Our blogger refers to herself as "Law School Dreamer"—an anonymous, yet real life, paralegal. She has been a legal assistant for the last six years. There have certainly been many obstacles along her journey. For starters, she is a first generation college student. In other words, college just wasn’t on the agenda and was rarely spoken about. Second, it is very difficult to study for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), maintain a high grade point average, participate in extracurriculars and still keep one’s sanity intact while working full time in a very stressful profession. As her fellow paralegals will agree, it can be very difficult to leave the office at 5 p.m. every day or to leave work drama at work. Knowing that she was doing all of this for law school was extremely motivating and it helped her take into consideration what sort of classes or extracurricular activities she wanted to be involved in. Follow her on her blog, A Paralegal's Journey to Lawyerhood.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
Though I had always been interested in law, I sort of stumbled into my current position. It all sort of began when I answered a classified ad for a receptionist position in a small law firm in my town. I didn't have a lot of clerical experience, but am very friendly and enjoy working with people. I landed the job and worked at that firm for about a year. I realized I enjoyed working in the field but wanted to take on more tasks and become more involved with the day-to-day work of an attorney—working as a legal assistant would afford me the opportunity for more "hands-on" work. So I again responded to an ad in the classifieds and was granted a legal secretary job at a new firm. After working in that position for two years, my supervising attorneys asked if I would consider taking on a paralegal position the firm was creating. The other paralegals at my firm all had two- or four-year degrees in a loosely related field (political science, criminal justice, legal studies, etc.) and some had an additional paralegal certificate. I, on the other hand, had not attended college at that point. As part of my acceptance of this paralegal position, I was required to attain a two-year degree in legal studies.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
By the time I was offered the paralegal position, I had three years of clerical law firm experience under my belt. I had also joined my local paralegal association and the related monthly events and meetings, which often included seminars and practice tips. I was fortunate enough that my firm offered to share the cost of my obtaining a two-year degree in legal studies at my local university. So I began working as a paralegal while simultaneously completing my degree.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?
My two-year degree in legal studies included courses in legal writing and legal research (covering both "old school"/book research and more modern methods such as utilizing online tools like Westlaw and LexisNexis). Through these courses, I learned how to research case law and then summarize my findings in both legal briefs and memos to my supervising attorneys. These areas are extremely important for paralegals because they are the most basic foundational skills of what we do. Additionally, I took courses in torts, civil procedure and property—very similar to a first-year law school curriculum.

How did your education help you in your career?
Because I had not yet considered college prior to my position as a paralegal, my education actually gave me the confidence I needed in myself—more specifically, to believe that I could take on tasks that I had not yet encountered and problem solve to come up with answers to a wide array of issues. Additionally, taking courses that were specifically offered for paralegals helped me network with other professionals and swap tips on a number of different issues paralegals often encounter. This greatly expanded my value as a paralegal because I was able to take on a wide array of tasks. For me personally, taking the first step in college has actually made me realize that I too want to become an attorney. I will complete my bachelor's degree in political science this May and will enter law school in August 2011.

What was your career path like in this field? 
Yes, I began as a receptionist, then secretary and now paralegal. In 2014, I will graduate law school and focus on passing the bar exam.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
First and foremost, the ability to work well under extreme stress! Though paralegals do not carry the entire burden of a case, we certainly do our share of the heavy lifting! There are always last minute (or second!) deadlines and situations when others are counting on you to deliver. Paralegals must also be extremely organized; knowing exactly where to turn to find a file/document/exhibit is so important. Paralegals bill their time in the same manner lawyers do; time is money and fumbling around for a lost document is wasted time. Moreover, being the "hero" of the day by quickly locating a vital piece of the puzzle is a good feeling. I like being able to be the "go-to" person for that sort of thing. People skills are also important. People need attorneys because they are under a stressful situation. Panicked clients will call (frequently) and stressed out lawyers and other paralegals are under a lot of pressure. Knowing how to react (appropriately) is an essential skill.

What do you do on a typical workday?
I work for a contracts attorney, a municipal law attorney and a real estate attorney. So my tasks are quite varied. On a typical day, I might be up to my ears in legal descriptions, drafting deeds and assisting my supervising attorney in real estate closings. For my corporate attorney, I am drafting annual compliance filings, stockholder certificates or maintaining the corporation's official records. Municipal law related tasks vary from dealing with tort claim notices to drafting ordinances and resolutions. It's important to note, however, that as a paralegal, I will do a lot of "preliminary drafting" of documents based on a form or "boilerplate" language but paralegals are not allowed to give legal advice and everything I draft or work on independently is always examined by my supervising/assigning attorney prior to completion.

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field?
Yes. After working in this profession for six years, I am eager to advance from paralegal to lawyer. Two years ago I began yearning for more responsibility and independence but wanted to remain within the legal profession. I also wanted more freedom to decide which cases and clients to assist. After a lot of consideration, I decided to pursue a bachelor's degree with the sole purpose of attending law school, which I will begin in August 2011.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Someone who is extremely self-motivated and investigative. Paralegals work under the supervision of lawyers but must work independently much of the time. For example, someone who can identify on their own what tasks must be completed today, tomorrow, next week, etc. and plan accordingly would make an excellent paralegal. But people skills are essential too.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Job shadow a paralegal for a day (or even a week), read blogs written by paralegals to get an idea of what life as a paralegal is like, join local paralegal associations and network with others already established in the field. Let current professionals know which areas of law you're hoping to get into and that you would appreciate hearing of any job openings. Once you've found a job, become as well trained and valued as you possibly can. The legal profession has taken quite a hit in this economy and taking additional classes in areas you are not yet familiar with will help secure your position. Don't be a "one-trick pony." If you think you might be interested in finance, take a few business accounting courses—when your firm's bookkeeper is on vacation, you can be the fill-in. Become knowledgeable in many areas of the law but also become fluent in the many issues plaguing the type of law you work in now. For example, electronic discovery is an area that is rapidly emerging; be the firm's go-to person on Acrobat software that will automatically redact documents.