Apply for jobs. Apply for legal assistants at law firms, insurance companies, banks, real estate companies, corporate legal departments, and government agencies. You may be looking for jobs in fields where you have studied or have a particular interest, such as immigration, criminal law, bankruptcy, family law or corporate law. Some companies hire a legal assistant with no work experience, while others require some experience in a legal environment. Instead, many paralegals opt for a bachelor`s degree in a related field – such as criminal justice – and then receive a certificate in paralegal studies. Typically, a post-bachelor`s certificate in paralegal studies requires only a handful of courses. This means that you may be able to leave the program in a year or less. Earn a paralegal diploma. Employers are usually looking for legal assistants with some level of formal education.
This can range from a two-year associate degree in paralegal studies to a four-year bachelor`s degree. Not all institutions offer degrees in paralegal studies, so you can pursue a related degree such as public policy or political science. Finally, if you plan to go to law school, you will first need to get a bachelor`s degree. A legal assistant, sometimes called a paralegal, works with lawyers to streamline the process of working with clients. This is done in a variety of ways, from performing office tasks to conducting legal research to working as a link between lawyers and clients. A major difference between the two is education. Most paralegals must have a degree, while legal counsel can only be hired with specialized work experience or training. Preparation of draft contracts, letters and other legal documents It takes between two and five years to become a legal assistant. During these two to five years, you must earn an associate degree, all certifications, and work experience. The PLS exam consists of four parts: 1) written communication, 2) office procedures and technology, 3) ethics and judgment, and 4) legal knowledge and skills. You must pass all sections of the exam to receive the designation.
These lawyers also take care of the programming of the cases entrusted to them. This means monitoring and meeting documentation deadlines, scheduling meetings and dates for court proceedings, and tracking the progress of their cases. To this end, they usually take care of all preparations for meetings with clients and other lawyers and arrange hours for meetings, statements and interviews. Legal secretaries focus more on administrative tasks in a law firm, although their professional duties are closely related to those of paralegals. They tend to have less understanding and training on the legal side of the business and focus on the administrative rather than the legal side of the process. The salaries of paralegals vary according to their training and experience. The BLS does not distinguish between the salaries of paralegals and paralegals in its report above, but the BLS gives a median salary of $51,740 for both occupations. According to BLS, paralegals earn the highest salaries when they work in the following industries: A paralegal is usually someone who works for a lawyer or in a legal capacity. Due to the role changes, the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) states that paralegals (PDF, 2.8 MB) “divide their time equally between paralegal duties, including researching and preparing discoveries, and duties of the legal secretary, to classify, guide, and assist their attorney in legal practice.” Learn more about paralegal salaries and how experience and education influence wages. Good interpersonal communication skills are a must as you will spend a lot of time greeting customers and answering the phone. You also work with other legal secretaries and paralegals, so you need to value teamwork and collaboration. They also help to understand the client and take a more personal role in the relationship by helping clients fully understand the legal process, which can be essential for them to feel comfortable and safe.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary of paralegals in 2020 was $52,920. However, the salary range for this job is quite wide. Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a legal assistant. The best states for people in this position are California, Colorado, New York, and Connecticut. Paralegals are doing their best in California with an average salary of $50,391. While in Colorado and New York, they would cost an average of $49,366 and $48,414, respectively.