Legal professionals

[Farang]

I sent out a bunch of unsolicited resumes to law firms and surprisingly got a response. The message was short and vague and I'm trying to get a better idea of what role I would be filling so I can be better prepared when I call the firm tomorrow.

Farang I do have a job for you. Interviewing witnesses. Pls contact me . Thanks Paul.

I'm just trying to get an idea if anyone has worked in a law firm where it was someone's primary job to interview witnesses, and what the work entailed. It sounds like a paralegal's assistant but the informal nature of the e-mail gives me nothing to go on so I'm flying blind when I call tomorrow.


update:

So the job is basically contract at $15/hr for me to call people to see if they have any information on cases. I didn't even meet him in person and he barely asked any questions about me, other than to dangle a possible $10/hr clerk position in front of me in passing. It smells of scam but I don't see how, anyway I'll just do it and see what trouble it gets me in.

 

[Corporate Thug]

yeah, that's a pretty common job at a law firm. Lots of busy firms have intake/witness interview people. Maybe it's a non-profit and they need a screener?

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: Corporate Thug
yeah, that's a pretty common job at a law firm. Lots of busy firms have intake/witness interview people. Maybe it's a non-profit and they need a screener?

Is there a title for this? I am having trouble finding anything with google. It is a personal injury firm

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

That would be a fairly typical paralegal responsibility. It would be a little unusual to have someone in a full-time position just interviewing witnesses, which suggests they may be thinking of a short-term contract position.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: Don Vito Corleone
That would be a fairly typical paralegal responsibility. It would be a little unusual to have someone in a full-time position just interviewing witnesses, which suggests they may be thinking of a short-term contract position.

I found it unusual as well, but contract seems odd considering I have no experience. I guess if they just gave me a set of questions and had me record the answers it would be more mindless than Mcdonalds, though.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: Don Vito Corleone
That would be a fairly typical paralegal responsibility. It would be a little unusual to have someone in a full-time position just interviewing witnesses, which suggests they may be thinking of a short-term contract position.

I found it unusual as well, but contract seems odd considering I have no experience. I guess if they just gave me a set of questions and had me record the answers it would be more mindless than Mcdonalds, though.

pretty much.

We have standard forms for witness statements. If I need specific information, I usually ask for it. Maybe this will evolve into a more law clerk type position or this may be for a large project.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: Corporate Thug
yeah, that's a pretty common job at a law firm. Lots of busy firms have intake/witness interview people. Maybe it's a non-profit and they need a screener?

We have screeners but we still have some crazy people seep through.

I had a lady tell me her landlord was shooting asbestos at her through tiny holes in the wall. When I told her we didn't handle landlord/tenant disputes, she spit some food that was stuck in her teeth on to the floor, cursed out loud a few times and stomped out.

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: Farang
I sent out a bunch of unsolicited resumes to law firms and surprisingly got a response. The message was short and vague and I'm trying to get a better idea of what role I would be filling so I can be better prepared when I call the firm tomorrow.

Farang I do have a job for you. Interviewing witnesses. Pls contact me . Thanks Paul.

I'm just trying to get an idea if anyone has worked in a law firm where it was someone's primary job to interview witnesses, and what the work entailed. It sounds like a paralegal's assistant but the informal nature of the e-mail gives me nothing to go on so I'm flying blind when I call tomorrow.

Why law firms? What roles have you been applying into?

I've done both recruiting and worked in legal departments, but never done legal recruiting and my legal experience is technical and only in corporate legal teams, not law firms.

Without knowing anything about that job, I'd have a slight degree of skepticism based on the unprofessional correspondence of that email.

 

[Farang]

For the law firms I sent out the resumes for file clerk positions, since I had a very good understanding of what that role entailed and was able to tailor a good cover letter for it. I did say I was open to other legal opportunities, though, so that gave him the opening for this response.

Anyway yes I was skeptical but really what could the scam be, I'm not going to give him my credit card and the way I found his email address and website suggests it is legit.

edit: plus he has a physical office space downtown, not that that necessarily makes him legitimate but I see little reason to be concerned

 

[Farang]

So the job is basically contract at $15/hr for me to call people to see if they have any information on cases. I didn't even meet him in person and he barely asked any questions about me, other than to dangle a possible $10/hr clerk position in front of me in passing. It smells of scam but I don't see how, anyway I'll just do it and see what trouble it gets me in.

 

[looker001]

Originally posted by: Farang
So the job is basically contract at $15/hr for me to call people to see if they have any information on cases. I didn't even meet him in person and he barely asked any questions about me, other than to dangle a possible $10/hr clerk position in front of me in passing. It smells of scam but I don't see how, anyway I'll just do it and see what trouble it gets me in.

