Name: Sara
Career: Project Assistant
Company Field: Corporate Law
Located In: San Francisco, California
Grew Up In: Chevy Chase, MD
Graduated From: Cornell University
Majored In: Spanish
Graduated In: 2011

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After College Lifestyles

 

Project Assistant San Francisco Bay Area Cornell University

Sara is a Corporate Law Project Assistant in San Francisco, California. She describes her job as "an assistant to paralegals, but with pro-bono work basically akin to a contracted professional." Sara actually majored in Spanish in college. Learn how she ended up in Corporate Law.

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Life of a College Grad Corporate Law Project Assistant

My job entails mainly reviewing documents and performing discovery to pull various documents so as to prepare adequately for trial. I work with the litigation department and assist paralegals and attorneys as needed. I also participate in a great deal of pro-bono work, involving mainly interpretation and translation from Spanish to English and vice versa for clients/attorneys.

How To Get Into The Field

Here's a short web proving that all things work out in the end. I studied Spanish and Latin American Studies in college. That led me to pursue a masters in Latin America post-college through a Rotary grant. I soon decided the masters was not for me and moved back to the US. I worked as a Spanish tutor while returning to passion for non-profit work, ultimately landing a job as an AmeriCorps VISTA in a bilingual environment in California at a non-profit. The community I served was Latino immigrants, which got me interested in immigration law. Now I work at a lawfirm while I explore this career path. School prepared me to divulge into my passions and trust that they will guide me in the right direction. So far, this has been true.

What Do You Really Do?

I do a great deal of cross-checking, reading, researching, and translating/interpreting. I would say I am an assistant to paralegals, but with pro-bono work I am basically akin to a contracted professional. This makes for an interesting experience and differing levels of autonomy.

Pros/Cons of Your Job

I love the variety and ability to learn about intellectually stimulating work. However, without an advanced degree, I must answer to others for most tasks and cannot spearhead a project myself.

Life in the Bay Area Across the Golden Gate Bridge

The Life of a College Grad In San Francisco, California

What's it Like to Live Here?

I absolutely love living in California. Now that I live here, I can't imagine living anywhere else. San Francisco houses a lot of eclectic eateries - a foodie's dream. There are so many spots to explore. Bay Area is a great place for outdoor activities (pretty awesome when you think of all of the technology that is developed here). I think this is a great place to live for college grads. The stereotypes of people being hippies and laid back is true, but I enjoy that. People are super liberal and pretty into sustainability for the most part. I dig it.

By the way, this image is from a famous stretch of street art in the Mission District.

How Did I End Up Here?

I decided to move to the West Coast in part for a job but mainly because it has always been a dream of mine. Sometimes you have to jump! I had culture shock because people's sense of humor is definitely different and the pace of life is different, too. But now, I love it!

My Set-Up

My current living situation is a shared apartment with Craigslist roommates. I live with two dudes, and it's pretty good. I chose to live somewhere beautiful, and accessible to things I want to do--run, eat, play.

Closing Advice

My piece of advice is to stop worrying about knowing all the answers. Enjoy what you study, follow your passions and the rest will fall into place. You cannot do any one thing and permanently "ruin" your life, so do what scares you, but also keeps you awake-smiling-your-brains- out at night. You won't regret it.

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