So, you have now graduated your L.LB, and currently either awaiting for your CLP intake, or otherwise intended. Anyhow, "paralegal" might be one of your thoughts at the corner of your brain. Maybe to work full time as a paralegal in a firm while doing your CLP part time, OR to permanently work as a "paralegal" in a firm. Either or, the following personal experience could be an insight for your decision making.
Disclaimer : the following story/article is for educational purposes only. Any similarity to names or events representing the living or death is purely coincidental.
General
First of all, stop thinking that "paralegal" position means something higher than a clerk. In this country, paralegal is an educated clerk. You often get laid because they need another clerk (probably a more educated clerk, at least you know and understand some legal terms like "Power of Attorney" or "Assignment" and they don't have to explain one by one to you which was deemed as a waste of time).
Your Salary?? They still gonna give you a normal uneducated clerk's salary. Rationale: you have no prior experience working in a firm. If you think you wanna be a paralegal just because you gonna get a better pay, please change your channel. Being a paralegal in a firm is just like being the soldier (兵) in a chess, especially when you are the rookie in a firm. Everybody is more experience than you, everybody is wayyy higher than you in position (because they have experience and you don't) and you will be just there, being the helpful hand and leg for others in a firm.
Fret not theyself, looking at the bright side, you surely and definitely will learn tons of loads of experience that you are looking for. And if you are working in a litigation firm, congrats, your experience is way more than the normal conveyancing firm and its gonna help you a lot in your CLP (if you are intended to get one).
Experience
Since my firm is a conveyancing firm, and we have quite a number of housing development projects, the experience i get is totally what of expected. The steps and regulation are not the only things that you should be focusing on, you should learn what to disclose and what not to, when to do and when not to and all the other things that rhyme with it.
Conveyancing is all about standard forms and cover letters, the requirements for each banks, the procedure to get the approval from the Land Office and which party to forward those documents to. Once you get the hang of the procedure and steps, everything will start to make sense and you will know what you should do. Note : always try to get a bigger picture of the entire process, not just focusing on that one particular stage.
For example, I started off by learning Perfection of Transfer and Charge, which means, once the Developer issued the individual/ strata title for a land under a housing project, we, the lawyer firm, are suppose to complete the transfer of Purchasers' name into the individual/strata title in lieu of the Developer's name. Since we have given our undertaking to the respective parties to do so, it would constitute a breach of trust if we refuse to proceed (unless the Purchasers themselves ignore/refuse to proceed).
Organizing
Totally understandable that everyone in the office has their way of doing things, which sometimes contradicts your way of doing things. No matter what, hold on to your way, because if they were to question you something on a file which you used to handle, you know what you were doing, and you know where and how to get the answer. Every brain works in a different way. Since you are handling your file, make your own checklist, make your own file status, make your own label and notes. Do your things!
Please do not fully trust your office boy/runner. If you received a call/fax requiring you to send over your boy for document collection, make sure you have jotted down somewhere in your PC/notes so that you track whether you have received the said documents. If you forgot, and your boy forgot, hail hydra! you gonna get the scolding.
The same thing applies in sending documents either to your client or to a company, make sure you get the acknowledgement letter back safely and file it immediately. Keeping the acknowledgement letter in your tray and expecting yourself to do it later that week (when you are less busy), hahahhahaha.... please don't trust yourself, the moment you have the extra time, its gonna always be the FB time.
Have your own bible
No, I am not talking about the typical christian bible. I'm talking about your "paralegal" bible. The one that's going to save your back.
No matter how young you are or how much you think you have a good memory, please have your own bible. Jot down the process and steps for each of the work. Banks, especially, have their own way of processing the documents. Having a bible, and recording down the requirements for each and every bank is definitely going to save your day and hustles. Owh! don't forget the Person In Charge and their direct lines too. Thank me later!
Tips (Your favorite part)
1. If you encounter a fussy clients, or RED FLAG clients, calling and scolding you about something that you don't even know about. Ask them who did they liaise with previously (most probably they won't remember, because if they do, they won't scold you), get their contact number, name and our file reference/ property address, and inform them that the PIC will contact them back in short while. The best is to drop us an email with regards to the issue and we will revert back to them in due course.
2. Personally, I do chronology for every file I handle, because some clients, they want to know the date you send out the documents, and the date you receive the documents. Having your dates right is certainly a big help. At least you have a chance to let them know that you are not the cause for the delays. Thus, update your chronology everytime! Preferably right after you do something with the file.
3. If you were to leave a file half way done to the next day, remember to make a small note and staple on top of the file. That case, you don't have to crack your mind, recalling back what stage you are in for that file.
4. If your client calls to make an appointment for documents execution, push the appointment to one week later from the date you receive the client's call. That way, first, you don't have to rush and you can allocate some time to finish off the urgent files, and then proceed to prepare for the documents. I often prepare it in a soft copy and will only print out the same a day before the appointment (haiya, save paper la! Because some client syok syok say wanna come to sign, but suddenly will say no money to proceed, sia sia saja print out all the documents).
