At the Paris office, paralegals have little to no interaction with attorneys and partners. Instead, all work is delegated by a mid-level manager with no legal experience. Those wishing to get an understanding of international arbitration or to be involved in research on international legal issues will be sorely disappointed at Curtis. Though Curtis recruits from top-tier universities, paralegals are rarely asked to do more than make copies, fill binders, and type for luddite attorneys.
Paralegals are required to work staggering hours during filings and hearings--regularly between 60 and 90 hours per week. During these periods, paralegals are required to ask for permission to leave the building at any time during the day. Paralegals cannot leave the office to go home before they receive an email authorizing them to do so. Often, such permission was only granted well past midnight.
These long hours lead to a caustic work environment with stressed coworkers. It is not unknown for managers to yell, cry, or threaten bad letters of recommendation in times of stress. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Paris office has a hard time keeping paralegals and over half of the paralegals in the past few years have quit this position.
