Overworked and Underpaid: The Plight of One Hapless Paralegal

Shafik Bhalloo; Kathleen Burke

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Overworked and Underpaid: The Plight of One Hapless Paralegal

Shafik Bhalloo

Kornfeld LLP, Vancouver and Simon Fraser University, Canada

Kathleen Burke

Simon Fraser University, Canada

Volume 13: 2016 pp. 403-406: ABSTRACT

Tracy has a new job, a stable paycheque, and a new lease on life in a very tight job market. As a new paralegal, just six months into her position at a law firm supporting two very busy personal injury lawyers, Tracy’s workload and pace demands that she regularly works after hours. Her overtime, however, does not show up on her paycheque. She knows other firms pay their employees for overtime, but in her law firm, overtime is expected and unpaid. The Employment Standards Act requires employees to be compensated for overtime hours, but making a formal complaint would notify Tracy’s employer of her complaint and may expose her to retaliatory action. Tracy wants to be fairly compensated for her work, but there may be hidden costs to exposing her firm’s practices.