did not want any competition from another man engaging in extracurricular activities with his wife. He decided to take the matter into his own hands, and hire someone to make him a bomb.

Well, it looks like his plan bombed! His craigslist advertisement was answered by a Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent. After he put his advertisement on the web, he was arrested by federal authorities. If you want more information, just read the the article itself.

I wonder where he got the idea to send his wife's lover a bomb? Maybe he is watching too much tv?
(see video above)

His wife's lover sounds like someone who has no shame or guilt for ruining other peoples lives. I wouldn't be surprised if he is a law school administrator or an employee of Sallie Mae!

-The Poor Paralegal

Great Article from an Ivy League school

2011-03-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/node/72301

The Daily Pennsylvanian has published a new article at the University of Pennsylvania about the truths of legal employment.

It is surprising that an ivy league university is taking a positive step towards giving accurate employment figures, when the T3/T4 toilet law schools tend to publish the most inaccurate and fraudulent employment information. The article describes how many law schools are now using greater transparency to disclose the accurate employment information of recent graduates in full time, part time and non legal employment. Hopefully more law schools will follow and get rid of their misleading employment statistics.

The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division is now taking steps to make sure that potential law school students have a better understanding of what they are getting into before they take the LSAT and go to law school.

The word is getting out that law school isn't really worth it for most people, unless you attend one of the T14 elite institutions. Also, if you are a "pre law major" in some economically useless major (sorry to be so harsh), it is not too late to change your major to something more practical. The real world is not kind to liberal arts majors and If you don't believe me, then watch the video above.

-The Poor Paralegal

Two JD's and One Paralegal fighting for a job

2011-02-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I am still here. I went on eight job interviews this past week and it has been very exhausting. Five of the jobs were for sales/contracts management jobs, and one was for marketing for a health care company. Only two of the jobs were in the legal industry, one as a file clerk and another as a paralegal.

I interviewed for a paralegal position with Iona, Hugh, Jass LLP* in the south bay of Los Angeles.

I showed up at the paralegal interview in my black suit, clean cut and writing samples in my brief case. I spoke to the receptionist about my scheduled interview and how I arrived 20 minutes early to meet with the hiring partner. As I waited patiently in the lobby, I picked up The New Yorker and Forbes and began to stare at the clock. Suddenly, a cute little east Asian girl came running into the lobby and rushed up the secretary.

"Thank you for giving me the key to the restroom, is the hiring manager ready yet?" she said.
"Yes, just have a seat, and he will be with you in a minute or two." replied the secretary.

The cute little Asian girl sat right next to me and started picking up the magazines. She told me that she loved reading The New Yorker, and how she was very enthusiastic about her job interview. She wore a tight grey flannel pant suit and her perfume was too strong. I didn't say anything to her, but she must have been extremely nervous since she kept giving me her life story.

It was the Amy* the cute Asian girl. She said " Iona , Hugh, Jass* is very good firm. I even remember hearing about some of their cases when I was in law school. I am sure they will be able to help you with all of your construction needs!"

Suddenly it hit me...

Amy thought I was a client waiting in the lobby and that I was going to Iona, Hugh, Jass* for civil litigation needs. I didn't reveal the true nature of my status as a poor paralegal, or that I was there for a job interview, but I just let her go on and on. In the next 10 minutes or so I pretty much found out that she was looking for any legal job she could find.

She graduated with a BA in Journalism from a state school and then went to Southwestern for law school in LA. She used to work at a high end cosmetics line at a big department store in LA ( think Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus) and made about $40,000 working cosmetics, and was sick of working in retail so she applied to law school. She told me her managers in cosmetics were making $60,000-70,000 a year, and that she may end up going back to work in retail if she can't find any law related job. During our conversation, she even spilled the beans and said,

" I am actually a recent law school graduate who finished in 2009. I am interviewing for an entry level paralegal position at Iona, Hugh, Jass*. I've heard such great things about this place, and I hope I can learn the practical skills of civil litigation and get promoted to being an associate attorney if they hire me. I am sure they will be the best attorneys to help you with all your legal matters."

I told her "Well, good luck on your job interview. Hopefully they will pick a smart woman such as yourself to work as a paralegal for this firm." and she replied "I hope so, but the competition is fierce in this economy. I just saw one of my old classmates leave before I arrived. I think he was interviewing for the paralegal job I want!"

The secretary called Amy from the lobby, and she said "I have to go now, but it was so nice meeting you. Please, Please pray that I get this job.. I REALLY NEED IT! Have a great day!"

The secretary then came up to me and said I would have to wait another 15-20 minutes before my interview.

However, I already got the reality check, and I knew that my interview was probably over before it even started.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Listen folks, it's pretty pathetic when you go for a Paralegal job interview and everyone who is interviewing for that position has a JD. The vast majority of law school graduates, even from many top schools are working as paralegals and taking the jobs away from other paralegals, because they can't find anything else.

The girl I met even told me that once you leave the profession as an attorney or work in a non legal related field, it is extremely hard to get back into the legal profession. My interview went well with the law firm I interviewed with, but I am not getting my hopes up since they are also interviewing law school graduates for paralegal positions! If you do foolishly decide to attend law school, be forewarned, you may end in a job that is quasi legal. You will be a paralegal, file clerk, administrator or legal secretary. Taking out 180k in debt and spending 3 years in law school to get a job where you will answer phones, work on Microsoft Word and use Outlook all day long really isn't worth it.

-The Poor Paralegal

* Name has been changed to protect privacy
Iona, Hugh, Jass = I own a Huge Ass

How Big Law Firms Treat Employees

2011-02-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

I am currently working 2 jobs to make ends meet and every evening I head over to 24 hour fitness to get a good work out. Over the years I have always seen various different characters at the gym: The desperate housewife, the anorexic teenage girls and the juice monkeys on steroids.

After I finish the treadmill or do cardio, I usually head over straight to the free weights. I am a pretty big guy, and I bench over 345 lbs. Sometimes, I ask others for help as a spotter or someone will ask me to spot them doing chest presses. There is one guy at the gym who has asked me to help him and spot him while he is on the bench press. I've seen him a couple times before at the gym, and last night I saw his duffle bag with a "name tag" attached. He had just come back from a trade show in Las Vegas, and I told him that I would always go to trade shows at the Bellagio or The Rio at my old job. Many people think that Las Vegas makes all its money from gambling, shows and clubs, but the reality is that the real money comes from trade shows. Many trade shows in manufacturing, IT, solar energy, fashion, merchandising, and sports competitions are held in Las Vegas.

As we started conversing, he told me more about his occupation and education. He was an executive VP for a solar energy company and a former attorney. His name was Mike* the mergers and acquisitions attorney. He went to UCLA for undergraduate and went to a top 50 law school in the Washington DC area. He worked in a big law firm for 5 years and then in house for a finance company. He eventually left and joined a solar energy company. I asked him why he left the legal profession, and we talked for a good 20-30 minutes at the gym. He gave me an insiders look at how big law firms work. This is how the Question and Answer session went with Mike...

Q.   Tell me a little bit about your background, where did you go to college, law school?

A.    I went to UCLA and majored in History and Political Science. After graduating, I got a partial scholarship and so I went to (Law school ranked 30-50 in US News in the Washington DC area)

Q.   Where did you go when you graduated? How did you end up in Solar Energy?

A.    I went to work for Howe, Dewey, Blowe, Dixon, Cox LLP* in NYC . They have offices all around the country and I went to work in the mergers and acquisitions department. I started off an as associate in corporate finance in my summer internships, but switched when I started as an associate. I left the law practice and it was the best decision of my life.

Q.   How long were you at your first job? Did you like it there?

A.   I lasted 5 years and once my student loans were paid off, I got the hell out. It was demoralizing, working like a dog doing mundane work and my vitality was slipping day by day. The hours and stress were killing me.

