The need for paralegals and others in this field is growing faster than in other professions in the United States. As demand increases, so do the skills required for this position. As part of a paralegal job description, expect a list of required skills, including: As noted, paralegals support law firms by working on behalf of lawyers with other team members – from paralegals to lawyers. But what exactly does a legal assistant do? The average remuneration of legal assistants varies – as for lawyers – depending on factors such as field of activity, experience and place of residence. For example, paralegals who work in metropolitan areas (where the cost of living is higher) and some states typically receive higher salaries. Now that we understand « what a legal assistant is, » we understand that most lawyers and law firms can benefit from the assistance of a legal assistant. But hiring full-time legal counsel isn`t always the best solution, especially for small businesses. In these cases, turning to an independent or virtual legal assistant is an effective solution that allows companies to delegate routine and time-consuming support tasks to a legal assistant when needed. If you`ve ever wondered, « What is a legal assistant? » you`re not alone. Although the term may seem explicit, paralegals are not the same as paralegals.

Paralegals, also known as paralegals, are lawyers who help individual lawyers or legal teams prepare and prioritize legal documents. They conduct legal research, compile legal documents and evidence, facilitate interviews, and provide support before and during court proceedings. If your firm uses Clio Manage, adding additional users such as legal assistants to your practice management workflows (here`s a simple step-by-step guide) makes collaboration on administrative tasks such as invoicing, scheduling, and document management seamless and efficient. Clio Manage allows you to add users as non-lawyers, and you can also customize their permissions. A legal assistant may work with one or more lawyers at the same time, depending on the size of a law firm and the number of cases handled. If you`re considering hiring an independent legal assistant, there are two general lines of your way: Part of the value of a paralegal is that their exact role and responsibilities can vary depending on the specific needs of a law firm. However, the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) classifies legal assistants as individuals whose work includes certain administrative and secretarial tasks to assist a lawyer, with some tasks overlapping those of a paralegal. These paralegal duties include legal research if the person has sufficient training and experience. A legal assistant performs the necessary routine tasks on behalf of a lawyer.

The work often involves elements of administration, customer service and coordination. Now that you understand « what a legal assistant is, » you may decide to hire a legal assistant. When hiring a legal assistant for your law firm, there are several factors to consider to ensure you make the best business decision for your firm. Start the process by asking yourself questions like: While paralegals certainly have a lot to offer, they fill a different role in a law firm. Paralegals focus on substantive legal work on behalf of supervising lawyers. Conversely, although legal assistants also work on behalf of lawyers, they focus more on administrative support tasks. This distinction is more important than it seems at first glance. Law firms that don`t recognize the unique roles of paralegals may miss out on the value paralegals can bring to a law firm.

The American Bar Association (ABA) recently revised its definition of a paralegal to separate the role from that of a legal assistant. But non-legal staff, such as paralegals, should still not go beyond the general guidelines of the ABA Model Guidelines for the Use of Paralegal Services. Under no circumstances may paralegals act as lawyers, provide legal advice to clients or hold themselves out as lawyers. As described in the previous section, legal assistants perform routine tasks on behalf of lawyers. For law firms where lawyers spend a lot of time on administrative work, hiring a legal assistant can improve the efficiency of the law firm. A legal assistant may remove these administrative tasks from a lawyer`s task list. Lawyers can then spend more time on billable work. Although formal education is generally required, it is not always necessary. Law firms may be willing to work with an experienced assistant with strong office skills. This person will receive on-the-job training for specific law firms and legal documents if necessary. A legal assistant increases the efficiency of a law firm by providing office services and other support measures to lawyers. While the work involves a lot of secretarial work, such as answering the phone, scheduling appointments, and filling out paperwork, there are additional tasks, including attending court hearings and researching information for a specific case.

Paralegals and paralegals are lawyers who support the work of lawyers – both add value to a law firm. But they are not the same. No matter how you find a freelancer, it`s also important to make sure you have a good process to make it easier for a legal assistant to work with your business. Effective law firm processes are especially important if your legal assistant works remotely. Adding paralegals to your cloud-based practice management system makes it easy to collaborate with legal assistants, whether they`re in the office or remotely. What can paralegals do? While paralegals cannot practice law or provide legal advice, they may take on more law-specific tasks for lawyers.