Customer Reviews

Behind the Bar: Inside the Paralegal Profession

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A real world "no-holds-barred" look at the paralegal profession. Working for an attorney and/or a law firm is a unque experience in itself and the author has drawn on her life experiences and captured the humor, the drama, the rewards and the disappointments of being a paralegal. Anyone considering becoming a paralegal, or for those who are just beginning in the profession this book contains a wealth of practical knowledge and pointers not to mention a preview of what to expect in the world "behind the bar" as a legal assistant. A recommended read to ALL paralegals or those who want to be!

From a male perspective, and a paralegal student, this book was groundbreaking. I read the reviews and they were great (except for the one "mostly dissapointed". They obviously didn't "get" the book--the whole purpose was to show that being a paralegal is NOT mediocre! Would you want your doctor, accountant or lawyer to "just do the job well enough?" and to just "get by with getting the work done" instead of done WELL? I don't think so! (I only hope that person NEVER becomes a paralegal.) Anyway, I felt this book was just what the cover said...a good mix of information on education, what it takes to be a paralegal, but it went even further to show REALLY what it takes--diligence, STELLAR work ethic (not just mediocre), interpersonal skills, education, and work experience. I feel much more ready for this career after reading this book. Our noble profession (the law) should ALWAYS be upheld by the standards set forth in this book. I too, agree that this should be recommended or required reading in paralegal classes. Everyone can learn from it and take the bits and pieces of it into their own careers and lives--and be better for it. Maybe some thought it was too heavy on personal experience, but that's precisely what makes this book NOT textbook-y. If you really truly want to know what it's like, don't read Litigation or Real Estate for Paralegals, read this book.

This great book has become recommended reading in several college paralegal programs. Those entering the paralegal studies programs can really get a true-life rendering of the real world career of a paralegal. An interesting and informative read!!!

This book should be required reading for all considering the paralegal profession, and even those (like myself) who have been a paralegal for some time. Astl writes anecdotally, the book reads like a novel, with great quick tips and productivity improvement suggestions. She even gets somewhat psychological and offers some pairings of different personality types with areas of law that I found to be intriguing. I work in PI, and I really would like to be in a different area of law, and the book has given me some really valid ideas to consider. Paralegal programs should have this book as required reading - Astl is obviously a veteran with a lot to offer those of us in the profession. BTW, I know the author, she is the wife of an attorney who shares space with the attorney I work for. She did NOT ask me to write this.

An easy read. I'm currently in the final semester of a paralegal program, and this book gave quite a bit of insight as to attorneys, co-workers, and what to expect, as I have not yet worked for an attorney. The music law explanation was pretty interesting, but I think I want to go to a large law firm. I agree, this should be required reading for paralegal programs, maybe in the intro classes. Recommended.

I've been a paralegal in a busy Midtown Manhattan firm for the past 4 years. The advise given in this book is phenomenal. It's good to know that the trials and tribulations that come with work in the legal field, are somewhat universal. It definitely helped my career, the insight, and humor make this an extremely quick read, and enjoyable also. For me the greatest benefit is knowing what it takes to do the job well, and provide the lawyers you support with the stuff they want, before they even know they want it. This book and "Plain English for Lawyers," have been invaluable. I didn't take a CLA course, and came into the field through the standard trial by fire. The only thing I'd add to this is using new technology (crackberry, msoffice, etc...) to help produce the best work product possible. Everyone becomes familiar with MS Word, and Excel, through high school and college, but, in the professional world of legal document production, the more you know about these two programs, the better you look to everyone. Get some "Dummies" books on those programs, learn the specifics of the law you support (litigation, civil rights, real estate, etc....) and you're rocket to the top of your career. Office politics are a definite part of the game, but, shouldn't deter you from being successful. My rule of thumb is: The better you are at your job, the less prone to the whims of office gossip/politics. Become an expert and you're an asset. Oh, and you can make A LOT of money. Lol... Most paralegals earn high salaries and still earn overtime pay. Sometimes I've had to stay in the office overnight, so, depending on your pay, and cost of living, the extra money definitely comes in handy.


