Bessie Sorge: Finding her passion as a freelance paralegal 

Growing up in South Florida, Bessie Sorge began working in the legal profession at 19 when she took her first job at a solo practitioner’s office. She worked in nearly every area of law. 

After two years, wanderlust took her across the country to Los Angeles, where she discovered a passion for family law. 

“I began working at the Law Offices of Rosaline L. Zukerman in Beverly Hills,” she says. “With her encouragement, I enrolled in the paralegal studies program at West Los Angeles College and received my associate degree.”

From California, she moved back to the East Coast and settled in North Carolina, where she honed her skills as a professional paralegal at Myers Law Firm in Charlotte. 

In July 2022, Sorge decided to go out on her own and launched her own paralegal business, BLS Litigation Support Services. 

“As a freelance paralegal, I work on a variety of full-service projects,” she says. “My company also provides temporary in-office coverage as needed by various law firms.” 

She employs three independent contractors and has started training recent North Carolina paralegal graduates on the procedural aspects of family law. She typically works on more than 125 family law cases with 12 attorneys. 

“The most rewarding part of being a freelance paralegal is the ability to provide my services to many professionals in our community,” she says. 

1. Q. What attracted you to the paralegal profession?
   My grandmother was one of my biggest role models. She was an insurance defense paralegal. She inspired me every day with her hard work and dedication to her job. Her passion for the law taught me that with hard work I can achieve my goals. I like to say I got my passion for the law from her.
2. Q. What is a skill set paralegals must possess that others outside the profession may be surprised to know?
   I think people from the outside may be surprised to know how many hats paralegals wear each day. Not only do paralegals prepare most of the paperwork that gets filed with the court, but we also are the main point of contact on every case. Paralegals are the primary liaison between the attorney and client, the attorney and the opposing counsel, and the attorney and the courthouse staff. A good paralegal will be able to wear each hat — sometimes multiple hats at once — and know how to maneuver through fires that often pop up in the office. Don’t forget to keep that fire extinguisher nearby.
3. Q. Finish this sentence: My workday is great when …
   I can get through most of my to-do list.
4. Q. When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
   Growing up, I was always obsessed with the stars, the planets and the mystery of how everything was floating up in the sky. From kindergarten through middle school, I wanted to be an astronaut. Every weekend, I would lie on top of my mom’s truck and try to locate all the constellations. I can still spot many of them to this day.
5. Q. What is your ultimate bucket list goal and why?
   I would love to be a traveling paralegal, and I want to backpack through Europe one day.