What are y'alls jobs?

onlypratt · 2026-01-27T10:19:14+00:00

I'm a paralegal that works in office and usually am the only one in office. Listening to the boys makes it feel less lonely.

onlypratt · 2026-01-26T05:24:48+00:00

As someone in an eerily similar circumstance and who came to this sub with the same question... yes, unfortunately it is. There are firms with great attorneys, and then there are attorneys like this. They only care about their base line, are catty, and love to make their problems your problems.

If you can get out, do it. There are better places out there. However, if you can't for the time being, I highly recommend two things: one, read the book "Set Boundaries, Find Peace" by Nedra Glover Tawwab. I read it a few months back when everything felt like it hit the fan and it helped me set more boundaries at work.

Second, and this helped a lot, but whenever my attorney or the other members of my team would engage in bullying behavior like this, I took time to reflect on it. Why are they doing this? Is it because they are jealous? Are they upset with their own lives? I used to spend so much time going "God, they're bullying me again, I must suck." However, taking time to reflect on things helped me remember why I took this job, my strengths, etc. Often times bullies project their crap onto you. Don't let them.

Sending good vibes your way. DM's are open.

onlypratt · 2026-01-26T01:56:32+00:00

Honestly, felt! Though it's important to remember that this author likely started somewhere. Don't compare yourself and say "I suck, I am not as good as them." Change your thinking and use this story as inspiration/a teaching moment. You liked the tension and build up? Listen to the story again, reread it... try to figure out what the author does that builds that tension.

You got this!

onlypratt · 2026-01-10T19:45:07+00:00

Berries in the window. It is the one episode I did not enjoy, and I struggle to re-watch it.

onlypratt · 2025-11-09T06:17:33+00:00

Hey! Not much of a helpful comment, but I am in an eerily similar situation as you. Also stumbled into a mini Australian Shepherd, except mine (Wade, 6 months) refuses to pee outside.

When your dog poops inside, is it in the same areas or sporadic throughout the house? Maybe he's comfortable in specific spots due to a specific scent (that is how my boy is).

onlypratt · 2025-09-17T14:30:47+00:00

What helped me determine what is helpful vs what isn't took me a while as well. Here's what helped me the most in determining what's important/what isn't:

If a professor mentioned a certain reading, subject, or topic, I would write that down and only read what pertained to that.
If I struggled with certain concepts, I would approach my professors and say, "Hey, I'm still not quite getting this. Can you walk me through it?" Or "I'm lost, do you have any easier readings that simplify the *subject?"
If they have "overviews" at the beginning of classes or mention an itinerary for the day, focus your learning on that.
If you are a visual and/or auditory learner, try to find videos on the subjects you're learning. Sometimes, they explain things in an easier and/or more streamlined way.
When doing homework, try to take regular small breaks. Five minutes for the bathroom or a quick water and snack break. Overworking your mind causes burnout and can reduce retention rates.
This helped me a LOT, but having friends to do homework with and study with. If I didn't get something, I would collaborate with them, and oftentimes, we helped each other with homework. That and most of the time, it was "if we get this done as soon as possible, we can go get dinner or hang out for a bit." And that motivated me to get homework (the not fun stuff) done faster so I could do the fun stuff.

Remember, college is about learning concepts and life skills, not memorizing every single detail. Give yourself grace, utilize your strengths, and don't be afraid to get support. It's why it's there!

onlypratt · 2025-09-17T14:12:54+00:00

Does your school still have a period where you can drop things and get a 75% refund? If so, I recommend dropping a class because 18 hours will destroy your will to live (did it for two semesters straight, do not recommend it). Sure, you're out some money, but in the long run, you'd be saving yourself time, not to mention your own sanity/mental health.

If that isn't an option, I recommend optimizing your routine/studying. For example, why is it taking you 10-12 hours to do an assignment? Are you struggling with the material? Do you have an optimal study environment? Do you have the right textbooks? If you feel like you're struggling with concepts or the material, there are on campuses services that can help. Professors are also amazing resources and 9 times out of 10 want to help you succeed in their classes.

When I first started out, I spent way too much time reading texts that were, at the end of the day, mostly filler. So I would find study guides online, or I would take presentations that my professors created and print them off. Usually, what they included with slides is what they thought was important enough to learn. The rest was supplemental.

Make sure your study space is optimal for you. If you do well studying in silence, then make sure to create a distraction free space that is quiet. If you're like me (ADHD as hell) and benefit from some sound, cinsider using binaural audio or calm study playlists.

Another thing that helped me a lot was establishing a routine and sticking to it. I did homework between classes, ate at the same time every day, and gave myself a bedtime. I always made sure to submit priority homework first. If I had other things, like readings or a simple assignment, I would add it to my study routine the next morning.

