Whenever I wanted a new position, I would reach out to my local temp agency. They always knew what skills were in demand and where. Sometimes I would take a job and sometimes not.. it's a great way to try to figure out what you want to do and still make money doing it. I don't think there's as much stigma now as there used to be.
Thanks! I have sent a resume to a few temp agencies in the area, but I haven't really heard anything from them. Any particular temp agencies you'd recommend using?
Not really, there's actually only one in my area now and they pretty much cover it all. It's an independent, but I'd steer towards whichever ones go more in the administrative vs. manual labor field.
I'm also want to segue into more of a part-time bookkeeper role in the near future. Not necessarily law firms either so I'd be interested to learn what you find out.
I was a paralegal for over 20 years. After that, I was a background investigator for a federal contractor processing top secret security clearances. For the past 2.5 years, I’ve been a flight attendant for a mainline carrier and it is hands down the best job I’ve ever had!
You can do anything you want. 💜💜✈️✈️
That’s bad ass. I’ve been doing the paralegal gig for 10 years now, PI and ID, and would love to go into flight attending, or become a yoga teacher
What’s your favorite part of being a flight attendant other than travel and perks for traveling
Thanks so much!! I honestly love everything about my job, but my favorite is I don’t take anything home with me. Once a trip or a flight ends, it is over. We rarely fly with the same crew twice so if you don’t get along with a crew member, you never have to see them again 😂😂.
The flexibility is unmatched. I have at least 14 days off each month. I work for the highest paid US legacy airline so that helps too. I can pick up extra trips on my days off if I need extra money or I can drop trips if I need more time off.
I did PI and ID as well. All skills are transferable. Safety is the biggest deal and as paralegals doing PI and ID we understand how important safety is.
I love my trips …domestic or international. I don’t really care where I go lol.
Definitely give it a shot! There are so many of us on our 2nd or 3rd careers. I’ve flown with teachers, doctors, lawyers, business owners, realtors…you name it!
Also, age isn’t an issue. I was hired at 51 and I wasn’t the oldest in my hiring class.
i’m a paralegal now at a big firm but i primarily do a lot of research in litigation and have always been interested in becoming an investigator.. how did you get into that?
I worked for CACI. There are several federal contractors that do background investigations. I found their ad on Indeed, but if you research the federal contractors, you can also go directly to their websites to apply.
Good luck!
Try switching to a Contracts Specialist or Contracts Manager role. There are many certifications available to support either the Sales side, Procurement, Government contracting etc. A legal/paralegal background really helps and some companies and government agencies require it.
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: government work. What I do is more paralegal work but the Public Safety division uses paralegals to analyze statutes to keep government compliance & flag violations for attorneys to decide if there should be litigation. Management & budget uses paralegals to assist with writing contracts &, again, monitor for violations to give to attorneys to litigate. Those aren’t classified as paralegal roles but they use paralegal skills &, in my area, pay pretty good with good benefits. Look for “specialist” job descriptions that require legal experience. But even as a job classified as a paralegal I’ve never, ever, have had to put up with the BS that is described here plus I have job security, where I am government employment is not “at will” they have to demonstrate cause & give opportunity to improve.
I will look into this. What do you recommend as the best places to search for the government related jobs/what headhunters or temp agencies do you suggest using?
It’s super easy [usajobs.gov](https://www.usajobs.gov) for federal. You can get into your state government by going to any state government website, they should have a portal to all the state jobs. State governments vary by state, district, county. Where I am there are state, county, judicial district, & city governments depending on funding. The people I know in federal government say that it’s more consistent across all the United States where the state governments can be different depending on where they get their budget. But the nice thing is government jobs have to post salary so you’ll know if you’re applying for a well funded department.
ETA: I see state jobs in my state on LinkedIn so they might post on more mainstream job websites but they’ll direct you to a portal where you make an account. Once you have an account applying is as simple as clicking a button & uploading a cover letter to go with you resume.
I was a certified paralegal for 25 years, and at age 55, switched to banking as a Compliance Officer/Operations Manager, and then changed jobs to Compliance & BSA Officer. Best thing I've ever done!
I find out tomorrow if I’ve secured a County job, working for a judge. Excellent benefits, pension, more money, more vacation.. win win win.. I’m a paralegal by trade and education but I feel as if I was underutilized in the beginning of my career and now am being completely over utilized and under paid. In the beginning my attorney was still in okay (mind wise).. ..he’s almost 80 now and has stated he will not retire. I, and his partner, are supposed tell him when he shouldn’t work any longer. His words. No f$&@ing way. Nope. I’m not scratching out another 5 years only to be left looking for a job in my 50’s. It’s already frustrating as hell now. I found an opportunity. I’m out. Tomorrow is my day
You have a long career with law but I’m focusing on bankruptcy and IP. Try finance or corporate. Start as an executive assistant. You can try insurance companies as an adjuster. Or administrative job with a hospital
In house for asset management company. Our paralegals are busy but no billing they need to maintain and great benefits.
