Uncompromising positions

The job Paralegal

The status: Nearly 11 percent of the people employed by the legal profession in this country work in or around NYC, and you don’t need a law degree to get in on the action. Paralegals work with lawyers, organizing and managing documents, checking citations and quotes in legal briefs, and often running the computer programs needed for complex litigation. It’s not just a desk job (remember Erin Brockovich?): Paralegals sit at the counsel table in the courtroom and visit clients’ offices to collect documents. “For many people involved in a case, paralegals are the face of the law firm,” says Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler managing partner and co-chair Bob LoBue. Some use the job to get a taste of legal work before studying law; LoBue says most firms will want you to commit to a two-year paralegal stint before you head back to school.

The game plan: A college degree is all you need for an entry-level gig. A paralegal certificate (available at New York University, Long Island University and other schools) “is a plus but not a necessity,” says Jana Evans, executive director of recruiting at Filcro Legal Staffing “So don’t take a labor-intensive or very expensive class.” More critical are good organizational skills, a record of teamwork and comfort with computers. Evans says hiring often picks up in the fall, when law firms need replacements for the summer interns and clerks who have gone back to school. Expect long hours at the big firms (overtime could double your pay).

Our hookup: Managing partner Bob LoBue’s firm, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, ranked an impressive fifth on The American Lawyer magazine’s “A-List” of elite firms, in part because of its commitment to pro bono work. Paralegals get invaluable experience working on those cases, which may involve representing an AIDS patient facing eviction, or an immigrant seeking asylum. “These are very immediate, very human situations where you can see tangible results in a short time,” says LoBue. “It can be some of the most satisfying work you’ll do.” To e-mail him your résumé, go to timeoutnewyork.com/jobhookup.—Scot Meyer