Q.   How many hours a week did you work? What was so stressful?

A.   I got in the office at 8:00 am and left at 10:00 pm every day, plus I would also work one day on the weekends. I would work about 70-80 hours a week. The stress was unbelievable, especially coming from the senior associates and partners in the firm. Everyone was biting eachothers heads off to get ahead. The senior associates viewed you as their competition to become partner and they would treat new associates like slave labor.

Q. Thats interesting, weren't you aware of any of this before you started? Were you surprised by anything?

A. No, my law firm showed us brochures with smiling associates, promised us interesting work, and the infamous "work life balance" bullshit. It was shocking, because you are basically their slave and then they send you back to your old law school to recruit new people.

Q. What happend when you left? Did your co workers feel the same or did they leave?

A. I ended up working for a small private equity firm as an in house attorney. Everyone I know who works in biglaw is miserable. They are only doing it for the money. I was smart enough to live frugally and save some money. There is a fairly high attrition in big law firms between the 2-5 years. Many take jobs in house or smaller firms for a better lifestyle. The partnership track is virtually non existent in many of these big corporate law firms. Out of all 30 of the associates who started at my firm when I graduated, only 2 are remaining.

Q. I am actually a graduate of a Paralegal program. What was life like for the Paralegals?

A.   The paralegals worked insane hours, too. I knew one paralegal making over $100,000 a year. She was with the firm for over 14 years but worked even longer hours than me. From what I understand she would pull all nighters so often, she had dry cleaning delivered to the office. That's how bad it was.

Q. So how did you end up in Solar Energy?

A. One of the clients at the finance firm had a start up that had many investors. I knew that solar energy was a rapidly growing industry, and so I left my job as an attorney so I could see what else is out there.

Q. I see, would you recommend someone like me to get into a field like solar energy? I am frustrated that I can't find a Paralegal job anywhere.

A. Stay as far away from the legal profession as possible and be thankful that you found out sooner than later that the legal profession isn't as glamourous as it seems. I graduated during the tech boom and a lot has changed since then. We are now outsourcing legal jobs to India and those big firm jobs are vanishing. The future of the legal profession is very uncertain. Don't waste your time looking for paralegal jobs, go back to business. In the long term, the money in the legal profession really isn't there, since most people never make partner. Even I wish I got an MBA instead of a JD, but what's done is done. Live and Learn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have had many random conversations at the gym, but I feel so blessed to have met this guy. He gave me a real honest view of what life is like in a big law firm and he even told me about a professional solar energy association trade show that I should visit, and inquire about employment opportunities. This was such an amazing and interesting conversation that I had with him, so I decided to post the highlights of my conversation on my blog. If you want to know how big law employees feel inside their firms, just watch the video above!

- The Poor Paralegal

* name has been changed to protect privacy

Sad Letter

2011-02-16T01:06:00.000-08:00

After my last post, I received scores of e mails and letters from unemployed and underemployed legal professionals. Many of them told me how hard it is getting through every day with massive student loans, not having a job and dealing with financial hardships.

Many recent law school graduates, attorneys and paralegals all sent me sad letters about their own own personal struggles and thoughts about suicide. Many of them are now grown adults in their late 20's and 30's, and are living back at home with mom and dad. A lot of them have defaulted on their student loans and are working minimum wage jobs or odd jobs just to make ends meet. They talk about how horrible it is to get ridiculed and made fun of at their jobs where they are "underemployed" and how they can't take it anymore.

One letter really hit me hard.

It was from a unemployed graduate of a third tier law school in the NYC area, who was now working in the operations warehouse of a major department store. She told me about how her parents were really strict with her growing up and they wanted her to be a successful professional. She got a scholarship to law school, but could not find any law job after she graduated in 2009. She struggled and found a warehouse job that pays her $13 bucks an hour. She constantly gets ridiculed from other co workers about having a JD, her parents, and told me that she has a gun and wanted to kill herself last night before her 27th birthday.

I told her to instant message me on AIM and we ended up talking for about 3 1/2 hours last night. She goes to bed every night crying because she hates being made fun of and being underemployed. She even tried to burn her law degree until her mother stopped her from lighting her degree on fire. She hates the uncomfortable feelings and depression she feels through cognitive dissonance of attending law school in the first place.

I usually don't get too personal on my blog, but I went on to tell this girl that everyone has problems but no matter how bad things can get in her life, that she should never ever pick up the gun she has at home. I told her about about my own personal struggles and how she has to maintain a positive attitude and things will get better. My father was diagnosed with cancer on my 18th birthday right after I graduated high school and I was taking care of him and tube feeding him for two years until he lost his battle with cancer. Right after my dad died, my mom had a major heart attack and it is very difficult. I am the only son, my mom is a widow and I have 4 sisters. You can imagine how much pressure I have weighing down on my shoulders.

I told this girl that I know it's not easy to deal with her 13 dollar an hour job, but things will get better for her. I worked whatever jobs I could to get through college, and I was able to find a decent paying job after college. I talked to her again on messenger just a little while ago, and she was doing much better and is remaining positive that things will get better.

When my father died of cancer, the social workers gave me some of the best advice ever...

They told me, "Whatever you lose in life, you get it back later on in life. Some years of your life are the questions and some years of your life are the answers."

If anyone reading this is feeling very sad, depressed or having suicidal thoughts, please call

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline
1-800-273-8255

Be Well...

-The Poor Paralegal

WARNING TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

2011-02-04T23:26:00.000-08:00

According to CBS MoneyWatch, there are 5 reasons not to get a law degree !

These five reasons are very articulately expressed and raises questions on whether or not many pre law students know about what they are getting themselves into. Many law schools misrepresent their employment figures, there is a glut of attorneys, the tuition is expensive, and the opportunity costs do not offer a solid ROI.

One of the people who commented on the article is a graduate of a Top 10 law school in the country. She even goes on to discuss the grim financial realities for law school graduates and has a blunt way of describing the situation,

"If people knew just how horrendous the employment situation was at my law school, one of the top ten in the nation, they would not even think of going to a 3rd or 4th tier law school, i.e., outside the top 100...

Again, this is happening at a top ten law school, where, with a lot of luck, I have managed to land the job I wanted. If you can get into a top fourteen law school (fourteen has historically been the magic number), law school is probably still a gamble worth taking. A top-fifty, tier one school might also make sense if you can beat out 75-90% of your peers there. But whomever is thinking of going to a 3rd or 4th tier school, I would seriously advise to reconsider. You will struggle madly for three years, only to realize at graduation that you have just been digging your own financial grave."

Speaking of graves, the BLS published its January jobs report today, with only a grave 36,000 jobs created last month. It seems that much of the data was not properly recorded since there was a massive snow storm and blizzard in the midwest that has caused so much havoc and many employers did not get a chance to submit their responses to the BLS survey. Ironically, the US unemployment rate dropped to 9 % from 9.4% in December. This is the lowest level of unemployment in the past 21 months, so hopefully the worst of the "Great Recession" is over!

Many people are still unemployed and frustrated with their financial situation. This not only applies to unemployed legal professionals, but also everyone in corporate America across the nation. Many are scared and frustrated of the what the future will bring. Many don't know how to pay rent, put food on the table, or provide for their families. Sadly, many are even turning to suicide. To all the undergraduate students reading this blog, please think long and hard before taking out massive student loans to gamble away your future.

Recently, on other student loan scamblogs, I have read about young people who talk about suicide. It is very scary and not a laughing matter. You may think I am just a poor unemployed paralegal, but I don't want you to end up contemplating suicide because of your own financial difficulties from legal education. Even if you are an undergraduate who has a lot of student loans and can't get a job after college, don't run away to law school as an "Escape"! Hiding in school for 3 more years, deferring your undergrad loans and taking on more debt won't make your life any easier. You may think it will be tough to pay back loans and struggle financially, but taking out 200k in law school debt from a non elite law school won't solve your problems. Sure, you can defer your loans, but it all catches up to you.

Don't be afraid of the joining the real world after college and remember, there is always a way out of your problems!

