Why the Traditional Paralegal Doesn't Stand a Chance August 2014 | Page 22

Learn to know your job.
Your firm may have a very limited
budget for continuing legal education.
The firm is not realizing paralegal return
on investment. Many times, there is
very little in the budget for paralegal
continuing legal education. Most likely,
the bulk of the budget is spent on new
associates. After all, they’re going to be
partner some day.
In some firms, paralegals are included
in attorney training. However,
paralegals do not perform the same
assignments as attorneys – for that
matter, neither do attorneys perform the
same assignments as paralegals. What
you glean from an attorney seminar

may be helpful in seeing the overall
picture but you cannot practice law.
Usually, very little in-house attorney
training sessions apply directly to
you. Training specific to paralegal
assignments is critical to get ahead
and stay ahead.
How can you get the training you
need?

If your firm will not pay for
additional training, don’t
give up. By demonstrating
the numbers, you can
convince the firm how