A day in the life of an in-house paralegal

Prior to my current in-house role, I worked at a private law practice in the corporate and commercial department; it is here that my enthusiasm for commercial law really came to the forefront and I knew my next role would follow suit. The benefit of gaining in-house experience is undoubtedly the ability to see the long-term commercial effects for the business from your work.

The areas my legal team covers include commercial and employment law. Reviewing/negotiating contracts and creating bundles are a huge part of the tasks I carry out. As a paralegal, I am required to conduct a range of tasks, from legal to administrative, and therefore each day looks different in my diary, which has been another great benefit to working in-house.

I began working in-house during the pandemic so, as you can imagine, my working days will probably look very different when we can return to the office. Like others, I have found it difficult to log off at the end of the day; without that commute to think of, it becomes very tempting to tick just one more task off your list!

So, what does a typical day look like?

Getting started

A typical day often includes a variety of tasks. However, whenever I first log on, I always plan the day ahead. This involves looking over any ongoing tasks I need to follow up on or determining whether a deadline is approaching – before I do anything, I will set these tasks out in my diary.

Second, I will check to see whether I have any new items in my inbox, for example whether there is anything urgent I need to attend to or I have received replies from ongoing matters. A key part of my role is liaising with different departments across the business, including the finance, compliance, marketing and contracts teams. This entails scheduling in calls to discuss the implications of certain terms and agreeing on a response to the business on the other side. This is always really interesting as I have to consider the commercial purpose of the contract and problem solve to piece together the advice from each department combined with my own legal opinion.

Taking breaks to reset

At lunchtime, I always endeavour to schedule time to go for a walk. During the lockdown period it has become very easy to keep working and not take time for a break. However, making an effort to put aside time for lunch has become really important to clear my head and enables me to come back to work with a refreshed mind. When reviewing multiple contracts during the day, my head can become quite foggy! So, taking that time away helps to reset my focus.

The rest of the day

Throughout the day I manage our workflow spreadsheet, keeping track of all enquiries that come into the team inbox and logging when they are assigned. Maintaining communication with the other teams is important as each contract has a process by which it will be passed through different areas of the business and so we need to track when it comes through to us and when we submit our review. Alongside this, I may have a court bundle to prepare for a hearing; these have switched to digital versions due to the pandemic.

The key is to manage your time, but also manage expectations as bundles take a while to produce. I try and start work on them early on but do little bits in between so I don’t end up spending hours staring at the same email chains/letters, which can get confusing when piecing evidence together.

Meetings

In the afternoon I attend a bi-weekly team meeting to discuss interesting issues that we have encountered in our matters. We look at a lot of the same type of contracts for the business so it is important for us to share different issues that come up so we can learn how to respond in future. Some issues can be quite complex, so hearing about the process from another team member’s perspective can be invaluable at saving time if you come across a similar issue. I also have calls with the head of our legal team to obtain contract approval highlighting onerous clauses and ask for advice; being so collaborative with senior lawyers is invaluable in helping you to consistently develop your commercial approach.

I also often organise further calls that can sometimes require a negotiation with clients or suppliers that we contract with. I have to negotiate with the business in mind, while also maintaining a strong rapport with the clients that we have long-standing contractual relationships with. Therefore, it is crucial that I push for a commercially favourable approach to our agreement but listen to the view of the client. This is always an exciting opportunity as we work with large well-known companies, so I am able to gain a great insight into how they operate as a business. An opportunity to learn is always up for grabs working in-house as every business comes with their non-negotiables and different reasons for these, which has really developed my commercial awareness about the varying structure and personality of each company.

End of the day

As I conclude the work that I can for the day, I make a list of priorities that I need to complete the next day or note down the names of people I am waiting to hear back from. Deadlines occur on a rolling basis, so it is important for me to continuously follow up on the progress of each matter. As an in-house paralegal I have absorbed so much knowledge about the processes of a business and after negotiating a contract it is so rewarding to see it in place within the company; to feel your work contributing to the businesses development is hugely gratifying – an invaluable experience that has really elevated my legal career so far.