-The Poor Paralegal

Law School Applications Decline 12.5%

2011-01-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/a-sign-of-the-recovery-law-school-applications-fall/?partner=rss&emc=rss

It looks like the word is getting out from all of us in the scam blog universe that legal education is not a good choice for many college students seeking a rewarding profession. Many Economists forecast that the US economy will create 2.2-2.4 million new jobs this year, more than the 1.1 million created in 2010. This is a great improvement compared to 4.8 million job losses in 2009 and 3.6 million job losses in 2008. Some say that with the economy rebounding and more hiring anticipated in the new few quarters, that college students will get jobs instead of seeking shelter in law school to ride out the recession.

In fact, the number of people taking the LSAT exam have fallen drastically. The number of students taking the LSAT in December 2010 fell 16.5%!

I think the real reason why people are staying away from law school is because there is so much information available on the web from law school bloggers, news articles in The New York Times, and basically the ugly realities of the legal profession are now out there for everyone to see!

To all you college seniors out there: Don't be fooled by the glossy brochures, bogus employment statistics and false promises that law schools and paralegal schools give you, its nothing but lies!

Take a long time to figure out your career goals!

-The Poor Paralegal

Question for Law school Graduates & Legal Professionals...

2011-01-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/podcast_interview_episode_3/

The recent article in the ABA Journal will likely give you a sardonic laugh..

Do these people think that we are lying? Of course, the scambloggers are RIGHT ABOUT LAW SCHOOL! Do you think they are just "making up stories" about having $200,000 in loans, 10 dollar an hour jobs and struggling to live with their parents in their 30's? Do you think that they are just bashing law schools, LSAT prep course companies and for profit colleges that offer Paralegal training because they have nothing else better to do with their time?

Law school, Paralegal school, Legal Studies, etc, it's all fucking bullshit!

There are no jobs in this shitty profession, and so I only have one question for all you law school students, recent graduates and frustrated attorneys/paralegals:

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? What else would you have chosen as a major in college? Instead of joining the legal profession, what other careers and fields would you have chosen?

Please post your responses on the "comments" section! (The only sane response I've found online is the video of the intelligent man in the video above.) So all of you law students, attorneys and paralegals, please post your comments below. Please, even leave a comment anonymously! I would love to hear from everyone!

-The Poor Paralegal

Who is Mailaccount63?

2011-01-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

I don't have a Myspace or a Facebook. I've always made sure I set boundaries in the workplace, because I didn't want to mix personal and professional.

I enjoy websites such as Yahoo Answers, Craigslist, and Meetup.com. I consider these three websites to be "productive" social networking, because they are useful. On these great sites you can find answers, get advice, find things on Craigslist, and socialize on Meetup.com.

My favorite has always been Yahoo Answers. There are many questions and answers on the legal and careers section of Yahoo Answers, and one of the writers has some great insight. There is one attorney in particular on Yahoo Answers whose screen name is MAILACCOUNT63

I don't know if Mailaccount63 is a male or female, but this writer has some interesting discernment on the legal profession. I was going through Yahoo Answers and I found this great answer from a student interested in becoming a Paralegal:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AunzJUuEOwdkKPygrsyzq5Hty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20101019074840AAX0m4s

Mailaccount63 goes on to say,

"..Even if you do finish law school, you won't be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking (at an alarming rate), many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work "down" as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <<this would be your competition. And the competition is fierce in TODAY's job market!!

Now... the law schools know this, but they won't tell you the truth >that the job market/economy is just SATURATED with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will LIE to you. The root of the problem is we already have too many law schools. We are STILL in a Recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival - they will tell students anything to get to the students' money. (Which is why they won't tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates.............Remember>>> law schools are BUSINESSES - their TOP concern is making money for themselves.

>>>>>THE #1 MOST IMPORTANT THING (and I can't stress this enough>>>): You ESPECIALLY have to beware of the BOGUS, INFLATED law school salary/job stats given out by >law schools< (AND by the U.S. Bureau of Labor)!!***<<<<<.."

Mailaccount63 is not giving legal advice, nor is he/she forming an Attorney -Client relationship. Mailaccount63 is just giving his/her own opinion and answers based upon personal experience, or as it says:

"life
been there - done that
have actually worked in the field of Law for twelve years
started at the very bottom rung and clawed my way up
now actually am a CURRENT employee of a law school, so I KNOW and see (too much?!?)
don't have time to watch those TV law shows - the couple that I did watch weren't realistic, at all
TV glamorizes the field of Law - Reminder: TV is FICTION!!! - do your research first! - the field of Law is actually a lot of paperwork and politics - and law school is VERY expensive, so know what you are getting into
wish someone would have warned ME sooner
so now I TRY to warn and help others (that actually want to know, will listen and not get defensive)
I am simply tired of watching students getting ripped off by law schools
so many students have come to me- upset because they could not find employment- I am just trying to warn as many as I can, and trying to fulfill a promise
I am answering you in good faith."

Mailaccount63 has given some of the best insight for anyone who doesn't believe the harsh reality of these blogs exposing the ugly truth about the legal profession. Anyone contemplating law school or legal education should really read the Q&A homepage of Mailaccount63 on Yahoo Answers. The national debt, globalization and the US Debt also play a big role in the future of the legal profession, just watch the video above!

I don't know who you are Mailaccount63, but if you have a blog, please send us a link!

-The Poor Paralegal

Don't Take Out Student Loans

2011-01-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

There has been major circulation of The New York Times article by David Segal! This riveting story covers the law school scam and I have received many e mails from prospective paralegal students, parents, and unemployed professionals.

I have many parents asking me if there children should study paralegal studies or get a degree in the field. One girl even told me she is one signature away from taking out $45,000 in student loan debt to go to a for profit school to become a Paralegal.

DO NOT GO INTO DEBT! DO NOT TAKE OUT STUDENT LOANS! IT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE BEYOND REPAIR!

You will not be able to buy a house, get married, have children and live a life that you have always wanted to live as a working professional. If you are hell bent on going on for more education, go to a local cheap state institution for any sort of training, whether it be vocational or grad school.

All of these scam bloggers such as Third Tier Reality, But I Did Everything Right, Subprime JD, Shilling Me Softly, Lawschoolisascam.com, First Tier toilet and the Jobless Juris Doctor do not lie!

Just like David Segal reported in his story, the odds of getting a law job paying $160,000 a year is like winning the lottery, the same thing goes for trying to find a paralegal job that pays $60,000 a year.

Going into debt is just not worth it!

-The Poor Paralegal

Going to law school to get rich?

2010-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Chrismukkahwanzaa and Happy New Year!

At a recent holiday party I ran into an old co worker who was also laid off after our company went under in the "Great recession". He was going to do a paralegal program, but the decided on nursing. He is now an RN and makes over $35.00 an hour. Plus, he makes overtime pay which should bring him around 100k a year easily. The guy in the warehouse went back and did electrical training. He is now working with an electrician and trying to get into the union. He told me that his boss has his own electrician business and makes over $230,000 a year. I asked him if his boss wouldn't mind using another apprentice<grin> !

I have been working various jobs to make ends meet, taking classes in another in demand profession and trying to figure out what to do with my life. Recently, I ran into a prelaw student from UCSD and he told me that he is hell bent on going to law school and that all these "Scamblogs" are just BS! He thinks that the job market for attorneys is great, and that lawyers who can't get high paying jobs are just lazy! The naive pre law student seriously thinks that all lawyers make over $100k a year starting! He is in for one rude awakening. I told him that if money is his only motivator then FUCK LAW SCHOOL. If you want to make money , and lots and lots of money, there are 5 options that you should consider. They are..

1.) - Health Care -

Good economy, Bad economy, Recession, Depression...People are always going to get sick, have babies, go to the ER, get cavities and need prescriptions. Become an MD, Pharm.D. Dentist, Optometrist, Physical therapist or Nurse. Even if you don't do a high end doctorate program in health care, there are always tons of jobs for nursing assistants and other jobs. Even if medicine gets socialized (which I doubt it ever will), you will still be able to make a decent living wage. Health care is the best recession proof industry to find a job. It is completely inelastic to every political, economic and social factor.

