|
Program Offerings:
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.
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.
One of a paralegal's most important tasks is helping
lawyers prepare for closings, hearings, trials, and corporate meetings. Paralegal's investigate the facts of cases
and ensure that all relevant information is considered. They also identify appropriate laws, judicial decisions,
legal articles, and other materials that are relevant to assigned cases. After they analyze and organize the
information, paralegal's may prepare written reports that attorneys use in determining how cases should be handled.
Should attorneys decide to file lawsuits on behalf of clients, paralegal's 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 who work in the public sector usually vary within each agency. In
general, they analyze legal material for internal use, maintain reference files, conduct research for attorneys, and
collect and analyze evidence for agency hearings. They may then prepare informative or 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.
|
