I started my career, like many college graduates with an interest in law, as a paralegal. With few personal connections to firms in my college town of Boston and the threat of student loan repayments beginning to loom, I started looking for legal support work on Craigslist. A few emails later, I’d secured a couple of job interviews, and a couple weeks later, I started a full-time job as a paralegal in a firm handling Social Security disability casework.
Craigslist’s legal postings for both attorneys and legal support staff look a little different these days—and a little less likely to favor full-time employment. The website’s legal “gig” section has ballooned, as firms are increasingly likely to advertise for contract-to-hire, temporary, or part-time positions and staffing agencies look to place contract attorneys and legal support staff on specific projects.