2.) -Sales -

While it may be cyclical, even with the economy, if you are good in sales you can make a lot of money. I know sales people at Saks, Neiman Marcus, Auto dealerships and pharm reps who make a ton of money. My other friend sells adult toys wholesale and pulls down over 120k a year at trade shows and conventions ( and no she is not hiring!)

3.) - Accounting-

We have all heard that old joke about death and taxes being the only two things guaranteed things in this world. Accounting is a very very hard major. In most undergraduate business schools there is a horrible attrition in Accounting. Many people either go to Finance , Business Economics or Marketing/Management. However, accounting is great because its a professional undergraduate degree and even if you never go on for an MBA or grad school you can still become a CPA and make a decent living. I read somewhere that experienced accountants make an average salary of $80k a year. This is good money considering the fact that you will never need grad school debt and every company needs an accountant. Also, they are usually the last people to get laid off in bad times.

4.) -Engineering-

Not all of us are very good at Math & Science, but if you are then major in Engineering! Getting a BS in Engineering a professional degree and you will average around 65-85k a year STARTING in various fields. The best fields in engineering are chemical, computer, civil and electrical engineering. There are always jobs in government, private industry and R&D firms. Engineers make a good salary and many go back to get MBA's and make great money in management. You do hear stories of how glamorous it is to become a "patent" attorney, but those jobs are far and few. There are many more opportunities in private industry as an Engineer.

5.) -Trades-

I know that we are living in an era where parents, professors and society constantly pushing more higher education, but you can make a great living in the trades. I think everyone should be somewhat educated, be aware of the globalized modern world and have a strong understanding of liberal arts. However, just because you have a college degree or even a graduate degree, it does not mean you should scoff at people who work in trades. I know plumbers, electricians, and other people in trades who make tons of money. If I could go back in time, I wish I joined a trade myself and made a lot of money like the electrician making 230k. While it may not be a prestigious as a JD, MD, Ph.D. etc., you do make great money and you will always find work. Just because something isn't very "White collar", it doesn't mean its a bad profession to be in!

So all you pre law students looking to get rich, these are your best bets at earning good money, with stable jobs and lots of opportunities. If you can, avoid law school and all legal education programs like the plague!

- The Poor Paralegal

Some Paralegals are Stealing Christmas!

2010-12-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/pasco-paralegal-accused-of-using-clients-credit-cards/1140363

A Paralegal in Tampa Bay, Florida was arrested for stealing a client's credit card and information from the confidential account and going on a shopping spree. The paralegal wanted to buy presents for her kids for Christmas and thought it would be okay to charge the money and probably thought she could get away with it and do other things to cover up her transactions within her law firm. Then again with salaries in the American legal profession being less than wages in India, maybe she had to steal to make ends meet? She was arrested and is more than likely unemployed, and I doubt she will get unemployment from the EDD. Here is a bit of advice: NEVER STEAL CREDIT CARDS THAT NEED TO BE SHREDDED FROM A BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY!!

For crying out loud, the attorneys of the law firm probably knew where every penny of the clients money was going since their law firm specializes in bankruptcy! I can only imagine how crazy her boss went when he found out that his paralegal was stealing money from his clients. Maybe now he will have to double check his own business checking account? His response was probably very similar to the man in the video above..

--The Poor Paralegal

1 in 5 Workers are Underemployed in America

2010-11-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013456014_jobs18.html

The Seattle Times has reported the harsh truth about underemployment in the USA. The term "underemployment" has various different meanings. Lets double check with the Dictionary, shall we?

Underemployment (adj.)

Employed only part-time when one needs and desires full-time employment.
Inadequately employed, especially employed at a low-paying job that requires less skill or training than one possesses.
Not fully or adequately used or employed.

Right now 1 out of every 5 workers in the state of Washington is currently underemployed. Many MBA's, JD's, and others with professional education are working to find any job that will help pay the bills. The article in the link also discusses one recent law school graduate who has nearly $150,000 in debt but is working a non legal office job just to help make ends meet. This is the new reality of underemployment in Corporate America. Sad, but true..

-The Poor Paralegal

Amazing New Article

2010-11-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/30/AR2010103000211.html

The Washington Post has published an amazing article that reveals the ugly truth about the current state of the legal education and the dire job outlook for many graduates. I really wish more undergraduates would read these types of articles and get a better idea of what they are getting themselves into when they sign up for LSAT test prep courses.

I read some employment statistic that every year there are around 45,000 new law school graduates each year, but for all of those JD's there are only 30,000 law firm jobs. In other words only two out of every three law school graduates will find jobs in law firms. The rest will struggle to find anything else out there to pay the bills and the big loan companies.

We have all heard that old joke they tell 1L's, a professor will tell the first year class "Look to the person on your left and look to the person on your right, one of these people will fail to graduate from law school!"

But they should replace that old joke with a new joke.

Law professors should tell 1L's " Look to the person on your left and look to the person on your right, one of you will graduate and never gain employment in a law firm."

30,000 annual law firm jobs and maybe a few thousand extra jobs for public sector type positions. There are only so many government jobs and clerkships, so the reality is that we only need about 35,000 new JD's per year in the USA (or less). The US Department of Education should take a firm stand on addressing this issue with the ABA and the student loan companies. If students can't get law jobs to pay back the loans, they will default and make the situation worse for themselves and for the loan companies.

There needs to be serious law school reform and the vast majority of third and fourth tier law schools should be shut down or limit their enrollments to less than 100 new students per year.

In other words, 1 out of every 3 new law school graduates will never get a job practising law. Many are taking jobs as paralegals, making my life even more difficult than it already is!

I highly recommend everyone read the article above, they even have links to all the great scam blogs!

Inside a Legal Staffing Agency

2010-11-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

California Here We Come!

I got a call back from a Legal staffing recruiter in Orange County to meet during lunch and discuss potential employment opportunities. My friends cousin knew a guy who was a head of a legal staffing firm and he kindly offered to help me out in my quest for legal employment.

I met Larry* the Legal Recruiter at his office in Newport Beach, CA...

That's right, THE OC !

Larry was an interesting guy. He was a dark featured white guy (possibly Jewish or Italian) and his late 30's or early 40's. I looked on his wall and he had both a JD and an MBA from a top 20 law school and a BS from an ivy league school. He kind of looked like an older Shia Lebouf. He was very high strung, full of energy, but he had the worst adult ADHD I had ever seen in my life. I walked into his office and it was a mad house. There were resumes and files discarded like frisbees all over the floor. Water stains from non decaf coffee mugs left rings all over the counters and on his desk.

This was very odd considering the fact that he had a beautiful office in a very modern building ( especially in Newport Beach).

I said "Hi its nice to meet you! I am a friend of Amanda she referred me..." and then he quickly interrupted me and shouted "Yeah ..Yeah..GIVE ME YOUR COVER LETTER AND RESUME.." and I gave him copies of my documents.

He went over my cover letter and resume and began to edit it like a madman with his red pen. He kept making grunting sounds, and saying "hmm...ooh....ahh.....errr...!"

Suddenly, a phone call came from his secretary and he yelled "ONE MINUTE!" and went outside on his patio balcony walking back and forth. After a few minutes he came inside, scratched his head and sank into his chair. He folded his arms and put his head down on the table. I didn't know what to do, and then foolishly I opened my mouth...

"Is there something wrong? Are you okay?" I asked him.

He put his head up and said,

"WELL, ITS ONE OF THOSE DAYS.....SOMETHING ISN'T WRONG...EVERYTHING IS WRONG ! IT'S NOT OK! NOTHING IS OK! I HAVE CLIENTS FUCKING YELLING AT ME BECAUSE I HAVEN'T PLACED THEM IN LAW JOBS AND I HAVE LAW FIRMS WHO ARE GIVING ME THE FUCKING RUN AROUND!" and he shoved a stack of files that went flying off his desk!

I didn't know what to do. Never in my life have I ever seen an HR person or staffing recruiter lose it...