Hannibal, future Esquire.

Published in 2004, Behind the Bar proved a relevant read to me as a student of the Paralegal Program in 2009. This narrative writing had engaging anecdotes, career enhancing tips and reality checks, all told in entertaining language. It was an easy read, and I completed the book within 6 hours of a single day. Behind the Bar's author Catherine Ash offered an inside, personal, and often vulnerable look, into the (unknown to me) industry of the law and law firms. It was a view that mirrored my expectations with some key insights, tips, and observations that offered what I like to think of as `reality checks' to the otherwise glorious impression offered by television.
My opinions, reasons, and plans to enter the paralegal career was not in anyway changed or influenced by this book. In some case, it might have been reinforced, encouraged, and made more specific. For example, Ms. Ash pointed out the arena for paralegal work is vast enough to accommodate looking for a job that matched my personality and work style, instead of just a paycheck.
"Being a legal assistant is a wonderful career, but it can sometimes be extremely stressful, with a sky-scraping workload, vast and immense responsibilities, and, in working for some attorneys and people, dealing with mammoth egos and thorny personalities" (pg 88). This is a solid, realistic, honest and insightful summary of the career, and frankly, I love her use of imagery to get her point across so effectively
Behind the Bar is an easy, enlightening and entertaining read; however, I think it has a very definitive audience - those in the industry, and those considering the industry. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who fits that audience.

Ugh. I couldn't finish this book. I got tired of the sanctimonious self-aggrandizing while putting down everyone else. It's amazing the rest of the world can continue to function without Ms. Astl at the helm! I bought this based on the description, because I was considering pursuing a paralegal tack in my career. I am now pursuing my certificate, in spite of my partial read of this book. I was expecting more "what working as a paralegal is like" and less "every job I took I turned trash in to gold".

Props to Ms. Astl on even the first 5 pages of her book. The humor definitely helps all of us in the legal field trying to make it. May she continue to help many others find their ways!

This book was not for me. As a nonconformist, I was trying to find out what it's really like to work as a paralegal- are my coworkers likely to be line-toeing rule-followers like the coworkers I have to deal with in retail? That sort of thing. Instead, I actually found the author slightly insulting. She described herself as a perfectionist and "an admittedly uptight Type A" and she seemed to kind of have a grudge against laid-back, less organized people who are more interested in just getting the job well enough done than in doing everything perfectly. There were some useful bits, for example, the bit about gossip and how the legal community is close-knit and it takes time to live down a reputation of any sort if you acquire one, even if you change firms. But in general I felt less like I was getting some kind of inside look, and more like the book was her personal complaining session about coworkers, clients, and bosses whose perspective and approach to life differed from her own.

The book relies too heavily on personal experience to be any kind of catch-all guide. Basically she is just telling the story of her and her husband's legal careers. Her experience is varied but fairly limited, since, after all, she is only one person.

In addition, there are grammatical mistakes, which seems kind of inappropriate considering that she claims to be a pefectionist and mentions that her career goal was to be a writer rather than a paralegal. My legal professors also make grammatical mistakes, so perhaps this is more acceptable in the legal world than in the academia I came to legal studies from.

The part about personality types and career matching was not great. It was based on Type A and Type B, which is a pretty limited division of personality types, and the additional recommendations were based on things like the liberal/conservative divide or working with a type of firm that reflects things you care about or are interested in. All of it it would be fairly obvious to anyone who would invest an hour or two to research the varieties of law practice that exist and learn the difference between Type A and Type B personalities. Other personality type categorizations are much more accurate and efficient than the AB division anyway. I bought the book partly based on this section, so I was disappointed to find it lacking.

I can't really recommend this book, but if you're the kind of person who refers to your personal identity in terms of how you were raised or brought up, and who believes in a work ethic for its own sake rather than for the sake of something else you believe in or for what you gain from it, then you might appreciate it more than I did.