Both positions require knowledge of basic law, as well as attention to detail and strong verbal and written communication skills. Herzing University offers several degree pathways in paralegal and legal assisting, including an online paralegal program and on-campus programs in Atlanta and New Orleans.
Earning your degree opens up opportunities for legal work in areas such as bankruptcy, copyrighting, criminal law, labor law, and more.
Ready to take the first step to become a paralegal or legal assistant? Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings.
Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth. How Much Does an Accountant Make? Hi, how can I assist you? Chat Now.
For a more comprehensive comparison, we will be using the definition of a legal secretary vs. Legal secretaries perform more administrative tasks than paralegals. They can be found preparing legal documents such as subpoenas, answering phones, using scheduling software to keep track of appointments and other secretarial duties. For a better understanding of what is required for paralegals vs. The data helped us identify some of the top skills employers are seeking from each position.
As you can see, there is a slight overlap in skills, but there are different specialized tasks for each position. Paralegals are more involved with the actual technicalities of the law, whereas legal assistants undertake broader tasks. If you are looking for a more hands-on law career, becoming a paralegal may interest you more. However, becoming a legal assistant first could be a great way to find out if you enjoy working in the field before committing to school.
Approximately 58 percent of paralegal job postings ask for three to five years of experience, with 35 percent of job postings being entry level, requiring zero to two years of experience. DeLuca suggests interning during the summer at a legal firm, as some law firms will go on to hire interns full time. Once interns gain experience, the law field is easier to navigate. Lawyers are dependent on their paralegals and secretaries, so once they have someone they know is reliable and trustworthy, they are hesitant to make any changes.
Paralegal and legal assistant jobs will see a steady growth as law firms look to cut costs; this is because paralegals bill at a much lower rate than lawyers and can do many of the same tasks as a newly graduated lawyer, but they are a more appealing hire to firms. Legal secretaries do not need a post-secondary degree.
Forty-one percent of legal secretary jobs only require a high school diploma. So if you are unsure whether a training program or potential job is for paralegals or legal assistants, look more carefully at the program or job description.
If either concentrates on administrative tasks, it is most likely for legal secretaries and not paralegals. However, if conducting legal research or drafting legal documents is mentioned, you can be sure that the school or employer is targeting paralegals. These legal professionals perform similar duties within a law firm, and they're often referred to in the same context in legal decisions handed down by courts.
Court rules don't differentiate between them, and bar associations rarely distinguish between the roles when setting rules for practice. That said, paralegal assistants and legal assistants should not be confused with legal secretaries who generally do not share the same responsibilities.
The term " paralegal " is widely understood to describe a person qualified through education , training, or work experience to perform substantive legal work under the guidance and supervision of an attorney. The same often applies to legal assistants, but the National Association of Legal Assistants made a distinction between the two roles in It added "certified paralegal" to address those who have passed the NALA certification exam.
Other professionals may only refer to themselves as "legal assistants. Paralegals and legal assistants perform many of the duties an attorney would have to take care of personally if he did not hire such a professional. They do legal research and draft pleadings, contracts, leases, and other court and legal documents. They help with trial preparation and can usually assist clients by answering many of their questions. However, they cannot give legal advice or guide clients toward one course of action or another.
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