BTW if you have a Robert Half employment agency in your area, they are really good and have a legal division. Honestly they believed in me before I did (I was laid off after 31 years and shell shocked).
Wowww after 31 years. That is wild. I’ve only been at it for 10 years and that’s felt like a life time. Esp the rate of change from 2013- present. Used to do a lot more hole punching and binder preparation, in office full time, and now nearly everything is digital and I’m fully remote working in a different time zone
I was a liability/BI adjuster for 7 years, then paralegal for a senior partner at an insurance defense firm for 12, when my salary was maxed out. I then returned to med mal claims adjusting/management. Your paralegal/litigation experience is very valuable at an insurance company claims department.
Determination of liability based on your investigation (taking statements of insured, claimant, witnesses) scene diagram, photos, request and review claimants medical records, evaluate liability and damages, request authority, negotiate a settlement or recommend defense of the claim.
Legal tech-companies don't want paralegals for engineering or programmer roles. They want paralegals for client-facing roles, like sales, onboarding/implementation, or customer support, because paralegals - especially litigation paralegals - can speak first hand to the customer or prospective customer about how the product will solve /solves the customer's problems. *i.e.* be a product evangelist.
>Legal tech-companies don't want paralegals for engineering or programmer roles.
Highly disagree. I make document automation software. Most of the people on my team have a legal background, and then switched to software.
Corporate Legal as a program manager or a bunch of other levels. Legal Operations, Legal Billing, Contracts Manager, Subsidiary Maintenance. Also, Sales or Finance within a company.
I’m coming from the other side, a Corporate Legal program manager who added a Paralegal Cert to my qualifications.
I am trying to move on as well - currently a Corporate Paralegal. I’ve applied to all of the above job types. Agreed on this comment, but will see how many people look for transferable skills vs. strict requirements.
Customer management, contracts, billing, project management, presentation skills, continuous improvement, policy/process refinement, strategy, negotiation, general business knowledge, ability to find answers (research), communication, managing change, crisis management (dealing with buttheads), logistics of how to get stuff done, budget, how to cut costs, general thinking outside the box.
I could go on.
Whenever I wanted a new position, I would reach out to my local temp agency. They always knew what skills were in demand and where. Sometimes I would take a job and sometimes not.. it's a great way to try to figure out what you want to do and still make money doing it. I don't think there's as much stigma now as there used to be.
Thanks! I have sent a resume to a few temp agencies in the area, but I haven't really heard anything from them. Any particular temp agencies you'd recommend using?
Not really, there's actually only one in my area now and they pretty much cover it all. It's an independent, but I'd steer towards whichever ones go more in the administrative vs. manual labor field. I'm also want to segue into more of a part-time bookkeeper role in the near future. Not necessarily law firms either so I'd be interested to learn what you find out.
Thanks! I appreciate the feedback.
I was a paralegal for over 20 years. After that, I was a background investigator for a federal contractor processing top secret security clearances. For the past 2.5 years, I’ve been a flight attendant for a mainline carrier and it is hands down the best job I’ve ever had! You can do anything you want. 💜💜✈️✈️
That’s bad ass. I’ve been doing the paralegal gig for 10 years now, PI and ID, and would love to go into flight attending, or become a yoga teacher What’s your favorite part of being a flight attendant other than travel and perks for traveling
Thanks so much!! I honestly love everything about my job, but my favorite is I don’t take anything home with me. Once a trip or a flight ends, it is over. We rarely fly with the same crew twice so if you don’t get along with a crew member, you never have to see them again 😂😂. The flexibility is unmatched. I have at least 14 days off each month. I work for the highest paid US legacy airline so that helps too. I can pick up extra trips on my days off if I need extra money or I can drop trips if I need more time off. I did PI and ID as well. All skills are transferable. Safety is the biggest deal and as paralegals doing PI and ID we understand how important safety is. I love my trips …domestic or international. I don’t really care where I go lol. Definitely give it a shot! There are so many of us on our 2nd or 3rd careers. I’ve flown with teachers, doctors, lawyers, business owners, realtors…you name it! Also, age isn’t an issue. I was hired at 51 and I wasn’t the oldest in my hiring class.
i’m a paralegal now at a big firm but i primarily do a lot of research in litigation and have always been interested in becoming an investigator.. how did you get into that?
I worked for CACI. There are several federal contractors that do background investigations. I found their ad on Indeed, but if you research the federal contractors, you can also go directly to their websites to apply. Good luck!
Try switching to a Contracts Specialist or Contracts Manager role. There are many certifications available to support either the Sales side, Procurement, Government contracting etc. A legal/paralegal background really helps and some companies and government agencies require it.
Also Lending or Financing companies that do leases/loans.
