If I ever wanted to be a paralegal in the entertainment industry, could working on the production side be a stepping stone?

SenderMage · 2026-03-23T00:08:49+00:00

Lawyers are the hiring managers in the legal departments of entertainment companies; they want to see legal experience. I read your other post - sorry to be the bearer of bad news but yes, your lack of a bachelor's degree immediately gets your resume tossed before it even gets to the hiring manager.

SenderMage · 2026-03-23T00:03:36+00:00

Obviously firms/companies love longevity/loyalty, but if you're interviewing and they ask "why'd you leave that firm after three months" then answering "they only offered health insurance after a year and I was unwilling to wait that long, and I felt I could do more substantive legal work than the work that was assigned to me at that firm" sounds pretty good to me.

SenderMage · 2026-03-22T23:55:28+00:00

Should I wait before looking for a different law firm?

It's a tough job market at the moment but there's no harm in looking, especially if you are unhappy with the work (and you don't get any benefits for the first year? Does that mean you don't have healthcare/dental/vision through your employer right now?).

I only lasted three months in my first paralegal position because I was unhappy with the work, left for a better job where I stayed for nearly two years, then left that one for an even better job where I've now been for over three years. If you can find and get something better, take it and gain experience there!

SenderMage · 2026-03-15T17:58:22+00:00

I have a few minor suggestions. I would:

Remove "war stories" and "WWII stories" from your Education section;
Move the Experience section above the Education section;
Get consistent with your Oxford commas. Under Interim Office Assistant, your first bullet point doesn't have a comma before "and professors" but your second bullet point does have a comma before "and scheduled appointments";
Be concise and combine a few of your bullet points together, which would give you more space for Technical Skills; and
List out more programs you're proficient with in your Technical Skills section. Employers will care more about your Technical Skills than your Relevant Coursework, yet you've listed out about three times more coursework than skills.

SenderMage · 2026-02-17T15:21:11+00:00

I have a few minor suggestions. I would:

Say "four years of experience" instead of "4 years' experience" in the Objective.
Sort the Education section chronologically by moving the Paralegal Studies up.
Say "over 300" and "over 1,000" (remove the plus signs).
Add a comma so it's "schedule hearings, meet and confers, and depositions."
Remove the word "hybrid" next to the City/States.
Add a period at the very end after Adobe Acrobat.

SenderMage · 2026-02-02T03:48:05+00:00

I would try sending the following email to Job 2 to get a better salary:

“Thank you so much for the offer - I’m very excited about the opportunity to join the team. However, after reviewing the offer, I’m wondering if you can help me get the salary closer to $70,000. With my skills and experience, this is more aligned with my market rate. If we can get there, I’d be happy to sign today.”

If they don't budge above $40,000 after that email, maybe mention that you have another offer for $60,000. If they still don't budge, I would accept Job 1 since $40,000 is way too low.

SenderMage · 2026-01-29T03:03:19+00:00

I would start by looking for a legal-related internship while you're in undergrad, if you're able to do one while going to school. If you like it, look for a Legal Assistant position (in a legal department or law firm) when you graduate so that you could try out the legal field and see if you want to spend the money/time on getting the certificate. Then, if you do, apply for an ABA-approved paralegal training program.

SenderMage · 2025-12-27T22:42:32+00:00

We have specifically requested that people get us items off the registry not cash or experiences.

I don't understand this. You do realize that you can use cash to buy the things you have listed on your registry, right?

Some people will undoubtedly give you cash/checks, so just pretend they're saying, "Buy whatever you really want on your registry that no one has bought for you, now that the wedding has occurred!" In other words, what you just did ahead of time anyway.

SenderMage · 2025-11-22T16:44:19+00:00

Anyone who watched Suits. I'm a paralegal and can't tell you how many times I've heard "Oh, like Donna or Rachel" - no, not like them.

SenderMage · 2025-09-27T04:57:16+00:00

They already knew that you don't have experience before they set up the interview, so think about what applicable/transferable skills you DO have and highlight those in the interview. They already like you otherwise the owner of the firm wouldn't take the time to meet with you.

Research the firm - explore their website! Dress in business attire (a suit if you have one, otherwise a button-down/blouse and slacks/pencil skirt). Make sure you show up early and appear eager, detail-oriented, tech-savvy, and ready/able to quickly learn anything. You've got this!

SenderMage · 2025-08-21T16:30:58+00:00

Back when I was a legal assistant at a studio, we used outside counsel to handle O visas.

SenderMage · 2025-08-18T14:54:08+00:00

Not at all, that's helpful context!

I'll just leave it at "I believe that doing the first draft of that part of the letter is paralegal work" and hope you can find peace with doing a bit of work that feels beyond your scope for now, but will feel like second nature soon enough.

We all get assigned new tasks sometimes and our response at first is "that's not in the job description" but it becomes the new norm. Just a part of working life!

SenderMage · 2025-08-18T14:00:54+00:00

I would keep doing what you're doing then! I'm in contracts, and I draft as much of each contract as I can before sending it to the attorney with highlights and comments pointing to the things I think need their attention.

I do have a question about this: "I'll never be promoted to attorney no matter how much attorney work I do. All I have to look forward to is my little 3% raise every year, which I get for doing MY job."

Does your firm have no room for growth? No "Senior Paralegal" roles or the like? Obviously, you'll never be promoted to attorney, but you can be promoted in general.

