Interview with Sandra Beauregard, corporate paralegal
WHY DID YOU GO INTO CORPORATE LAW?
I have a DEC in paralegal studies. Corporate law was not an area I was attracted to, maybe because the courses were too theoretical. I was more interested in criminal law, for example. During my last semester, I did an internship in corporate law and was absolutely fascinated. Why? Because in the field, corporate law is very hands-on. In addition, I was lucky enough to have an internship supervisor who was a very good lawyer, patient and from whom I learned a lot.
WHAT DOES A PARALEGAL IN CORPORATE LAW DO?
We take care of the operations of companies and trusts. What’s interesting, compared to civil law, is that we handle the entire file, from the founding of a company to its end and everything in between including updating addresses, shareholders and administrators. I work as a team with a tax lawyer; after he drafts a tax memo, for instance, I’ll prepare the resolutions and transactions and complete the various documents and forms.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR CAREER PATH?
Over time, I am acquiring more independence. I have more complex files to work on and I now attend client meetings with the lawyer, in which I participate and query the client. It’s really interesting. In the evenings, I work on my bachelor’s degree in law because I’d like to eventually pass the Bar exam and become a lawyer. Another option is to specialize in another field. If it’s towards real estate or banking, I won’t need to take more courses, but towards civil law I would like to have an internship or refresher course.