"Biglaw" in name only - Avis employé Paralegal Reed Smith

Reed Smith makes very little use of it's support staff and i don't know why they hire so many people to just sit around. Reed Smith has layoffs that make headlines every 4-5 years. Paralegals are not really given any opportunity to prove themselves valuable to the firm and are thus disposable. Their roles are mostly administrative/secretarial unless there's a last minute crunch and there's not a junior associate available (the firm's rampant abuse of billing clients at associate rates for so many things a paralegal can do is another story). With the lack of any real responsibilities usually comes low pay and the salaries at Reed Smith reflect that as they are below market and not in line with what many of the other big law firms pay. The "raises" are also minuscule. Management's view on the role of legal assistants is stuck in the 20th Century because they are very old. If you want a cushy, stress-free job for a few years until the next round of layoffs hits, this is the place for you. Conversely, if you're interested in furthering your career and doing any sort of substantive legal work as a paralegal RUN from this place and look elsewhere.