STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Andrea Julia · Coach

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JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

RE: So...I was offered a job today.

Karina · Chanel

I think if she gives you close to what you want, then take the job!

Congrats!

JMR · Dooney & Bourke

$50,000 is sweet for a starting position. At least take it for now - until you have some money saved up, get some experience - hell, you may even LIKE it!

Andrea Julia · Coach

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-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 00:19, 2006-01-29

lsubatgirl · Gucci

Oh wow they must really have liked you and your resume to offer you the job today. It sounds like a good job and you can make a good career out of it and possibly do something like paralegal or even lawyer if you really get into it and you'll have contacts. Just sit tight till she comes back to you about the money and go from there.

DC Shopper · Dooney & Bourke

i was a legal assistant...as you know, it was not a good job. however, i was always jealous of the legal secretaries because they made more money but never seemed to get shat on the way assistants do. usually you will have very stable hours and great benefits. you will prob. rarely have to work overtime. after i quit that job i temped as a legal secretary at another law firm that was much, much better, in terms of atmosphere. i really kind of enjoyed it. i did a lot of dication, letter writing, and some research and putting together of notebooks, etc. i also had to do billing stuff, time entry, and photocopying - but not too much. answering phones was my least favorite part, but that was also because i was temporary. you should def. try and find out what the atmosphere is like and what attorneys you'll be working for, because that can make or break whether you love your job or hate it. are you working for one attorney or more? if you are worried about getting stuck doing menial tasks, ask if there is opprty for advancement within the firm. sometimes the legal secretaries at my old firm were elevated to higher responsibility jobs if they could prove to be competent and showed an interest - but mostly that would be paralegal work, which can be very stressful. however, there is not a whole lot of room for advancement other than that but could be helpful if you are interested in law school.

p.s. (i def. think you should not take less than $40,000 - i am no expert but imagine that is a steal for a legal secy in NY, with or without prior experience...i know the legal secy at my firm in DC made about that to start.)

but congrats on the offer and let us know what happens!

-- Edited by DC Shopper at 16:50, 2004-12-29

Andrea Julia · Coach

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-- Edited by Andrea Julia at 00:20, 2006-01-29

DC Shopper · Dooney & Bourke

in that case $40,000 isn't bad if you can get it. i was a floater at my temp job - and at that law firm, if the attorneys liked you, you were quickly hired as a secretary - if there was an opening. like i said, i was a temp, and i think if i had wanted to stay and was not headed to school, that they would have actually hired me full time. so there can be a lot of opportunity. most of the secretaries at that firm were hired by being floaters first. being a floater can be cool b/c you aren't stuck with one person and you can figure out which attorneys are the best to work for. and you can meet a lot of people if it is a big firm, which is kind of fun. i bet there are other floaters your age that could be cool.

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

take the job. if you don't like it you can always quit. i bet if it works out, there will be tons of room to grow. i have a feeling that they probably offered you the job so quickly because they were impressed by your can-do attitude and they probably needed someone asap. and here's the thing, you've been unhappy at your current position and here's a new opportunity knocking on your door, so if i were you I'd go for it (as long as it doesn't involve taking a pay cut, i'm kind of against taking a position that pays you less than what you're making now, but it doesn't sound like that's the case here).

on another note, i don't think the work is "menial" at all--it's not as easy as it sounds, keeping track of billing, getting stuff filed, having to deal w/ atty.'s in trial, etc. at the end of the day i think any job is more about the people you work with than the tasks themselves, if you work w/ good people who appreciate what you do, you won't have to worry about feeling menial--because your work will be valued.

Elle · Hermes

TAKE IT! TAKE IT! TAKE IT! If it doesn't work out, you can look for something else just as you're doing now. Not only is it a good salary and awesome work experience, but they'll probably give you a small raise when a permanent position opens up. Good luck!

carmenb513 · Coach

i SAY GO WOTH lmonet's advice. Waaaaaay to go on the offer though!

Ally S · Kate Spade

Hash out the benefits package with them and try to work out the salary to at least $40,000.

Take the job, you have been looking for a new one for so long, this may be a golden opportunity. Like Esquiress said, there is probably so much room for growth in this position.

honey · Gucci

i have a slightly different perspective. while i think you're best bet would be to take the job, here are some things to consider:

*the starting salary (sounds like b/t $30k-$35K) is on par with what legal secretaries and paralegals make in nyc, esp. for no experience. definitely negotiate, but they're not exactly low-balling you.

*definitely hash out the benefits package before deciding. find out exactly what your hours will be first. firms vary, but if you do corporate law there is a strong possibility that you might end up having to do overtime. i've heard many a story about people having to stay crazy hours (3-4 in the morning) waiting for documents, etc. while hopefully this won't happen to you, it's better to know beforehand than to be surprised with it.

*confirm with the hiring person that there is room for advancement. while i know you're a good candidate it also sounds like they might be desperate and tell you what you want to hear. ask for specific examples, and also ask if there are paralegal openings, since the next logical step would be to good from a legal secretary to a paralegal.

*i strongly urge you to consider if you'll really be "happy" with the work, and i say this from personal experience. as a legal secretary you'll be at the bottom and have to do a lot of grunt work. if you're coming from a position where you work independantly it can be a difficult transition to suddenly have someone telling you what to do all the time.

Lina · BCBG

Congratulations!

I was a legal secretary for 9 years and have been a paralegal for the past 2 1/2 years.

It's not necessarily a piece of cake and only answering phones and writing letters. It depends what type of firm and what type of law you will be involved with. It can be a challenging and satisfying position if the attorney allows you to assist with pleadings and interact with clients.

$50K for no legal experience sounds great!! Good luck with everything.

ETA: I just saw that you wont make $50K necessarily. $40K still doesnt sound too bad but I bet you can get around $45K.

-- Edited by Lina at 22:22, 2004-12-29

-- Edited by Lina at 22:22, 2004-12-29