LEGAL ASSISTANT’S CORNER: I Really Do (Mostly) Love My Job

Legal assistants are notoriously stressed out and we sometimes focus too much on the negative
things that rear their head throughout each day – and negative things do happen every day. On
the flip side, the majority of us absolutely love what we do and have no desire to do anything
else professionally.

The top reasons (in no particular order) why I love my job are:

Multitasking Mastery

Multitasking is a skill every assistant must master whether they like it or not. I generally prefer
to focus solely on one single task, complete it, then move onto the next one…but being a legal
assistant rarely allows that to happen. Some days when I’m forced to multitask, my brain revolts
and I lash out in frustration to whomever will listen but most days I’m usually pretty proud
myself that I was able to switch gears with the ease and smoothness of a racecar driver on the
freeway during rush hour.

Organizing Wizardry

I tend to fall on the OCD side of the scale, so it pleases me to no end when I am able to organize
all the chaos of a client’s file into a system that will make sense to anyone who touches it from
then on. It’s like I can anticipate how it will be used in the future… which is because I can.
*maniacal laugh*

Resounding Resourcefulness

When attorneys are faced with doing anything out of the norm, it quite often falls on our to do
pile. Sometimes there is no straightforward way of completing a task and we have to figure out
the mechanics to get the desired end result. Because we are constantly facing new questions that
we must answer, we are forced to access our creative super powers to get the job done, son. And
we always ultimately Make. It. Happen.

Cerebrally Challenging

It sounds cliché, but I live to stimulate my brain. Learning new things, conquering challenges
and accomplishing mountains of tasks the faint of heart would be immediately overwhelmed by
keeps me energized and excited to get to work each day. I rarely know what each professional
day will hold which keeps things intriguing. I am puzzled by those of you who like to have jobs
doing the same tasks day in and day out. I’d honestly be bored out of my mind. No, thank you.
I’ll take what’s behind door number one, please.

Client Closure

No proper list would be complete without this on it. Helping people is the main reason those of
us who work in the service industry actually chose to do so, right? While there is that, it’s
actually deeper. In the legal world, we constantly interface with clients who are going through
some of the worst experiences of their lives. They are scared, anxious and in dire need of our
services in order for them to move onto the next phase of their lives. There is no better feeling
than when we conclude a client’s case and they shower us with pure, unadulterated gratitude.
Obtaining closure for a client is one of the most rewarding things we do – for both the client and
for ourselves.

So, at the end of the day I basically am equal parts exhausted and exhilarated – as any job worth
its salt should be. It’s tough being a superhero, but it’s also incredibly rewarding…and
someone’s got to do it.

© 3/30/2018 Heather M. Carr of Hunt & Associates, P.C. All rights reserved.