Conclusion
Okay la, I think that's all la for this post. No closing paragraph, I'm tired.
Disclaimer : the following story/article is for educational purposes only. Any similarity to names or events representing the living or death is purely coincidental.
General
First of all, stop thinking that "paralegal" position means something higher than a clerk. In this country, paralegal is an educated clerk. You often get laid because they need another clerk (probably a more educated clerk, at least you know and understand some legal terms like "Power of Attorney" or "Assignment" and they don't have to explain one by one to you which was deemed as a waste of time).
Your Salary?? They still gonna give you a normal uneducated clerk's salary. Rationale: you have no prior experience working in a firm. If you think you wanna be a paralegal just because you gonna get a better pay, please change your channel. Being a paralegal in a firm is just like being the soldier (兵) in a chess, especially when you are the rookie in a firm. Everybody is more experience than you, everybody is wayyy higher than you in position (because they have experience and you don't) and you will be just there, being the helpful hand and leg for others in a firm.
Fret not theyself, looking at the bright side, you surely and definitely will learn tons of loads of experience that you are looking for. And if you are working in a litigation firm, congrats, your experience is way more than the normal conveyancing firm and its gonna help you a lot in your CLP (if you are intended to get one).
Experience
Since my firm is a conveyancing firm, and we have quite a number of housing development projects, the experience i get is totally what of expected. The steps and regulation are not the only things that you should be focusing on, you should learn what to disclose and what not to, when to do and when not to and all the other things that rhyme with it.
Conveyancing is all about standard forms and cover letters, the requirements for each banks, the procedure to get the approval from the Land Office and which party to forward those documents to. Once you get the hang of the procedure and steps, everything will start to make sense and you will know what you should do. Note : always try to get a bigger picture of the entire process, not just focusing on that one particular stage.
For example, I started off by learning Perfection of Transfer and Charge, which means, once the Developer issued the individual/ strata title for a land under a housing project, we, the lawyer firm, are suppose to complete the transfer of Purchasers' name into the individual/strata title in lieu of the Developer's name. Since we have given our undertaking to the respective parties to do so, it would constitute a breach of trust if we refuse to proceed (unless the Purchasers themselves ignore/refuse to proceed).
Organizing
Totally understandable that everyone in the office has their way of doing things, which sometimes contradicts your way of doing things. No matter what, hold on to your way, because if they were to question you something on a file which you used to handle, you know what you were doing, and you know where and how to get the answer. Every brain works in a different way. Since you are handling your file, make your own checklist, make your own file status, make your own label and notes. Do your things!
Please do not fully trust your office boy/runner. If you received a call/fax requiring you to send over your boy for document collection, make sure you have jotted down somewhere in your PC/notes so that you track whether you have received the said documents. If you forgot, and your boy forgot, hail hydra! you gonna get the scolding.
The same thing applies in sending documents either to your client or to a company, make sure you get the acknowledgement letter back safely and file it immediately. Keeping the acknowledgement letter in your tray and expecting yourself to do it later that week (when you are less busy), hahahhahaha.... please don't trust yourself, the moment you have the extra time, its gonna always be the FB time.
Have your own bible
No, I am not talking about the typical christian bible. I'm talking about your "paralegal" bible. The one that's going to save your back.
No matter how young you are or how much you think you have a good memory, please have your own bible. Jot down the process and steps for each of the work. Banks, especially, have their own way of processing the documents. Having a bible, and recording down the requirements for each and every bank is definitely going to save your day and hustles. Owh! don't forget the Person In Charge and their direct lines too. Thank me later!
Tips (Your favorite part)
1. If you encounter a fussy clients, or RED FLAG clients, calling and scolding you about something that you don't even know about. Ask them who did they liaise with previously (most probably they won't remember, because if they do, they won't scold you), get their contact number, name and our file reference/ property address, and inform them that the PIC will contact them back in short while. The best is to drop us an email with regards to the issue and we will revert back to them in due course.
2. Personally, I do chronology for every file I handle, because some clients, they want to know the date you send out the documents, and the date you receive the documents. Having your dates right is certainly a big help. At least you have a chance to let them know that you are not the cause for the delays. Thus, update your chronology everytime! Preferably right after you do something with the file.
3. If you were to leave a file half way done to the next day, remember to make a small note and staple on top of the file. That case, you don't have to crack your mind, recalling back what stage you are in for that file.
4. If your client calls to make an appointment for documents execution, push the appointment to one week later from the date you receive the client's call. That way, first, you don't have to rush and you can allocate some time to finish off the urgent files, and then proceed to prepare for the documents. I often prepare it in a soft copy and will only print out the same a day before the appointment (haiya, save paper la! Because some client syok syok say wanna come to sign, but suddenly will say no money to proceed, sia sia saja print out all the documents).
Conclusion
Okay la, I think that's all la for this post. No closing paragraph, I'm tired.
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