Paralegal Law Degrees

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Index : Definition | Paralegal Tasks | Duties of Paralegals | Computer Use & Technical Knowledge | Legal Office Administration

This Page Provides You The Essence and Information About Online Paralegal Degree, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretary, Legal Administrative Assistant. Online law and associate degree programs for Paralegal Degree - Legal Secretary. Earn a degree or certificate for Certified Legal Assistant (CLA). Online Legal Programs.

 

Definition :

A program that prepares individuals to apply theories and practices of criminal justice to structuring, managing, directing and controlling criminal justice agencies, including police departments, sheriff's departments, law enforcement divisions and units, and private protective services. [Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2000)]

Paralegal Degree - Legal Secretary

Job Highlights for Paralegal - Legal Secretary

Paralegal- Legal Office Administration - Court Reporting
While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, they often delegate many of their tasks to paralegal's. In fact, paralegal's also called legal assistants continue to assume a growing range of tasks in the Nation's legal offices and perform many of the same tasks as lawyers. Nevertheless, they are still explicitly prohibited from carrying out duties which are considered to be the practice of law, such as setting legal fees, giving legal advice, and presenting cases in court.

Paralegal's Tasks :

Paralegals most important tasks is helping lawyers prepare for closings, hearings, trials and corporate meetings .they have the responsibility of investigating the facts in the cases and ensure that all necessary relevant information is utilized. Also involved in identifying appropriate laws, judicial decisions, and other materials that are relevant to assigned cases. After this procedure a written report is created which in turn helps attorneys use in determining how cases should be handled. . Should attorneys decide to file lawsuits on behalf of clients, paralegals may help prepare the legal arguments, draft pleadings and motions to be filed with the court, obtain affidavits, and assist attorneys during trials. Paralegal's also organize and track files of all important case documents and make them available and easily accessible to attorneys.

In addition to this preparatory work, paralegal's also perform a number of other vital functions. For example, they help draft contracts, mortgages, separation agreements, and trust instruments. They also may assist in preparing tax returns and planning estates. Some paralegal's coordinate the activities of other law office employees and maintain financial office records. Various additional tasks may differ, depending on the employer.

Paralegal's are found in all types of organizations, but most are employed by law firms, corporate legal departments, and various government offices. In these organizations, they may work in all areas of the law, including litigation, personal injury, corporate law, criminal law, employee benefits, intellectual property, labor law, bankruptcy, immigration, family law, and real estate. Within specialties, functions often are broken down further so that Paralegal's may deal with a specific area. For example, Paralegal's specializing in labor law may deal exclusively with employee benefits.

The duties of Paralegal's also differ widely based on the type of organization in which they are employed. Paralegal's who work for corporations often assist attorneys with employee contracts, shareholder agreements, stock-option plans, and employee benefit plans. They also may help prepare and file annual financial reports, maintain corporate minute books and resolutions, and secure loans for the corporation. Paralegal's often monitor and review government regulations to ensure that the corporation operates within the law.

The duties of Paralegal's Responsibilities involve analyzing legal material for internal use, maintain reference files, conduct research for attorneys and analyze the requirements for agency hearings. And later they may prepare explanatory material on laws, agency regulations, and agency policy for general use by the agency and the public. Paralegal's employed in community legal-service projects help the poor, the aged, and others in need of legal assistance. . They file forms, conduct research, prepare documents, and when authorized by law, may represent clients at administrative hearings.

Paralegal's in small and medium-sized law firms usually perform a variety of duties that require a general knowledge of the law. For example, they may research judicial decisions on improper police arrests or help prepare a mortgage contract. Paralegal's employed by large law firms, government agencies, and corporations, however, are more likely to specialize in one aspect of the law.

Computer use and technical knowledge has become essential to paralegal work. Computer software packages and the Internet are increasingly used to search legal literature stored in computer databases and on CD-ROM. In litigation involving many supporting documents, Paralegal's may use computer databases to retrieve, organize, and index various materials. Imaging software allows Paralegal's to scan documents directly into a database, while billing programs help them to track hours billed to clients. Computer software packages also may be used to perform tax computations and explore the consequences of possible tax strategies for clients.

Document Keywords : Paralegal Degrees ,Tasks ,Administration