I’ve been supporting attorneys for six years and doing work that overlaps with what junior associates do. The problem is I don’t have a JD, and no one takes my career goals seriously. So idk if I should go back to school or finally pivot out of law entirely.

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If you want to shift to an attorney role, law school and the bar is a must. I know plenty of former paralegals who made this move and have awesome careers now - my former manager was a paralegal for a long time before law school and she is incredible at what she does now.

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As one of my fellow paralegals put it “no matter how smart or good you are, you can’t be promoted to Attorney without the paperwork”

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What are your career goals?

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Don't go to law school if you don't want to be a lawyer. But if you like what you do and would like to practice law as an attorney, plenty of paralegals make the jump.

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If your career goals will ultimately mean needing to go back to school, then that is something to consider. It just depends on the role. Some you can definitely get into with experience alone, others will be impossible without that degree.

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What career goals do you have that are not taken seriously?

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Well yeah there’s only so far you can go in the law without a JD. You have a clearer sense than many about what life as a lawyer actually looks like, so you are in a good position to know if you’d like it. Depending on where you are, there are some well-respected part-time schools that allow you to keep working while in school, which lessens the financial hit. Fordham in NYC is one; I’m sure there are others.

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What is your goal of life? If you want to be an attorney, yes, you should do law school and bar.

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At 67 now and retired from Disability when a human ruined my body I always found no matter what you do in Life, the higher your education...NOTHING MATTERS when ONE DAMN PERSON COMES IN and IS SO TOXIC ...YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GO!!!! HAS ANYONE had a Beautiful Pisition at a Job you LOVE and a TOXIC person comes in... Could even be a secretary, maintenance worker or High Felutin Attorney.... and just CHANGES the very air you Breathe?🤨

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