Temp-to-hire offer, worth it? (update)

I got a contract offer for 7 months as a paralegal and I am unsure whether to accept. This is my first time dealing with any of this. The contract could extend. How did you handle benefits?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 6 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

I took a contract and it converted after four months. The time also kept my skills current.