Hey all! I recently graduated from college and landed my first job as a legal assistant. I’m pretty nervous because I don’t have any prior experience in the legal field and I never got certified as a paralegal. My start date is coming up soon and I want to be as prepared as possible. Does anyone know of good resources I should check out beforehand? Also, if you have any practical advice or suggestions for someone just starting out in this field, I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
I’ve noticed new legal assistants who get the client’s story always crush those who just shuffle paperwork. In immigration cases, assistants become game-changers once they see how each document builds the bigger picture. Anyone can learn the technical stuff, but thinking strategically about evidence and case theory? That’s what makes assistants truly great.
I’m in the same boat - law student doing my first paralegal internship! What caught me off guard was spending most of my time on intake forms and document organization instead of the courtroom drama you see on TV. My supervising attorney said being detail-oriented with filing and deadlines matters way more than memorizing legal terms upfront. The terminology clicks once you see how it connects to actual cases.
My first RFE had me completely freaking out - I thought I needed to know everything immediately. Turns out the attorney just wanted me to track deadlines and organize evidence packets properly. That case taught me being solid with the basics matters way more than trying to be a legal expert on day one. The expertise comes naturally once you’ve worked more cases.
Wish someone had told me this early on: get a text expander tool immediately. I use it for client emails, form fields, everything repetitive - saves me 2-3 hours weekly. When you’re juggling cases and tracking billables, these small wins matter. Legal work has tons of repeated phrases you’ll spot within your first month.
Starting without certification is totally normal - don’t stress about it. I wasted way too much time trying to memorize everything instead of just asking questions. The attorneys actually prefer when you ask rather than guess wrong on something important. What really helped me was keeping a running doc of processes and shortcuts I learned each day. You’ll pick up the terminology and workflows faster than you think once you’re doing the actual work.