He then began to confide in me about his own personal problems. Oh my...

It turns out Larry had graduated from USC with a JD/MBA over 10 years ago. He told me he went to law school but after working two summers as a biglaw associate, he knew the legal profession wasn't for him. He did the MBA with the JD only so he could find a business job and escape the cruel realties of the legal profession. He got a job at a legal recruiting agency out of grad school and was making good money but branched out on his own a few years ago.

He said, if he knew then what he knows now, then he would have just got an MBA from a top 20 school and gone into investment banking, consulting or done something in the business world. However, even when he would send his resume to recruiters when graduated from USC they all would assume he wanted a legal position, and would not take him seriously for other non legal business type positions.

He flat out told me:

" The legal profession is an absolute crisis. Most big law firms are not hiring and taking in new associates until 2012. All the entry level attorneys are taking the jobs as paralegals that YOU SHOULD BE GETTING! This is the worst legal job market I have ever seen. Jobs are being outsourced, firms aren't hiring, and its just a mess. I am not trying to put you down or be negative, but you are a bright guy and you have worked in corporate sales with a business degree...and I will blunt: GO BACK TO SALES! Seriously, there are probably a lot more opportunties out there and I can refer you to two recruiters in the Long Beach area to help you find a job."

Larry said that through out the country, all entry level legal jobs are hard to find. He has lawyers and paralegals looking for jobs, but that law firms are giving him the run around. They don't want to hire people, and attorneys don't want to work low pay document review jobs. He said he gets beat up every day, by both sides: the law firms and unemployed both give him bs about their own difficult situation.
He said there were no legal assistant/paralegal, filing, and entry level type positions available at the moment, but he will keep a lookout.

I have heard lawyers, paralegals, and even news media say the job market is bad, but never had a legal recruiter tell me how bad things are. It really opened my eyes. Now, I guess I have to really get aggressive and start looking for jobs outside the legal profession.

-The Poor Paralegal

*Name has been changed to protect privacy

Meeting another Poor Paralegal

2010-11-01T01:10:00.000-07:00

Graduating to Unemployment, not Independence

It's been a while since my last post and I needed to give everyone an update.

So I celebrated my birthday and did some soul searching. I thought about my life, goals, where I want to be in the future and what I have to do to accomplish those goals. I cleaned out my bedroom, car, finances, donated old clothes I didnt need, re organized my book shelf and took care of everything that needed to be updated.

My birthday was interesting. I had a friend take me out for a drink in West Hollywood at a fancy bar off of the Sunset Strip. I met a few people there through other friends and I even met some Attorneys and Paralegals. I met one girl who was really nice and started talking to me about her job, life, and just basic cocktail conversation. She was a pretty woman, cute but not hot. She had brownish/blonde hair, a bob cut and big blue eyes. She reminded me of Ally McBeal, only healthier and not as anorexically thin.

She told me about how she was excited to start a new job as a paralegal at an Intellectual Property Technology boutique in Santa Monica. She got a good job that paid a decent salary (65k a year, and yes I asked how much, I know it's rude but it was my birthday), good hours and nice working conditions. I talked to her about being a poor paralegal, and how the job market has been tough. She told me to hang in there and that I should find something. I began to talk to her about my classes and how I took civil litigation, contracts, probate, intellectual property, and then she said "Ugh I hated Intellectual property. That class was really boring and the tests were frustrating!"

I told her " Yes, I hated doing all those bootlean searches , trademark, and patent applications on the USPTO website..it was very time consuming" and then she said "I know, I hate taking all those IP Classes, trademark was bad enough but unfair competition and monopolies was even worse.."

Suddenly I was baffled. I never heard of those electives? I didn't know we could take those kinds of classes as a paralegal? And I asked her which program she went to for her Paralegal Certificate and she got quiet and anxious. She grabbed the bartender and order us both 2 drinks (grey goose and cranberry juice) and then she avoided my question. I asked her again and didn't understand why she was acting all weird.

But then the truth finally came out....

She told me she graduated from ( lower ranked ABA approved Law School in Northern California) * and she had a JD but she couldn't find any work as an Attorney. She graduated in 2003 and worked at several different Silicon Valley tech firms making good money but everything changed when the dot com bubble popped. She went to law school part time and was making $90,000-120,000 a year working in Sales and operations for various tech firms. She never even took the California Bar Exam and said she has been out of the legal profession for so long that she was lucky she had an engineer friend get her this job in LA.

I was shocked to receive such a strange birthday present: I met another Poor Paralegal.

She even told me that she was living with her parents and it was hard being 34 and living at home, but in the past few years she was living off of unemployment and was just thankful she got this new job and she will hopefully make enough to move out on her own soon. I know its tough for a lot of young people these days, and many younger recent college graduates are even consolidating families and living with their parents since they can't get jobs and afford to move out on their own.

I was kind of sad on my birthday to be unemployed, but when I met people with more education, more student debt and in the same predicament, I realized that other people have it worse. I can't imagine how terrifying it must be for law school grads to have $150k+ in debt, have no jobs and settle for working as a paralegal.
The Great Recession of 2007-2010 has made it very difficult for young people to graduate, find jobs, get an apartment and live their own lives. It's very hard and now many generations are now living together. Just read the article below...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_677180.html

-The Poor Paralegal

Today is my Birthday

2010-10-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday.

I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t think normally.

My mind is so boggled. Today I am officially in my thirties. Yes, the big 3-0. I can no longer check “20-29” in the age category for surveys and registration forms. I am no longer in my roaring 20’s. I can no longer act juvenile. I must have some direction, some sense of purpose and know where I am going in my life.

I usually don’t write personal posts, in my other blog or on here...but here goes…

I thought about how hard it has been to be a poor paralegal, but I need to move on with my life. I am proud to say that I finished college at 23; I worked hard and helped out my family. My mother is a widow and I am the only son so I help out my family as much as I can. I am working 2 jobs part time to make ends meet and it has been hard. Not being fully employed is very hard on your self esteem. I have decided to list the thirty most important things I have learned on the way to turning 30. Here goes….

30. People need you to understand them more than they need you to agree with them. Not everyone will share your personal and/or professional views. There is no one “right” way to view things. Whether you are on the inside looking out or the outside looking in, someone is always looking..

29. You must always set goals: Personal and Professional, both Short term and long term. I graduated without a job after doing my paralegal internship but now I am moving on and doing what I have to do to survive. You must ask yourself where you will be in the next 1, 5 and 10 years.

28. You need to set boundaries in the work place. You are not there to talk about your sexual escapades or high school/college reunions that have a striking resemblance to Girls Gone Wild. Websites such as “Facebook” and “Myspace” can be very dangerous, because you are mixing your personal and professional life. It’s called “Work”, you go to work, and you are there to work because…it is WORK!

27. You can’t always have the best of everything. You can’t always drive the most expensive car, wear the fanciest clothes or go to the most prestigious college/university. You need a certain level of humility to realize that the reality for the privileged few is not the reality for everyone. Strive to be your best, but know that the compensation is more than just monetary rewards.

26. People are like elevators. They either take you up or down. When you hang out with people who have no education, no goals and no direction in life, you become like that. Always aim for the top floor of the building..

25. Trust is the foundation of any relationship. If you lose trust, then you pretty much lose everything. Losing trust usually means losing the relationship.

24. People you love and care about will hurt you, make peace with it and move on.

23. Never stop learning. Take a class at a local community college, or through adult education. Learn karate or self defense. Learn a foreign language or about a vocational opportunities outside of your current job. I’ve been doing this and it has really helped me learn about new jobs and opportunities. Plus, It keeps your mind sharp!

22. Never lose yourself. Never get lost in a relationship, or a job, or something that consumes so much of your life that you forget about your own personal, professional, and future goals in life. Always put things into perspective.

21. There is no such thing as “easy money” Everyone works damn hard for their money. Whether it’s a janitor, waiter, lawyer or doctor…everyone works for every penny they earn.