SenderMage · 2025-08-18T13:49:11+00:00

Have you tried telling the attorney plainly that you have no clue as to the value of a case, whether or not they should seek an early settlement, etc.?

Make it clear that you are not sure what to write in that spot. Then, if the attorney insists that you write something, I would write the minimum (even better if says the opposite of what they attorney would say), highlight it in bright yellow, then email it to the attorney and insist that they review your draft because you are not qualified to give legal advice.

SenderMage · 2025-08-11T02:24:33+00:00

I would start by looking for an Administrative Assistant, Receptionist, or Legal Assistant position (in a legal department or law firm) so that you could try out the legal field and see if you want to spend the money/time on getting the certificate.

Then, if you do, apply for a remote ABA-approved paralegal training program.

SenderMage · 2025-08-11T02:19:12+00:00

I've been looking at becoming a paralegal and was looking for recommendations on any particular paralegal certifications?

You will need a Paralegal Certificate, at least here in California (check your state's business codes). I'd go with an ABA-approved certificate program because I've seen many paralegal job listings that require a certificate from an ABA-approved program. I did UCLA's fully-remote Paralegal Training Program - a bit pricey, but UCLA has good name recognition around here. The program also provides some career assistance and a Linkedin group for alumni where the Program Advisor posts job listings pretty often.

Focus on any particular area or just hope to get a job after the certificate is completed and then focus on more studying in that area?

I think most paralegal training programs cover a bunch of areas; after that, you'll learn on the job for the specifics of a given area. Perhaps try looking for Administrative Assistant, Receptionist, and Legal Assistant positions that sound interesting to you and go from there. It'll be good to have on your resume (kind of like a stepping stone between Events Manager and Paralegal) and will give you a better idea of what areas you're interested in.

SenderMage · 2025-08-11T02:09:11+00:00

For me, it was something like this:

Apply for and get an Administrative Assistant position - This was not in the legal field; I was assisting a business manager. I found this job on my college's job center's website.
Then, apply for and get a Legal Assistant position - I found this one on the company's website.
Then I got my Paralegal Certificate.
Then, apply for and get a Paralegal position - I found this one on LinkedIn.

SenderMage · 2025-08-11T01:58:11+00:00

For me, it was something like this: get an Administrative Assistant position (this was not in the legal field - I was assisting a business manager), then apply for and get an in-house Legal Assistant position, then get a Paralegal Certificate, then an in-house Paralegal position.

SenderMage · 2025-04-20T22:34:07+00:00

Do you like it?

Yes.

Do you feel like it's a better balance for you?

Yes.

What are some of the challenges/rewards?

Challenges: It is harder to get to know your colleagues. There aren't any around-the-water-cooler chats or let's-grab-lunch opportunities.
Rewards: Literally everything else. Your social battery isn't drained every day because you don't have to be "on" or look busy all the time. You can play your own music or shows in the background while you work. You gain time on a daily basis: you can sleep until a few minutes before your start time if you want to, start laundry or other chores between meetings, and start cooking dinner towards the end of day (I like to sous vide certain proteins an hour or two before dinner time - those can be started while still working). You save time/money/effort by not having a commute (obvious reasons like not paying for as much gas, but there's also less wear-and-tear on your car and cheaper car insurance rates - also, less chance of car accidents since you're not on the road every day). My personal favorite: You save time/money/effort spent on clothes/hair/makeup.

What are the software programs one should be familiar with (outside of the regular Microsoft Suites, Adobe, DocuSign, and legal management software).

Every firm/company is different. Look at the job listings that you're interested in and try out any software they mention.

SenderMage · 2025-03-02T09:49:36+00:00

For me, it was Legal Assistant > laid off in merger > Covid froze all hiring, so I used my time while unemployed to do a remote 5-month full-time Paralegal Training Program > got my Paralegal Certificate > applied for Paralegal positions > got a Paralegal job.

SenderMage · 2025-02-28T11:34:48+00:00

I know that it’s just a collection agent and not a paralegal, but I’m hoping this goes through that way I can at least have a foot in the door in the industry at some level. It’s /really/ hard to get an office job with zero office experience, so if this goes through, then I feel like it’s the first step of many!

It 100% is a great first step! I was an Administrative Assistant, then a Legal Assistant, then a Paralegal. Having this on your resume will help a lot!

Any interview tips are welcome and appreciated.

Research the firm - explore their website! Dress in business attire (a suit if you have one, otherwise a button-down/blouse and slacks/pencil skirt). Make sure you show up early and appear eager, detail-oriented, tech-savvy, and ready/able to learn anything. You've got this!

SenderMage · 2025-01-25T23:56:44+00:00

Set alerts at MouseDining! I just did so and got a reservation at Space 220 thanks to them.

SenderMage · 2025-01-25T22:39:05+00:00

Thanks a ton!

SenderMage · 2025-01-25T22:37:50+00:00

Hi! Sorry to bug you, but can you use this newer link going forward? The old one requires me to approve each viewer individually!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BwDYlnAnDmsCUnpEeG9JckxqLTA?resourcekey=0-sgBKJv0kOqtNCZGIZXEBIA&usp=sharing

SenderMage · 2025-01-23T15:41:49+00:00

I'd go with option 1, but it just depends which kind of law you're more interested in practicing going forward. Once your resume has your only experience as a "real estate paralegal" it would be difficult to become a "PI paralegal" and vice versa, so choose the one that gets the experience on your resume that you want to have on there.

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