Paralegals, here is your wake-up call…
If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, read the rest of this post – seriously. Have you grown apathetic toward your work? Do you make careless mistakes frequently? Have you stopped striving to be the very best at what you do? Are you annoyed by every assignment you are asked to do? Are you uninterested in learning more about the area of law in which you are working? Do you refuse to be a team player and think about the firm as a whole, not just yourself? Yes??? Then you are what I am going to call the complacent paralegal.
Complacent paralegals: WAKE UP! Don’t think that your boss will not replace you; she will. How do I know? Because I get calls regularly from attorneys who are getting ready to fire their paralegal and are exploring options for replacing her.
On one such call, I was very curious about the poor paralegal about to lose her job so I decided to ask a few questions. I thought that perhaps she was a new hire that did not work out; or maybe she had made a mistake that was very costly to the firm; or perhaps she did something unethical. What I found was that she had been with the firm a few years; she had not made some grievous mistake; and she had not “misbehaved” in any way. The attorney explained that the paralegal had just become lazy. She seemed uninterested in her work; she never offered any type of assistance without being asked; she had a bad attitude toward others in the firm; and she did not pay attention to details. The saddest part of the conversation was when I asked him if the paralegal knew she was about to be let go; he said she did not have a clue.
Could this be you? If you think you may have become a complacent paralegal, decide now to turn things around. Set some career goals for yourself; ask for more substantive legal work; or pursue paralegal certification. You have to grow and move forward in your career to get out of the complacent paralegal mindset. Need some motivation? Think of the all the paralegals out there who would love to have your job.
Misty L. Sheffield is a freelance paralegal helping solos and small law firms in civil litigation. She has been assisting attorneys for over 12 years. 
Misty,
Another great post…and hopefully a wake up call to anyone feeling complacent! It can happen to the best of us at one time or another in our careers. Thanks for setting the paralegal alarm clock in our honor!
Jamie
Hey Jamie,It can happen before you know it. There are so many paralegals who are looking for positions. Paralegals in good positions need to be aware that they can be easily replaced. I hope this was an encouragement, not a condemnation for those feeling complacent. Thanks as always for reading and commenting.
Misty this is a good article. I have managed many paralegals, legal assistants and support staff and have seen many get too comfortable with their supervisors and feel that work product is no longer important. I have found that once the issue is addressed constructively with that employee improvement follows.
Thank you for sharing your experience Carol. I hope most employers would give constructive feedback to their paralegals before firing them. Of course it is much better to not take that risk with your job, especially in today’s market. I enjoyed your comment.
Awww yes!!! The complacent paralegal….see it all the time. That is where I come in and will be the one replacing you. I am the zealous, diligent and passionate paralegal who loves what she does and would never take her job for granted.
Great article and thanks for piercing the veil.
You go girl! It does not sound like you are going to have a problem with your job security with that great attitude. Thanks for the comment Alisa and welcome to the blog.
Love your articles and videos, Misty. This one is so true!!
Thank you Christine! I hope this post well encourage paralegals to pursue excellence in their careers. I appreciate the comment.
If you find yourself feeling that way in any job, I would hope one would question their motivation and priorities. I carry enough weight at work on my own, I’d hate to find myself in a position where I have co-worker who feels very much this way and refused to at least admit their unhappiness.
I found that, in this position, without self-motivation and organization you will be out in the bitter cold and it will not go unnoticed. I understand it is impossible to be 100% motivated, 100% of the time. Do not overwork yourself. Show a positive appreciation for those around you and demand the same from them when you need it. If you find yourself slacking or losing control, have the self-awareness to say to yourself: “I’m a little over-worked right now. I can get back on track.” — Allow yourself some time to re-cooperate and during that time, make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish to calm the storm. You either care, or you don’t. If you really do care about your job, your company, your clients and your employer… you can ALWAYS find a way.
Hello Ariel. Thank you for the great comment. You are spot on.
I am about to go back to Technical College to pursue a Paralegal Associate’s Degree and this was very inspiring! I hope I do well and don’t find myself slacking!!