20. Time is an investment. Time is money. It’s better to waste money than it is to waste time, you can always get money but you can’t get more time.

19. Join a professional organization, any organization. Even if you just graduated college, join a professional group that meets once a month. Meet professional people, make contacts, you may find a new job, make some new friends and find a whole world of opportunities.

18. Expand your horizons personally and in your social network. In school you had parties and clubbing gets old fast (especially after 25)! Make friends of all age groups, cultures, occupations and get active. Try a new restaurant once a month, go to a museum in your city, or volunteer at a nonprofit one day a month.

17. You must set goals for your professional objectives. What degree do you want and when do you want it by? When will your business start? How much do you expect to earn the first year? I work 2 jobs and I am training for a new career outside of law. You must look to the future. Dead end jobs will drive you mad!

16. My family and friends are the most important people to me. I have learned to cherish those relationships and keep the relationship alive. Even if I can’t see them as often as I would like, give them a phone call (no e mails!), send a gift, and remember their birthdays!

15. You have to be civil in the work place. The real world is not kind and you can’t act like a maniac or let your emotions get to you. Even if you get fired or laid off…don’t take it personally! You must be kind to your boss, send thank you letters to co workers and keep good references. When the next job interview comes around, bad karma will bite you in the @$$ if you aren’t civil!

14. I am capable of independence and not relying on anyone else financially but myself.

13. You must take care of your physical health. I try to go to the gym 5 days a week and I don’t view it as a chore. You must think “eating, sleeping, drinking…exercise!” It is also a great way to relieve stress!

12. You must take an active effort in your personal finances. No one taught you how, but you must learn on your own! I am on over 300 money saving websites (no joke), I learned about taxes, how to buy a car, a house, manage credit and invest wisely through years of active effort. Read business magazines, go to the IRS offices to pick up information on taxes, read The Wall Street Journal every day or just do something.

11. The day you turned 18, the “but my parents never taught me how to do this or do that” excuse was officially expired. You will be tried as an adult in local, state and federal courts. You are an adult, so now you must act like an adult.

10. Always learn from your past, but don’t live in your past. People can always change for the better.

9. Don’t be afraid of change, such as starting a new job, go back to school or move to a new city. Its only hard the first day you try it, then it comes naturally.

8. Low self esteem gets you nowhere. If you take yourself seriously, everyone else will take you seriously!

7. You must maintain a spiritual void, believe in your faith, get active in your house of worship or do something for your spirituality. It makes every day a LITTLE bit easier.

6. Taking care of your health comes in many forms: Your physical health, financial health, emotional health, social health, healthy relationships and a healthy work-life balance.

5. Never hold grudges. Let it go, don’t stress too much and move on with your life. You will have enough to deal with once you get a mortgage.

4. I have learned to become more comfortable in myself as person and I am happy in my own skin.

3. Always be cautious before comfortable, when doing anything in the public sphere.

2. Love is not about what we get; only what we give and that is everything! Just because two people love each other does not mean that they should be together.

1. Some years of your life are the questions and some years of your life are the answers.

That’s all for now, but I will try to enjoy my birthday and I hope all of you have a great weekend!

Carpe Diem!

-The Poor Paralegal

LAW STUDENT WANTS HIS MONEY BACK!

2010-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/10/19/law-student-worried-about-debt-wants-his-money-back/

I found a very thought provoking article in the news today. In Wallet Pop, Jonathan Berr reports about a student at Boston College Law School who wants to drop out of law school and has told the school that he would do so in exchange for a tuition refund. He had hopes to become a successful attorney, but with a wife who is pregnant with a child due soon, he has his doubts. As the article states, the student reveals his frustrations of dire job prospects, paying off huge loans and trying to raise a family.

The debt itself is a very daunting task to deal with when trying to raise a wife and children. Many people think Law school is the golden opportunity, when in fact it will just leave you with mountains of debt.

The sad part is that Boston College is a very well respected law school. It's one of the top 25 law schools in nation. This is not some second, third or fourth tier toilet law school. However, this recession is affecting all law school graduates, including grads of top schools.

In fact, a good friend of mine has a father who is a very successful Corporate Attorney at one of the worlds largest firms. In fact, he is a senior partner who graduated from one of the top 3 law schools in the country ( I will give you a hint: HYS). His office is in a beautiful skyscraper in the Beverly Hills/Century City areas of west Los Angeles.

She told him that I was a paralegal without a paycheck and he wanted to help me get a job. I met up with him and he told me about how the financial crisis of 2007-2010 has drastically changed hiring for many major firms. He said that they would love to hire me on as a Paralegal, but the recession has dealt serious blows to the firm and they have laid off a bunch of staff. They will resume hiring new staff in late 2011 or 2012 at the earliest, so until then he can't help me.

I even told him about the story I read in the aforementioned article and then he got very serious. He said that even graduates from the best law schools are having hard times finding jobs these days. Ouch!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BOTTOM LINE:

Listen folks, all you pre law majors running around thinking you will make big bucks going to law school are in for one rude awakening. You may think you can impress people with a BA in Philosophy, a 170 on the LSAT and by spitting out quotes by Nietzsche and Voltaire, but you are only fooling yourselves!

The downturn in the legal profession has affected everyone, including graduates of top law schools. If you are truly hell bent on becoming an attorney or working in the legal profession, then ask yourself: WHY ?????

The high paying jobs don't exist, you can't discharge the debt, and you may end up trying to get your money back like the kid in the video below!

-The Poor Paralegal

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Paralegal Salary

2010-10-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

It has finally happend. Its official. I am losing my mind because of the legal profession.

Let me explain....

So on Friday I went to another job interview. It was for an entry level paralegal position, and I would only be working for a solo practioner. He does workers compensation work, and was looking for someone to help draft all the pleadings and take care of court documents that need to be filed with the clerk.

The attorney himself was a nice guy and said he really needed help. After all, with the economy being so bad and so many injured workers out of a job, they need their claims filed asap!

So Weasel* the Workers Compensation Attorney was really eager to hire me to work for him as a Paralegal.

His office was clean, well organized, and in a very nice building. There was even a special guard at the bottom of the building, allowing only certain people to up to the 7th floor. I was feeling really good about this job. After all, the attorney called me back, he had a professional office, I saw his diplomas on the wall, and so I knew this was legit!

Weasel* was friendly on the phone, and invited me back for 2 rounds of interviews. After my first interviews, he brought me in one last time to make sure I would be a good fit for the company. I sat in his office waiting anxiously like you can't imagine. I was just waiting for Weasel to burst inside with the W-4, I-9, at will employee contract and non fraternization policy! I was more excited than an overweight, bald, and middle aged fat man at a KISS concert!

He then came inside, sat down and showed me all those wonderful documents. He told me how I would be dealing with professionals, going to the court house, and how I would have to follow the strict dress code. Then he began to talk about the compensation for this position...and he said..

"There were many applicants for this paralegal position, but we chose you , and we are offering a competitive wage of $9.50 an hour..."

And right then I told him "Excuse me? Only 9.50 an hour for this job? Isn't that a little low? That is just above minimum wage..."

Then Weasel* gave me some BS about how its a proven performance salary and that once I prove myself it will move up to 10 bucks an hour, and I told him "Thanks but no thanks!"

And then I left his office.
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THE BOTTOM LINE:

Listen Folks,

Now, I would love to make a decent living, and I even have some temp agencies that have started to call me back for jobs that pay $12-15 bucks an hour. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be an entry level paralegal and pay my dues, but for 9.50 an hour? GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!!

I mean I need a living wage. My last job before I got laid off in The "Great Recession" paid me $55,000 plus bonus and commission. I am not asking for millions of dollars and I am not trying to be a job snob, but its fucking disgusting how employers are exploiting workers now in the "Great Recession"

I am beginning to realize that I will have to look outside the legal profession to actually find a living wage. Its fucking disgusting how employers are exploiting workers since they know there are so many people unemployed who need jobs, so they will offer low wages since everyone needs a job.

