I grew up understanding that money, business, and responsibility come with weight. A lot of weight. My parents built everything they had from nothing. They worked every day, made sacrifices, and carried a kind of pressure that most people don’t see. It wasn’t glamorous; it was constant.
When you grow up around business owners, you see both sides of success. You see the reward, but you also see the risk. You learn that the more you build, the more people want something from you. Some want to take advantage. Some want to test how far they can go. And some, when they get desperate, turn cruel.
I thank God that I’ve never personally been dragged into anything dangerous or truly life-altering. But I’ve watched enough to know how quickly things can fall apart… and how one dishonest deal, one bad lawsuit, one greedy person can break something your family spent decades building.
That reality shaped how I see the legal profession.
The Weight That Comes With Trust
People talk about law like it’s a system. To me, it’s a shield. A good legal professional doesn’t just file paperwork or show up in court; they stand between someone’s hard work and the world that could destroy it.
I’ve seen the stress, the cost, and the emotional toll that come when families are forced to defend what they earned. It’s not just money on the line, it’s identity, dignity, and peace of mind.
That’s why I see law as a protective profession, not just a technical one. It’s highly skilled, highly personal, and it carries a moral duty. When someone hands over their trust — their contracts, their property, their rights — you owe them your best. You owe them honesty, care, and clarity.
The Human Side of Law
Most people think legal work is about rules, but it’s really about people. Behind every case file is someone who’s scared, frustrated, or fighting for something that matters. And behind every professional handling that case is someone trying to stay composed while carrying the weight of that responsibility.
The stress, the long hours, the difficult clients — they’re all part of it. But so is purpose. There’s a quiet sense of meaning that comes from knowing your work helps protect someone’s safety, business, or family.
That’s what keeps me grounded. That’s what keeps me passionate.
Why This Profession Deserves Respect
Sometimes I hear people treat legal support work like it’s a side role, something small. But it isn’t. This profession runs on precision, communication, and ethics. It takes intelligence, empathy, and resilience to do it right.
It’s not about power — it’s about protection. It’s about creating order where chaos wants to creep in. It’s about standing between people and their pain, between justice and whatever tries to undo it.
For me, it’s personal because I’ve seen what happens when protection fails. I’ve seen families suffer because someone didn’t care enough, didn’t pay attention, or didn’t follow through. That’s why I take this work seriously. That’s why I believe integrity isn’t optional — it’s the whole job.
Gratitude and Purpose
Every time I help prepare a case or guide a client through a process, I think about all the unseen families out there — the business owners, the workers, the parents — who just want to feel safe in what they’ve built.
I don’t do this work for prestige. I do it because it means something. It gives me peace to know that the skills I’ve built can protect someone else from losing theirs.
This isn’t just a job to me. It’s part of my identity, shaped by everything I’ve watched and lived. I’m grateful that I found a way to turn what once caused me stress and fear into something meaningful — something that lets me stand for protection, fairness, and truth.
Written by Dorrina Shajari, California Registered Legal Document Assistant and founder of Opsequium Legal Support Solutions. She writes about ethics, civility, and the human side of legal work.
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. I provide legal support and document preparation services under California Business and Professions Code §6400 et seq. This writing is for general discussion and educational purposes only.