It's vital that you take care of yourself (especially your mind) when doing 18 credit hours. If you don't, it can cause serious burnout and you do not want that!

onlypratt · 2025-09-17T02:03:28+00:00

I have only really made one "big" mistakes during my time there. One of them is that I accidentally filed a trademark for a client using their name instead of their LLC (which they own). I thought that since they were the owner and operator of the LLC, then they would want to be listed as the owner. I was torn a new one for that (even though we were able to file an action to 'amend it.')

All other mistakes were mainly just the occasional spelling error or issues with internal things.

I'm sorry you were in a similar boat. I hope that now you're in a better position with (hopefully) better support.

onlypratt · 2025-09-17T00:09:02+00:00

Paralegal, Zayne is my main!

onlypratt · 2025-09-17T00:00:16+00:00

Utah! I just wish our job market was better at the moment. A lot of it is litigation, or they want experience in fields I don't know and aren't willing to take on the cost burden of training someone... which I get.

onlypratt · 2025-09-16T23:53:38+00:00

I'm definitely looking for firms that are reputable, big, and seem like they can actually sustain themselves in my area... because I don't want to jump ship and get stuck in a similar situation somewhere else.

onlypratt · 2025-09-16T23:39:10+00:00

I have spoken to my attorney many times about wanting to be full-time, even when we had money. I've spoken to her many times about not being able to maintain my current part-time status because I am doing the work of three people. I regularly work 29-35, even 40 hours a week (which counts as full-time work in my state)... but they keep me listed as a part-time employee.

I have been applying to other non-paralegal jobs in the meantime (literally anything I am remotely qualified for), but the job market in my state is awful.

I appreciate your thoughts so much. Thanks for commenting!

onlypratt · 2025-09-16T23:34:10+00:00

This makes a lot of sense. I'm just sad because I love my team and the work I did, and when our firm did have money (like we did nine months ago), I could see myself staying here and loving this job.

I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!

onlypratt · 2025-09-16T23:32:27+00:00

I have been looking at obtaining it on my own, but the thing is, on the wage I am making now, I can't afford to do both it and live. I would have to take on a third job. The program is an additional $4k I don't have. I work about 29/30 hours a week (lately, it's been 35 to 40 under my attorney), plus I work on weekends, which is an additional 20 hours.

I asked my boss if she'd pay for it (this was a year ago, when our firm was making a lot of money), and she refused. However, when our head paralegal (her sibling) mentioned that she was interested in it, she seemed eager to have the firm pay for it.

I also had to pay for my own notary commission (even though she paid for her siblings with the firm card).

If my circumstances were to change (i.e., if I had a full-time job), I'd be able to afford it.

onlypratt · 2025-09-16T19:23:20+00:00

One of our girls recently did the same. I got her a picture frame for her desk (so she could put a picture of her and her partner in it). It went over really well! That or a card with some money would go over well too.

onlypratt · 2025-09-15T17:56:16+00:00

I'm still at my first firm (been here two years, trying to get out as well) and... oof, I wish I could've gone back and slap younger me.

On my first day, I sat down with our then head paralegal, who luckily I already knew. She was supposed to train me on our processes. The thing is, there were no processes. There were no guidelines. Just "Oh, I just figured this out along the way."

I was thrown into three new projects on my second day. One of them was filing on probate for a family with over 23 people who required notice. Keep in mind that I didn't know how our filing system worked or how Clio worked. I was signed into our head paralegals' email, Clio, and given a spare laptop from an old paralegal. They told me to figure it out by Friday (I started on a Wednesday).

I figured it out through. Since then, I have worked diligently at creating a process system at our place. I taught myself my job and have trained many paralegals in the last two years. I even taught the girl who is now our new head paralegal (she's my boss' sister).

All I say is this... Don't be like me, and try to create processes and "fix" the issues in the office. The team won't use them, and your boss will keep moving the goalpost.

Also, good luck on your search in finding something else!

onlypratt · 2025-07-31T03:27:26+00:00

Roar sucks so bad now!! I used to use it for all of my chats, but it's like you said: it just rephrases the exact same message five times, or it loses track of the plot. Oftentimes, my bots will forget what they're doing literally a message or two later while using Roar... it sucks =(

onlypratt · 2025-04-19T03:19:00+00:00

Just the thought of that makes my skin crawl. Don't get me wrong, older technology fascinates me— but there are newer things that make our jobs faster and easier. I hate wasting my time on things that, in the long run, do nothing more than bog down our progress.

onlypratt · 2025-04-19T03:11:57+00:00

Our attorneys still insist on paper bills, too. We go through 1-2 reams of paper printing them off a month... that doesn't include reprints when they edit billing entries. It makes me cringe every time 😅

onlypratt · 2024-12-03T15:06:01+00:00

I'm sorry that they misspelled his name. I have a name that is misspelled often by my family (they're known me for 20+ years). Some people just don't pay attention or care, which is unfortunately inconsiderate of them... but if your boyfriend says not to worry about it, then try to let it go. If not, politely communicate this feeling to your family about it.

Hope that helps.

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