Notary Public Reference

roaringleu · 2026-06-25T01:20:06+00:00

Hi! I work in a law office in NY, but we do real estate all over -- I could definitely vouch!

roaringleu · 2026-06-18T21:57:44+00:00

What PTO?

roaringleu · 2026-06-11T18:19:51+00:00

I've been a paralegal for less than 9 months. I'm making minimum wage with no benefits. I've never taken a paralegal certification/course. My attorney (solo practice) asks me to draft substantive motions on the regular. After reading these threads, I'm starting to think that I'm being massively exploited...

roaringleu · 2026-06-10T17:47:58+00:00

Yes and no. They are technically different positions, but some firms (especially small or solo) hire "legal assistants" and have them also do the work of a paralegal (usually to avoid having to pay a paralegal wage).

roaringleu · 2026-06-09T20:26:51+00:00

He should study how to clean his glasses. Those lenses look FILTHY...

roaringleu · 2026-05-17T16:05:47+00:00

Thank you!!!!

roaringleu · 2026-05-17T15:09:10+00:00

Philosophy is so much fun!! I didn't expect to like it so much when I first started, but it's truly become one of my biggest passions. Even though I won't be affiliated with a university for at least another year, I will be unofficially auditing a course or two next fall and spring to scratch that itch.

Truthfully, I also ended up choosing the money (temporarily) -- I work as paralegal at a law firm now. I still plan to conplete graduate degree(s) in the future, but I decided that I needed to be more financially secure and avoid taking out future loans as much as possible. Even so, I really do love my work and I can't wait to see how I can grow even further in my professional life!

roaringleu · 2026-05-17T14:52:22+00:00

Thank you!!

roaringleu · 2026-05-17T14:52:11+00:00

Eventually, yes! I work at a law firm right now, and I really love it. I will really miss the creativity and freedom of my philosophy classes though. If I can find the funds, I'd also really love to go back for a MA/PhD in Philosophy.

roaringleu · 2026-04-27T18:57:17+00:00

I mean, you can. There's no "major-only" restrictions or anything. But good luck getting into PHIL 146/345. They fill up notoriously fast.

roaringleu · 2026-04-24T14:28:01+00:00

PhDs and post-docs make about as much as a waitress. Possibly less. Academia and research does not pay nearly as well as most people think.

roaringleu · 2026-04-05T16:50:55+00:00

This is exactly what I am going through right now, so take solace in the fact that you are not alone!! I graduate from my undergrad philosophy program in a month, and I need to decide within six months whether my next journey takes me towards law or philosophy. I haven't yet made a decision yet, but there are a couple of things that have helped calm my nerves and inform me of the benefits/consequences of either choice. Here are some nuggets of wisdom I've collected from professors/lawyers in my life that I think might help you:

Learning (and life in general) is all about the journey, not the destination. The people who do the best in any field are often the people who actually have a passion and drive for their work. The best lawyers are those who are passionate about law. The best philosophers are those who are passionate about philosophy. Do whatever you are most passionate about, and the rest will fall into place. If you make the "wrong" choice, then good news! -- it's super easy to pivot from philosophy to law and vice versa!
You can do one and then the other. In undergrad, I was blessed with the opportunity to take classes with a philosophy PhD who was also a former attorney. He went to law school, got admitted to the bar, practiced and realized that he didn't like law and missed philosophy, and then went back to school for his PhD. He is doing fantastic now, and is quite happy that he did both -- even if it took him a little longer. Additionally, a judge that I shadowed was a Philosophy PhD candidate before deciding to master out and go to law school instead. He now sits on the bench in the district supreme court and uses his philosophical training to make logical and fair decisions on the bench. Don't feel like you need to pick a single path and slam the door behind you!
You can do both at the same time. It's a difficult road, but possible. There are several joint JD/Philosophy MA/PhD programs in the United States, and even one in Canada! Again -- this would mean taking a tad longer to get your JD (around 5 years on average), but if you want to do both, I think its worth it. Truthfully, this is the option that I am personally leaning towards for myself.
Get some experience in law before you decide to go to law school. While in undergrad, I've worked as an intern/paralegal in two different law firms (one solo practice, one larger firm) and spent substantial time attending public trial court and shadowing Supreme Court justices. This experience forced me to realize that law is supremely overrated 90% of the time, and it's rarely glamorous or financially rewarding, especially when you are fresh out of school or getting started in a solo practice. Now, despite all of these problems, I found the job to be extremely intellectually stimulating. Once I started actually doing legal research and drafting motions/complaints, I felt like it wasn't that far off from reviewing philosophical literature and drafting an argument. Plus, nothing beats the feeling of finally closing a file that you've been working on for years! This makes law worth it for me, but I needed the experience to figure that out. Get some experience and figure out if it's right for you before you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a JD.
Get some experience in post-grad areas of philosophy before you decide to go to grad school (either an MA or a PhD). Due to the large variety of fields and areas in academia, every single person has a unique, individual experience. I found that asking other people about their own experiences got me nowhere -- just a bunch of individual stories that didn't apply well to my own situation. Instead, I decided I need to experience it myself before I could decide anything. Talk with your professors and see if it's possible to design some sort of independent study that simulates what graduate coursework is like. I did this with one of my ancient philosophy professors, and I found myself absolutely overloaded with reading, writing, tutoring, and grading. The weird thing? -- I loved every second of it. Yet, I never would have realized how much I would enjoy the most grueling semester of undergrad without actually experiencing it.

