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. We explored the answer to the question “What is a legal assistant?” earlier in this blog post. While the terms “legal assistant” and “paralegal” are often used interchangeably, the roles of today`s paralegals and paralegals are different. In fact, it wasn`t until 2020 that the American Bar Association (ABA) revised its definition of a paralegal to remove the term “legal assistant.” Paralegals generally do not require formal training beyond a high school diploma or GED. However, many are pursuing additional legal studies (e.g. a legal assistant certificate) or gaining legal training in the workplace. Hiring a paralegal can be an effective solution for law firms that need help with substantive legal work. A paralegal also costs less than another lawyer. If your firm is struggling with lawyers who are overburdened with essential legal tasks, few billable hours, or dissatisfied clients and customer service complaints, you may benefit from working with a paralegal. Working with an external paralegal to take over the substantive work and an independent legal assistant can ease the workload of a lawyer.
Lawyers can recover many billable hours that would have been lost on administrative tasks. In addition, lawyers can spend more time on substantive legal work, growing their business, or taking care of clients. The best thing about working with an independent legal assistant is that you don`t have the hassle of hiring a full-time employee. 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. 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 such as: Legal assistants play a vital role in the day-to-day operations of the law firm or legal department.
They assist in case management, document preparation, scheduling, communication with clients and court officials, and meeting the needs of lawyers. Legal assistants must have excellent communication skills and great attention to detail. You should also feel comfortable working independently and being part of a team. Some law firms prefer three to five years of experience in a law firm or other corporate legal department. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for paralegals and paralegals in 2020 was $52,920 per year, or $25.44 per hour. ABC Company is looking for an experienced full-time legal assistant/secretary in the firm`s office (City). The ideal candidate ensures the smooth running of the office and effective case management by providing legal services under the supervision of lawyers, including one in our (government) office.
This person will communicate frequently with clients and has exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, a ability to set priorities and a strong ability to multitask. This position offers a competitive salary, parking and bonus potential. 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. Legal assistants work closely with lawyers to manage some of the time-consuming administrative work that reduces lawyers` efficiency and productivity. The 2020 Legal Trends Report showed how much of a problem this is for many lawyers. Specifically, the report found that lawyers spend an average of only 2.5 hours per day on billable work. It is clear that many companies could benefit from the help of a legal assistant. Wondering what a legal assistant does every day? Clerkship is a busy day. In this role, a person assists a lawyer with routine tasks that allow court proceedings to proceed while ensuring that everyone stays informed. Specifically, a legal assistant is likely to perform the following tasks on a regular basis: Although legal assistants can perform many support and administrative tasks on behalf of a lawyer, paralegals are limited in their abilities.
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. As we discovered, 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 salary for a paralegal is $56,300 in the United States. The salary of the position varies depending on experience, education, company size, industry and market. Typically, a paralegal`s resume includes a partner`s degree or a legal assistant certification. During these programs, one learns legal terminology, the purpose of certain legal documents, law firm practices, word processing, time management and files. A legal assistant must be able to juggle multiple tasks at once, have excellent communication skills, exercise good judgment, and keep records and procedures confidential. 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. The roles and responsibilities of a legal assistant are primarily focused on office tasks, but additional tasks can be added to your workload. Here is an overview of the expectations for this particular job: Legal assistants assist lawyers in a variety of tasks, including conducting legal research, creating and reviewing documents, communicating with clients, preparing for hearings, trials and meetings, and organizing and maintaining records. A high school diploma is required to become a paralegal, and most paralegals have an associate`s degree or certificate in paralegal studies. Legal assistants are usually highly organized and detail-oriented and have strong communication skills. Part of this process may involve finding a legal assistant with certain skills and characteristics. These skills and traits may be slightly different from what you`re looking for when hiring another lawyer. When hiring a legal assistant, consider the following key qualities: 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.