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. If you`re considering hiring an independent legal assistant, there are two general lines of inquiry: Because paralegals take on higher legal work on behalf of lawyers, they often get more formal training or certification. However, many states do not require formal paralegal education or training. The ABA outlines training opportunities and certifications for paralegals. 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. While these rules are good general guidelines, specific codes and rules for working with paralegals may vary from province or territory to jurisdiction. With that in mind, it`s important to review your state`s rules and regulations and comply with how lawyers can work with paralegals (and the tasks they can assign).
A legal assistant performs the necessary routine tasks on behalf of a lawyer. The work often involves elements of administration, customer service and coordination. 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. Legal assistants play an essential role in the day-to-day running 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. 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. 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. The average salary for legal assistants is $44,730, which translates to about $21.51 per hour. As you might expect, more experience warrants higher salaries. The highest paid legal secretaries can earn up to $76,500. 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.
To learn more about how law firms can engage independent legal professionals – such as independent legal assistants – to become more efficient and cost-effective, watch our webinar recording on Embracing the Freelance Legal Professional. We are looking for a motivated legal assistant to ensure the smooth running of the office and effective case management. They offer a wide range of legal services under the supervision of a lawyer. Sharon Miki writes for Clio about legal technology and legal affairs. As an experienced freelance writer, she is passionate about creating fascinating, useful and well-researched articles. 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. 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. 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: If you`re a lawyer who often wastes time on time-consuming administrative tasks, working with a legal assistant can relieve you of essential, but not billable, tasks. 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. Consider the following key qualities when hiring a legal assistant: Paralegals and legal assistants assist lawyers directly and may need to supervise other legal staff, such as legal secretaries or case clerks. Paralegals can be trained on the job in some jurisdictions, but are increasingly required to obtain diplomas or certifications through post-secondary paralegal programs. 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. 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 will likely perform the following tasks on a regular basis: More than a name, there is a difference between a legal assistant and a paralegal.
Law firms need to understand “what a legal assistant is.” By understanding the different roles (and responsibilities that come with them), lawyers can make a more informed decision as they build their teams to grow their law firms. Paralegals and legal assistants should possess computer, technical, analytical, communicative and organizational skills. Legal assistants work closely with lawyers to take care of some of the time-consuming administrative work that reduces the lawyer`s 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. 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. ABC Company, a national law firm with multiple offices, immediately opened a full-time legal assistant position for our office (city, state). 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 legal assistant job description, expect a list of required skills, including: 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.” What can paralegals do? While paralegals cannot practice law or provide legal advice, they may take on more law-specific tasks for lawyers. Examples include interacting with legal clients, preparing legal documents, conducting interviews, assisting with court proceedings, and more. From the tasks that paralegals typically take on to the advice for hiring and working with paralegals, this blog post covers the main benefits lawyers can gain from working with paralegals. With a better understanding of what a legal advisor can actually offer, you can make more informed decisions when considering adding legal counsel to your team. 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.