You do the work and don't get paid? Hmm... Also would this in anyway violate the do not call list or are all of this people give this "law firm" permission to call them?

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: looker001

Originally posted by: Farang
So the job is basically contract at $15/hr for me to call people to see if they have any information on cases. I didn't even meet him in person and he barely asked any questions about me, other than to dangle a possible $10/hr clerk position in front of me in passing. It smells of scam but I don't see how, anyway I'll just do it and see what trouble it gets me in.

You do the work and don't get paid? Hmm... Also would this in anyway violate the do not call list or are all of this people give this "law firm" permission to call them?

do not call does not mean you have to get permission to call somebody

 

[Kanalua]

Sounds good...what are your educational history look like? It's a good way to get your foot in the door with a law firm if you plan on going to law school (as long as you perform well, of course).

 

[looker001]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: looker001

Originally posted by: Farang
So the job is basically contract at $15/hr for me to call people to see if they have any information on cases. I didn't even meet him in person and he barely asked any questions about me, other than to dangle a possible $10/hr clerk position in front of me in passing. It smells of scam but I don't see how, anyway I'll just do it and see what trouble it gets me in.

You do the work and don't get paid? Hmm... Also would this in anyway violate the do not call list or are all of this people give this "law firm" permission to call them?

do not call does not mean you have to get permission to call somebody

If fcc consider you to be telemarketer, do not call registry would mean 11k fine... but i got no legal background and only going by what i read on the internet, so could totally be wrong.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: Kanalua
Sounds good...what are your educational history look like? It's a good way to get your foot in the door with a law firm if you plan on going to law school (as long as you perform well, of course).

I got a BA in nothing studies and I last worked at a cheese factory, so yes it is better than nothing. The biggest benefit I see here is that I can put it on a resume but I'm wondering what my title is, I suppose I could ask him after a few days of doing this

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: looker001

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: looker001

Originally posted by: Farang
So the job is basically contract at $15/hr for me to call people to see if they have any information on cases. I didn't even meet him in person and he barely asked any questions about me, other than to dangle a possible $10/hr clerk position in front of me in passing. It smells of scam but I don't see how, anyway I'll just do it and see what trouble it gets me in.

You do the work and don't get paid? Hmm... Also would this in anyway violate the do not call list or are all of this people give this "law firm" permission to call them?

do not call does not mean you have to get permission to call somebody

If fcc consider you to be telemarketer, do not call registry would mean 11k fine... but i got no legal background and only going by what i read on the internet, so could totally be wrong.

No, in this case I am calling associates of the plaintiff to gather information and possibly get them to sign a statement if they have the info he is looking for

 

[mozirry]

I do lots of interviews with people who are in child support/enforecement/paternity etc.. Sometimes we do them in groups so it gets very interesting. I absolutely love it. Interviews probably take up a good amount of our time, 3 days a week, for 4 hours on those days.

Paralegals do everything though, it really depends on the attorney/firm/etc.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: looker001

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: looker001

Originally posted by: Farang
So the job is basically contract at $15/hr for me to call people to see if they have any information on cases. I didn't even meet him in person and he barely asked any questions about me, other than to dangle a possible $10/hr clerk position in front of me in passing. It smells of scam but I don't see how, anyway I'll just do it and see what trouble it gets me in.

You do the work and don't get paid? Hmm... Also would this in anyway violate the do not call list or are all of this people give this "law firm" permission to call them?

do not call does not mean you have to get permission to call somebody

If fcc consider you to be telemarketer, do not call registry would mean 11k fine... but i got no legal background and only going by what i read on the internet, so could totally be wrong.

No, in this case I am calling associates of the plaintiff to gather information and possibly get them to sign a statement if they have the info he is looking for

It sounds like good client contact and money is money.

 

[Farang]

You're right, but he canceled the first job a half hour after sending me it. The time he sent me the cancel e-mail was just before I started, I didn't see it and ended up sending him the report that took me an hour. So things are off to a rocky start 😛 It is kind of interesting though, the reactions I got from people they really ceded the conversation to me and gave me whatever information I asked for.

edit: by ceded I mean they sounded like they were treating me like an authority figure which was amusing

 

[Lounatik]

Originally posted by: Farang
You're right, but he canceled the first job a half hour after sending me it. The time he sent me the cancel e-mail was just before I started, I didn't see it and ended up sending him the report that took me an hour. So things are off to a rocky start 😛 It is kind of interesting though, the reactions I got from people they really ceded the conversation to me and gave me whatever information I asked for.

edit: by ceded I mean they sounded like they were treating me like an authority figure which was amusing

Heh, I know what you mean. My wife is a paralegal and she is amazed at how much info she can squeeze out of people just by talking on the phone. Once people hear the words " Law Firm" they get all loose in the tongue.

Peace

Lounatik