I think I will seriously start looking at non legal jobs and return to Inside Sales/Contracts Management. If employees want to keep on paying paralegals these shit wages, then maybe the legal profession is not for me. Now, whenever I see a legal job posting on the internet, I want to go crazy and kill my computer. Every time I see a shit law job, I feel like the people in the video above...

-The Poor Paralegal

*Name has been changed and/or protected to protect privacy of a$$holes in the legal profession

Confessions of a Career Services Counselor

2010-10-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Ugly Truth About Career Placement Statistics

My Real Property and Contracts Professor told me to go ahead and contact my local law schools in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas and go to their career placement centers. He told me its tough out there for Paralegals and that maybe I should bring a few copies of my resume, go to the law school career services centers, and see if they have any need for Paralegals.

He said maybe they have Attorneys who are looking for legal assistants, Paralegals, and/or cheap labor that hasn't been outsourced to India.

So I went on a road trip and visited several law schools in the LA and OC areas.

I went to a few different law schools and dropped off my resume. Some career service counselors gave me the rolling eyes and said we don't have anything or that they would keep an eye out in case "something comes up" (which basically means it will be headed straight for the trash can)!

However, I did visit one ABA approved law school in the LA/OC area where the career service staff was very friendly. They told me the names of 3-4 attorneys who would need a legal assistant and so they gave me their names and told them that "Sally the Secretary* from Tier 2/3/4 law school sent you and that you would be a great asset to their firm!"

I had a moment of joy! I was thrilled that I would finally be able to find some law related job, or at least have some leads to some place other than dead end jobs you see on job sites everywhere.

As I was leaving, I looked across the hall and I saw a cute dark featured femme fatale walking my way. She was a knock out! If they put pictures of her in the LSAT test prep books, that alone would be a reason to consider (but not go) to law school. She looked very familiar and then I remembered who she was.

It was Candy* the Career Services Counselor!

She was in the the law schools glossy admission brochure and was in charge of recruiting. I immediately remembered who she was and I followed her to her office. I introduced myself, the fact that I am a paralegal without a paycheck and I asked her about potential job opportunties.She gave me some good advice and got me some leads to help me find a job.

However, right before I left, I asked her "You know here at T2/3/4 law school ..its pretty impressive. Even in this horrible economy. This is the worst recession since the Great Depression, and all these graduates have an average starting salary of around $100,000 a year! Where are these law firms, are they hiring any paralegals?"

And then Candy was quiet. I began to ask her more questions..

She said that the 100k starting salary is an average of all "Reported salaries", and then I asked her more questions about the average. I asked her "What was the range? What did most students start at ? Were there few students on the high end? How does it work?"

Suddenly, Candy wasn't so dandy.

She told me that most students start off at small firms making about 50-65k a year , the VAST Majority of them do, like more than 3/4 of the total percent of the class. Only a handful of students get jobs at big firms making 125-160k a year.

She said they average out the salaries of all reported job offers, and that NOT EVERYONE really starts at $100,000 a year but that is just the average of the highest and lowest reported salaries by recent graduates. I was thankful to Candy for her time and I got her card, but I had an "A ha!" moment when I left her office...
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A ha!

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS FOLKS: The average starting salary usually isn't the typical starting salary for the vast majority of graduates! Many schools will not offer greater transparency on the employment statistics and offer inaccurate salary information.

FOR EXAMPLE: BROKEN LEAKING TOILET LAW SCHOOL

If a non elite law school has 100 graduates, and 80 of them go into private practice and 20 into government jobs/non legal jobs/ clerkships... then this is how it works...

                                                                                                                          Salary Range
60 of them get jobs at small firms of less than 10 attorneys--Starting Salary:      $50,000-65,000
10-15 of them get jobs at higher paid small to medium firms-Starting Salary:       $65,000-95,000
5 of them get jobs at high paying salaries in Big Law firms--Starting Salary:      $125,000-160,000

Lowest Reported Salary : $50,000 + Highest Reported Salary: $160,000 = $210,000

Now take the total of $210,000/ 2 = Average Starting Salary $105,000 (of all reported salaries!)

or they will say "Here at Broken running Toilet law school our salaries ranged from 50k-160k a year, or an average of 105k starting salary for graduates "

Amazing, isnt it? Many Pre law students see this starting salary and think " Oh I will go to law school and take out 150k in loans, and I will make $105,000 starting, after all thats what career services reports...I will pay the loans back in no time!"

But what Paul* the Pre Law major doesn't understand is that at Toilet law school most students make 50k a year starting and paying back 150k in loans on that salary will be nearly impossible. Less than 1/4 of the class will make enough money to pay back loans. To all you pre law students out there ,think long and hard before going to law school, and don't be deceived by misleading employment figures. Make sure you do your research carefully!

-The Poor Paralegal

*Name has been changed and/or protected for privacy reasons

Should Paralegals register with the Bar?

2010-10-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-new-york/should-paralegals-be-required-to-register-with-the-new-york-state-bar

An interesting article in the Examiner, about how the State of New York may soon have Paralegals registering with the New York State Bar. The state of Florida has required for paralegals to be registered with their state bar association, and soon many other states will follow.

Personally, I think this is absolutely brilliant!

There are so many fumbducks out there who have the iq of a fruit fly that are employed as paralegals, legal assistants and even work in BIGLAW firms.

Many of them have had friends or connections hook them up with jobs as paralegals and so they work in law firms, but many don't have an ABA approved paralegal certificate or a Bachelors degree. So many of them are total morons and don't know the difference pleading paper and pleated paper ..

I also get tons of spam e mail to join "Los Scandalous Paralegal Program/Law School....earn your law/paralegal degree from the comfort of your living room. You can do all the courses online and we will mail you a diploma without you stepping foot in a class room". I hate these BS type diploma mills that sell online legal education and other nonsense about getting non ABA approved law/paralegal degrees.

I think of if the ABA required all states to make EVERY paralegal register with their own state bar association and graduate from an ABA approved paralegal program, we wouldn't have half the idiots in the legal profession that we already do (not including law school deans, career service counselors and admissions staff)...

I also think California must do away with the CESSPOOL of CBA approved law schools. If the law school or paralegal program is not approved by the ABA, then it should not exist. In fact, the ABA should pass a law (such an cruel irony), that if any LAW SCHOOL OR PARALEGAL PROGRAM Is in OPERATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THEN IT MUST BE ABA APPROVED.

It should be illegal to have these fraudlent diploma mills that prey on young people and are not accredited. If a school is not ABA approved, then it should be shut down immediately or be fined for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This would actually restore some credibility in the legal profession. However, we will still have quite a few crazies in the legal profession, just watch this video..

-The Poor Paralegal

You can't use a legal education in all sorts of fields..

2010-10-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

Not quite LA Law

Today I went to downtown Los Angeles for a big job interview. It was for a sales position at a biotechnology firm that specializes in genetic research selling equipment to hospitals.

Yes, I know it has absolutely nothing to do with being a paralegal. I won't be working with attorneys, lawyers, policy analysts, other paralegals, or Judge Judy..

It has nothing to do with civil litigation, BAJI, CACI, Lexis- Nexis, WestLaw, Shepards Citations and it won't require me using Abacus, Amicus, Timeslips or any other sort of legal software program. I won't use my dubious skills I learned in Civil Litigation, and it won't teach me everything I learned from Corbin on Contracts!

However, the job does pay very good money, there is potential for growth, and it provides a very unique professional atmosphere.

So as they say in French, "Voir Dire"!

I met with the lady who called me for the interview. She was an older woman, pleasantly plump with big blonde 1980's hair, and a thick southern accent. She said "Your credentials and experience are pretty impressive, you have worked in inside sales, finance and operations management. You have degrees in Finance and Economics and you speak 4 foreign languages (not including spring break spanish), I think you would be a good fit for this position.."

She then told me about the company, what they were looking for in a qualified applicant and that they would be very interested in hiring someone like me, then the questions were headed in a very scary direction..