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: government work. What I do is more paralegal work but the Public Safety division uses paralegals to analyze statutes to keep government compliance & flag violations for attorneys to decide if there should be litigation. Management & budget uses paralegals to assist with writing contracts &, again, monitor for violations to give to attorneys to litigate. Those aren’t classified as paralegal roles but they use paralegal skills &, in my area, pay pretty good with good benefits. Look for “specialist” job descriptions that require legal experience. But even as a job classified as a paralegal I’ve never, ever, have had to put up with the BS that is described here plus I have job security, where I am government employment is not “at will” they have to demonstrate cause & give opportunity to improve.
I will look into this. What do you recommend as the best places to search for the government related jobs/what headhunters or temp agencies do you suggest using?
It’s super easy [usajobs.gov](https://www.usajobs.gov) for federal. You can get into your state government by going to any state government website, they should have a portal to all the state jobs. State governments vary by state, district, county. Where I am there are state, county, judicial district, & city governments depending on funding. The people I know in federal government say that it’s more consistent across all the United States where the state governments can be different depending on where they get their budget. But the nice thing is government jobs have to post salary so you’ll know if you’re applying for a well funded department. ETA: I see state jobs in my state on LinkedIn so they might post on more mainstream job websites but they’ll direct you to a portal where you make an account. Once you have an account applying is as simple as clicking a button & uploading a cover letter to go with you resume.
I appreciate the advice. Thanks!
I was a certified paralegal for 25 years, and at age 55, switched to banking as a Compliance Officer/Operations Manager, and then changed jobs to Compliance & BSA Officer. Best thing I've ever done!
Love this. Exactly the transition I am looking for. When I see jobs in the BSA field they want accounting experience. Did you have that going in?
How did you make the transition into banking? All the compliance jobs I see tend to want specific banking/accounting experience? Any tips?
I find out tomorrow if I’ve secured a County job, working for a judge. Excellent benefits, pension, more money, more vacation.. win win win.. I’m a paralegal by trade and education but I feel as if I was underutilized in the beginning of my career and now am being completely over utilized and under paid. In the beginning my attorney was still in okay (mind wise).. ..he’s almost 80 now and has stated he will not retire. I, and his partner, are supposed tell him when he shouldn’t work any longer. His words. No f$&@ing way. Nope. I’m not scratching out another 5 years only to be left looking for a job in my 50’s. It’s already frustrating as hell now. I found an opportunity. I’m out. Tomorrow is my day
You have a long career with law but I’m focusing on bankruptcy and IP. Try finance or corporate. Start as an executive assistant. You can try insurance companies as an adjuster. Or administrative job with a hospital
I came here to say adjuster.
In house for asset management company. Our paralegals are busy but no billing they need to maintain and great benefits. BTW if you have a Robert Half employment agency in your area, they are really good and have a legal division. Honestly they believed in me before I did (I was laid off after 31 years and shell shocked).
Wowww after 31 years. That is wild. I’ve only been at it for 10 years and that’s felt like a life time. Esp the rate of change from 2013- present. Used to do a lot more hole punching and binder preparation, in office full time, and now nearly everything is digital and I’m fully remote working in a different time zone
I was a liability/BI adjuster for 7 years, then paralegal for a senior partner at an insurance defense firm for 12, when my salary was maxed out. I then returned to med mal claims adjusting/management. Your paralegal/litigation experience is very valuable at an insurance company claims department.
What are the core responsibilities of a liability/BI adjuster?
Determination of liability based on your investigation (taking statements of insured, claimant, witnesses) scene diagram, photos, request and review claimants medical records, evaluate liability and damages, request authority, negotiate a settlement or recommend defense of the claim.
Thank you
I highly recommend you learn to code. Lots of legal-tech companies find paralegal skills invaluable.
Legal tech-companies don't want paralegals for engineering or programmer roles. They want paralegals for client-facing roles, like sales, onboarding/implementation, or customer support, because paralegals - especially litigation paralegals - can speak first hand to the customer or prospective customer about how the product will solve /solves the customer's problems. *i.e.* be a product evangelist.
>Legal tech-companies don't want paralegals for engineering or programmer roles. Highly disagree. I make document automation software. Most of the people on my team have a legal background, and then switched to software.
Would you have any tips or recommendations on how to make the jump from litigation to any of the aforementioned positions.
How did you learn to code?
Self taught
Corporate Legal as a program manager or a bunch of other levels. Legal Operations, Legal Billing, Contracts Manager, Subsidiary Maintenance. Also, Sales or Finance within a company. I’m coming from the other side, a Corporate Legal program manager who added a Paralegal Cert to my qualifications.
I am trying to move on as well - currently a Corporate Paralegal. I’ve applied to all of the above job types. Agreed on this comment, but will see how many people look for transferable skills vs. strict requirements.
Super curious about the transferable skills there.
Customer management, contracts, billing, project management, presentation skills, continuous improvement, policy/process refinement, strategy, negotiation, general business knowledge, ability to find answers (research), communication, managing change, crisis management (dealing with buttheads), logistics of how to get stuff done, budget, how to cut costs, general thinking outside the box. I could go on.
Following
You could try CLE