Jai Singh secured an in-house paralegal job through Yegal and has been smashing his career goals for the last few months. We checked in to see what skills and insights he has developed so far.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your academic background.
Hi I’m Jai and I am a final year LLB student at The University of Sydney, with a background in Commerce (Finance). A highlight of my academic experience so far has been completing a semester abroad in Canada in 2017. I enjoy research related topics and applying law to different situations that may be encountered in practice.
Most recently where have you been working and in what capacity? How did you secure this role?
I have recently been working as an In-House Paralegal at Kyocera Document Solutions Australia, reporting to the Head of Legal, Sarah Kim. Sarah and the wider business made me feel most welcome at the outset and this helped ease the transition into the new role. I actually secured this position through the Yegal platform, as Yegal helped facilitate my initial interview with Kyocera and helped me get comfortable in the role as well.
What have you learned from this experience? How does your job impact your approach to your studies?
I have noticed an interplay between legal writing skills taught at university and how they translate into important documents and correspondence that I draft in my role at Kyocera. For example, if I am drafting an email to a particular stakeholder, it is important to succinctly express the law and how it applies to the particular situation at hand. Likewise, the process of thinking about legal issues carefully and methodically at work has helped greatly in relation to analysing legal questions at University. My current role has improved my ability to approach my studies from a more practical and applied perspective, with a greater appreciation for how the content that I am learning at University can translate into the real world.
What skills are you acquiring whilst working in this role? Can you see a use for these skills as your legal career evolves?
Through my current role I have improved upon many invaluable skills, including but not limited to attention to detail, drafting skills, research skills, analysis of legal questions and an ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders. I believe that such skills remain important even as your legal career involves, and enable you to approach a wide variety of tasks confidently.
For someone new to the legal industry, how would you describe the difference between a corporate / in-house paralegal and a law firm paralegal?
With an in-house paralegal role, you acquire skills across a variety of different areas of the law, as you never know what your company might encounter. It is also important to understand your company’s products and service offerings, as this will shape the type of work which you will undertake and the matters you will help the general counsel advise on. Overall you develop a great sense of care for the company that you are a part of and a desire to make a positive contribution to the company’s mission and values.
What is your advice for someone looking to secure a paralegal position at the moment?
My advice for aspiring paralegals is to be authentic in your applications and in interviews. Reflect on your study, work and extra-curricular experiences as this will help you understand and convey to others the value that you can bring to a given role. Overall it is important to be confident in your abilities and have an open-to-learning mindset when applying for paralegal roles. I’d recommend Yegal to any law student as well. The team has been a great help to me!
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