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Paralegal Career Research Paper

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Prior to returning to college, I worked as a paralegal in various areas of law. The majority of my paralegal career was focused on family and criminal law. My views have changed and evolved over time in how I see individuals that get caught in the legal system. The longer I worked in the field the more I saw how punishing people for issues in their lives, that they had no more control over than their eye color, is cruel and unproductive. Eventually, the unproductive legal circle became exhausting and I found myself burnt out, but I still wanted to help the clients I worked with. Consequently, when I considered going back to school, I knew that I wanted to make changes in how our legal system works, especially with juveniles. I believe there is a gap in how clinical therapists and the courts view the best interest of a child. The therapeutic view and the legal description of “best interest of a child” are often very different and often that interest seems to not be served in legal proceedings. I would like to help bridge that gap with my previous legal field experience and as a social worker, because I do understand both views of the best interests of a child. I also want to serve my community by advocating for social justice issues that help strengthen and educate the members of our community about prevention and rehabilitation with regard to mental illness, self-medicating and …show more content…
While I am excited to obtain my BSW, it is not my ending goal, I fully intend to continue on with a MSW and maybe further. If I could I would volunteer and dedicate my time to helping others. Unfortunately, I am not in a financial position to do this, but I am devoted to volunteering my time and expertise to help others as much as I can when I finish school and begin working in the

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