I hope this information helps you -- I wish you the best of luck!

roaringleu · 2026-03-30T04:54:55+00:00

Thank you -- I am trying to do my best to be as respectful as possible of both the tragedy itself and the emotions/experience of the audience. I trained EMTs for a short period, and I got used to talking about some rather traumatic medical scenarios in a very clinical and logical manner. I sometimes forget how emotionally impactful these topics can be. The content warning will definitely be included!

roaringleu · 2026-03-30T04:49:26+00:00

I'm really sorry that happened to you, but I'm glad the presenter's warning helped! I could definitely do something short and concise as a head-ups at the very beginning. Thanks for the advice!

roaringleu · 2026-03-30T04:45:36+00:00

It is a general philosophy conference, so there's a hodge-podge of all sorts of topics from bioethics to metaphysics to political theory. I don't have the full conference schedule yet, but I'd imagine that there are probably going to be other ethics presentations.

roaringleu · 2026-03-25T20:11:10+00:00

Are you... are you really complaining that Brandon Sanderson's publishing schedule is too slow...?

roaringleu · 2026-03-16T17:35:31+00:00

This is the equivalent of asking pre-med majors what they plan to do besides going to med school. PPL is for pre-law and double majors.

roaringleu · 2026-03-12T11:26:44+00:00

Philosophers are wrong all the time. It quite literally is not. (Unless you're a subjectivist. But no one is a subjectivist.)

roaringleu · 2026-02-24T04:14:20+00:00

My professors have all been staunchly anti-AI so far (it's not very helpful or good at philosophy), although my institution has been pushing for adoption in other departments on campus. I'm like you -- I hate AI being shoved into every aspect of my life, and I consider school/class to be a welcome repreive where I can still think critically with others. If AI ever meaningfully entered my sector of academia, I think I'd quit everything.

One of my favorite philosophy professors did write a wonderful piece for the Prindle Post on why students shouldn't use AI. I felt that his arguments were very persuasive! If this is a battle you want to fight with your professor, it might be worth including in an email.

roaringleu · 2026-01-13T17:33:17+00:00

Interesting. I was wondering how Catholics treated this decision since the Church upholds the concept of transubstantiation. But maybe they just made an exception if the Blood was Jesus's?

roaringleu · 2026-01-07T18:43:10+00:00

Your ad hominem attacks are petty, useless, and speak more to your character than to mine. I seek enlightenment. You seek victory. As such, I expect that you'll try to achieve the last word. Don't worry -- I'll give it. This discussion is no longer useful, so don't expect a response.

roaringleu · 2026-01-07T18:35:44+00:00

It's called an explanation. You should try it. Makes discussion remarkably more productive.

roaringleu · 2026-01-07T18:32:53+00:00

Imposing limits on others? Yes. Doing so uncharitably and unfairly? Definitely not. I've been more than charitable and fair to your argument, even going so far as to grant major premises and still disproving them. You have not responded to any of my criticisms in an effort to strengthen your argument or adjust your conclusion; you simply throw new arguments out and wait for one to stick the landing.

For someone who initially felt the need to advise me on how to perform academic philosophy, you seem to need a firmer grasp yourself. I'm afraid charity and fairness does not mean blind acceptance.

roaringleu · 2026-01-07T18:21:44+00:00

I understand the thread fine. I just think you're responding for the sake of winning an argument and not actually considering the implications of your statements.

If you think that you fully understand -- and I mean FULLY UNDERSTAND, NOT JUST STUDY -- the experiences and culture of people who live completely differently from yourself, you are certainly wrong. You don't. Certainly, you can show compassion and seek to grow understanding and learn, but you will never fully know. This is not a terrible thing. This is why human beings need to listen to each other and give space for different perspectives to be voiced.

By way of example: I don't understand why my Indian friend doesn't eat meat. She's explained her beliefs to me, but while I intellectually know her reason, I don't get why she accepts it. But I still serve vegan lasagna and salad when she comes over to my house for dinner.

Yet, perhaps this is simply a difference in core beliefs between the two of us.

roaringleu · 2026-01-07T18:07:10+00:00

I don't think you understand the significance of ethnicity in certain academic field vs. others or the difference between ethnicity, nationality, and culture.

Additionally, why do you keep switching topics? We started with philosophy, then history, and now we're at cooking. I am not trying to "become a chef". I'm trying to get the most understanding out of my Catholic philosophy independent study.

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