Occasionally, they travel to gather information and perform other duties. They may work alone or with others. Most legal assistant work a standard 40-hour week. Sometimes, they work very long hours and are under pressure to meet deadlines. They usually do not get paid for overtime work, although they may receive compensatory time off.
Paralegals handle many routine assignments.
Some find that these assignments offer little challenge and become frustrated with their duties. On the other hand, many lawyers assign more responsible tasks as the legal assistant gains experience. Furthermore, as new laws and judicial interpretations emerge, paralegals are exposed to many new legal problems that make their work more interesting and challenging. State and local governments and publicly funded legal service projects also employ paralegals. Banks, real estate development companies, insurance companies, accounting firms, management consulting firms, manufacturing firms, and other corporate offices hire paralegals.