A paralegal is a legal professional who does preparatory work for cases, such as researching laws, drafting legal documents, and helping lawyers prepare for court proceedings. You can bill clients for services provided in the same way as lawyers. Good interpersonal communication skills are a must, as you spend a lot of time greeting customers and answering the phone. They also work with other legal secretaries and paralegals, so you need to value teamwork and collaboration. While lawyers typically spend three years of full-time study at law school (after earning a four-year bachelor`s degree), a legal assistant may only need a partner`s degree. Of course, the specific duties of a job in this field depend on a variety of factors, including your level of education, experience, and area of expertise. For example, a paralegal who specializes in corporate law may have a very different job description than a paralegal specializing in criminal law. Candidates who wish to become paralegals do not need to be certified to get a job, although many potential employers prefer it. Therefore, there are a number of schools and institutions that offer certification through their law courses, but no certification criteria are established. Overall, paralegals and paralegals have many similarities in job responsibilities and day-to-day tasks. However, legal paralegals may need more training and experience. If Paralegal sounds like an interesting job, check out our step-by-step guide on how to become a paralegal. Before we discuss the education, skills, and abilities you need to be a legal assistant, let`s review what is expected of a legal assistant as part of their job.
In addition to proper formal training, paralegals must possess certain technical skills to succeed in this industry. Some of the key technical skills you should have are: Your state bar association likely offers a legal assistant certification. It is not always necessary for students to obtain certification to get a job, but some employers look for certified paralegals (CLOs) when analyzing candidates. For this reason, it can be useful. To write the exam, you must successfully complete a paralegal training program. For specific requirements, you can contact your state bar association. You may already have some of these skills. For example, you could be an excellent writer. If so, it will only help you pursue a career as a legal assistant. Legal assistants work in rapidly changing environments such as private companies or law firms. You could be assigned to a lawyer, a case or support a team of lawyers with many cases.
For people in this profession, this type of position can also have a number of advantages. This allows them to work from the comfort of their own home, mostly within their own schedule, and it means they can avoid working with bad employers. Any work done by an online legal assistant must be reviewed by a lawyer before it can be sent to a client, and they are not allowed to provide legal advice to the clients themselves. But other than that, their professional obligations would be the same as if they worked in a law firm. It takes between two and five years to become a legal assistant. During these two to five years, you will need to earn an associate`s degree, certifications, and work experience. The “Skills” section of your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate representation of what you can do. Luckily, we`ve found all the skills you need, so even if you don`t already have those skills, you know what you need to work on. Of all the resumes we reviewed, 23.0% of legal assistants have legal documents on their resumes, but soft skills such as communication and computer skills are also important.
No, a paralegal is not the same as a paralegal, although they are very similar jobs. Although the work of a paralegal is more administrative, a paralegal collects information for court proceedings. Generally, legal assistants do more administrative work than paralegals, such as scheduling meetings or organizing client files, but this can vary depending on employer and position responsibilities. Note that although the ALA definition states that paralegals can perform paralegal tasks, this is usually only possible if they have the necessary education and training. A two-year associate degree in paralegal studies or something similar is recommended for anyone who wants to take on the role of paralegal. However, some companies require a bachelor`s degree, so it`s a good idea to take your education as far as possible. Paralegal degrees train students in areas such as legal writing and the types of law paralegals are likely to encounter. However, if there is no paralegal program in your area, you can take online courses or pursue a related field such as criminology. You`re expected to multitask throughout the day, so it`s a must to prioritize your tasks and manage your time. Patience and composure are required in this area, where the environment can become very stressful when lawyers and paralegals race against the clock to prepare for a trial or other legal proceedings. People in this profession do not conduct studies themselves. However, they perform a number of tasks that help prepare lawyers for trial.