Interview with Yanka Laramée, paralegal for two departments bank and real estate
COULD YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH?
Like most paralegals, I have a DEC in paralegal studies. Some have a bachelor’s degree in law, which is quite rare, unless they plan to become lawyers afterwards. I’ve been in the field for 12 years, six and a half of them with Blakes.
WHAT DO YOUR DAILY TASKS INVOLVE?
I’m lucky enough to work for two departments—banking and real estate, so my tasks are quite varied and I learn something every day. I do a lot of searching for information in databases, in the land register, and write reports of up to 100 pages (collateral reports, reports on the examination of title deeds, etc.)
WHAT MAIN APTITUDES DO PARALEGALS NEED TO DO A GOOD JOB?
You have to be particularly resistant to stress, because the deadlines are always tight. You should also be good at browsing the Internet, more specifically databases on legal and other sites, and be able to understand, analyze and interpret the results of your searches.