Being a Paralegal

Paralegals and legal assistants assist attorneys by doing many different tasks to support the work that they do. Although, they are not qualified to actually be lawyers. They are not authorized by the government or another agency to offer legal services in the same way, nor are they officers of the court. They aren't usually subject to government or court sanctioned rules of conduct.

Paralegals are usually responsible for conducting research on regulations, and laws as well as organizing and presenting that information. They also help attorneys prepare for hearings and trials. In smaller firms, the legal assistants usually deal with full cases and see them through to the finish line. In larger organizations, they usually handle maintaining reference files or review legal material for internal use. Corporate paralegals may help lawyers with employee benefits, stock options and shareholder agreements. As technology gets integrated more and more paralegals use softwares to prepare presentations and index documents. They also handle electronic discovery which includes looking through emails, documents, accounting databases, and websites.

Paralegals and legal assistants work 40 hours or more per week but, they are often required by their employers to work longer hours during busy periods in the year. As of May 2010, the average yearly pay for a legal assistant was $46,680. The lowest amount was recorded at less that $29,460 while the top ten percent earned $74, 870 per year. Those who work in larger corporate firms obviously earn more than those who don't.

A majority of legal assistants have obtained an associates degree in paralegal studies, others get a certificate in paralegal studies and a bachelor's degree in a different field. Although, not many colleges offer master's or bachelor's degrees in this specific field. These programs usually include legal applications of computers and legal research mixed with other subjects. There have even been cases where people with a bachelor's degree or legal education get hired and simply trained on the job. Most of the time, people go though intensive paralegal training which takes only a few months. Internships are the best type of training, they last a few months and take place in private law firms, the offices of public defenders or attorney generals, corporate legal departments, legal aid organizations, or government agencies. When college students get hired they usually have experience in fields like tax preparation or criminal justice and learn the rest on the job.

Usually thought of as the "right hand" of a busy lawyer, on a usual day paralegals usually perform the same duties as a lawyer. They stay up to date on new laws and file financial reports. They monitor their boss' deadlines, appointments, and meetings. They meet with clients to talk over upcoming cases as well. They might also follow up with clients on their unpaid invoices

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