Olivia* the Obese Recruiter then turned to me and she said "I see that after you were downsized you went back to school...to become a paralegal? WOW! That must be pretty neat. All the court room action and drama, wearing expensive suits, eating out at five star restaurants"

It seems as if she had a very unrealistic view of the legal profession. Of course, being pleasantly plump and having that big hair, I am not surprised she was thinking about five star restaurants.

Then she shook her head and put my resume down.

" I just don't get it! Why on earth would you want to work for this company? Why don't you get a job in a law firm? Why don't you get a paralegal job?"

Then it hit me.

I hate this dreaded question I get whenever I try to return in the business world of why I got a Paralegal Certificate during the "Great Recession" of 2008-2010, but why I don't have a Paralegal job.

I told her I went to get a paralegal certificate to learn more about business law, contracts, wills and trusts, and that it would help me in the business world.

She kept shaking her head. Shaking it like a salt shaker, she said "Geez. This is going to be tough. I have to convince the head of recruiting that you are a great fit for this position. The only problem is this paralegal degree is really hurting you. They will think you will leave this company and find a better job in the lucrative legal industry."

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While Olivia* the Obese Recruiter was rambling about how hard it will be to get this job with my paralegal background, I suddenly had all these thoughts racing through my head:

"What the fuck is lucrative about the legal industry? The fact that most paralegal jobs being offered pay 10-12 bucks an hour? The fact that students are graduating with law school with 150-200k in debt and getting job offers for 30-40k a year. The reason why I applied for this job is because there are no fucking jobs in the legal profession. The reason why I want a job at this tech firm is because it pays REAL MONEY! Not some monkey ass 10 dollar an hour entry level paralegal bullshit. The reason why I am looking for jobs outside the legal industry is the same reason why you can't get on the treadmill fatso, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MOTIVATION! "
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She kept going on and on, but then at the interview, she looked up at me and shook her head one last time.

She said " I really wish you didn't have this paralegal certificate, it may really hurt your chances of getting this job, and I really have to work hard making it work. I hope they look beyond these things that are hurting your career. I will call you in the next few weeks with a follow up."

And then I left Olivia behind, as well as her Krispy Kreme donuts and Coffee ..
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THE BOTTOM LINE:

The Bottom line is this folks. If you decide to go to law school, get a paralegal certificate, get a masters in law or do anything in the legal profession, don't think it will "open doors" for you. It may actually shut doors, close them, and have the doors be slammed in your face.

You will have to justify to all non legal employers why you got a degree in something law related but you aren't working in the legal profession. So unless you really want to become a paralegal, lawyer, or work in the legal profession, don't pursue any sort of legal education unless thats the only field you really want to work in.

You may find yourself being shut out for jobs just because you made the poor choice of getting into the legal profession in the first place.

-The Poor Paralegal

*Name has been changed for privacy reasons and for potential non legal employment opportunities

Think twice before going to a "For Profit College"

2010-10-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/03/business/la-fi-montalk-20101003

In a recent article by the Los Angeles Times, Liz Pulliam Weston answers financial questions for those who have debt from for profit college. You should be very careful when enrolling in these types of schools.

Some of these schools charge an enormous amount of money for tuition, promise students great jobs, but then fail to deliver and students are left with a mountain of debt.

Many local community colleges offer Paralegal programs for only $3,000-$6,000 dollars.

Be very careful and think twice before taking out $25,000 or more in loans from some no named private university when there are cheaper alternatives!

Just watch this movie...

Default: The Student Loan Documentary

Are Paralegals selling Cocaine to make ends meet?

2010-10-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/local_news_articles/20100921/Seattle-school-employee-arrested-for-selling-crack/

I wonder why Any Paralegal would resort to selling Cocaine to students? Maybe they have student loans or they aren't getting paid enough? Are they trying to make ends meet?

The Craigslist Con Artists

2010-10-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

I love Craigslist. It is one of the most amazing, insightful and useful websites around. I have found jobs, apartments, used cars, half empty bottles of cologne and even used furniture.

Craigslist is a great website for online classified and is a very good, scam free, and honest company.

However, many con artists abuse the "Jobs postings" section of Craigslist.

On Craigslist they even have a "prohibit" flag button that you can check when you find bogus employers, people using unethical practices in hiring, and the infamous con artists.

We all know who the con artists are on the job classifieds.

They are the ones who post "Now hiring! We need someone immediately. We offer $$$$$! Apply today!" and the salary for these positions are always "TBD" or "competitive!"

Well one of these scammers fooled me. He had posted an advertisement on Craigslist looking for a Paralegal to work for his company and I sent my resume. He contacted me back and was thrilled that someone who knew accounting, finance and had a Paralegal degree could work for his company. We offer top dollar and we need you NOW!

I was so excited. I was finally going to get a job ...and so I went for the interview....this past friday..

I met the "CEO" in his office, a small unit with not much furniture or professional vibe in his office. He told me he loved my resume, credentials and wanted me to work with him to go ahead and draft pleadings, discovery, legal documents and contracts for his clients.

I said "Great! So I will be working under you, right? You are the supervising attorney who will be guiding me as a Paralegal?" He was quiet.

He then said I would make big money, close to over $70,000 my first year working for him. I then asked him again "Well, I will be working under you? or another Attorney? Who is the attorney that will be supervising me?"

He said " Listen , there is no attorney here, but you are a paralegal..and I know you know how to draft these documents, and I am willing to hire you and pay you big bucks to do this job. Every once in a while you may have to meet with clients who are on the verge of losing their homes and giving them legal advice...its not a lot of work, but you can do it!"

After he said that, I politely asked "Where is the bathroom, and is there a key?" He said "No, there is no key...just down the hall and to the right.."

After he said that I picked up my resume folder and put my keys inside my suit pocket, I opened the office front door and I GOT THE HELL OUT OF THERE! I ran faster than Jackie Joyner Kersee at the 1988 Olympic Games...

HAS THIS FUCKING CON ARTIST EVER HEARD OF THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW? WORKING AS A PARALEGAL WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY? GIVING LEGAL ADVICE TO PEOPLE WITHOUT BEING A MEMBER OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE BAR??!

I later got an e mail from this guy asking me what happend...and I politely told him "Buddy, I was born on a Thursday, but I wasn't born yesterday. Have you ever heard of the unauthorized practice of law? Giving legal advice to people without a being an Attorney who is a member of the state Bar of California?"

And then he hung up...

This was a very valuable lesson for me and for all of you other Paralegals in Training.

Be very very Careful of an employer who wants you to work without the supervision of an Attorney or who wants you to give legal advice.

And if you ever see those employers posting on the classified ads...

Never forget to flag them...

Why did I decide to get my ABA certified Paralegal Certificate?

2010-10-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

I graduated college in 2003 with my Bachelors degree in Economics and decided to join corporate America. I worked in various areas, including IT, sales and manufacturing. I was a victim of this horrible economic downturn and I worked for a big manufacturing firm in downtown Los Angeles.

My company went under and went out of business a year ago and I was laid off. The CEO was an attorney and he told me I should consider pursuing a legal career, so I decided to enroll in a Paralegal Program.

My blog will help all paralegal students and future paralegal students get an inside of the legal profession from an honest stand point. I will share my insight, experiences and follies in my quest to find employment. I will clarify the following...

1.) The realities of trying to get a job in the paralegal profession
2.) Experiences from interviews, job postings and meeting legal recruiters
3.) Trying to find a non paralegal job with a paralegal certificate
4.) Most Paralegals DON'T earn $60,000 a year + like the employment statistics say they do..

This is my quest to hopefully find employment, but until then..I am a Paralegal without a Paycheck!

These are the confessions of The Poor Paralegal..

The Poor Paralegal

2010-10-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

I am writing this blog because I am a Poor Paralegal.

I recently lost my job in the "Great Recession" and now I am trying to tell others about the evils of the Legal Profession and that you should be very careful if you decide to do a Paralegal program.

There are no jobs out there and the employment figures are deceiving.

This is my quest to find employment as a Paralegal...