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Over the years the role and responsibilities of a paralegal or a legal assistant as they are known, have increased manifold. Short of actually doling out legal advice the paralegals cover all the functions of an attorney. The primary paralegal job description though remains basic and that is to assist the attorney in every way required to sort out the legal cases expeditiously. Within the law firm there are many duties that can be done by a paralegal on behalf of the attorney. Whether its paperwork and legal documentation for pleadings, court motions and contracts or filling up forms and rewording agreements to be used on a later date in the court. The work of a legal assistant to a large extent depends on where and for whom he is working. It can cover criminal cases, financial law, housing and mortgages, health insurance or other branches of law.

What can a paralegal do?

Essentially a back-office job, the paralegal doesn’t get to do more than routine tasks. However one of the most sought after duties is that of interviewing witnesses. There are many cases where the witnesses form little missing pieces of the overall puzzle and interviewing them to gather evidence and details can be exciting. The paralegal is liaison between the client and the attorney and serves to improve the communication between the two. He must be careful to do so without sabotaging the outcome of the case by giving out any confidential details to the client.

The attorney would handover jobs related to investigation, groundwork, research and paperwork and expects the paralegal to be competent to carry out all the duties well despite the complexities of legal procedures that are involved. Legal assistants have to read old cases, look up related laws, make notations, update data on the computers and make reports. They ensure all the paperwork is in one place and neatly filed in a chronological order.

Setting the bar right

Having not passed the Bar Association exam they are bound by law not to give pro-bono legal advice, solicit for business, accept fees from clients, reject or accept legal cases offered to them. This sets the paralegal apart from the lawyer who having passed the bar exam is allowed to carry out all of the above as per law. Signing documents and legal material with the lawyer’s signature is an offence and not something a paralegal can do, even if the lawyer gives him prior permission. Ofcourse the paralegal would always feel as though he/she is missing the thick of the action considering that they do not have a license to practice law, offer legal advice, represent a client or accept a case on behalf of the attorney. If they do so without the license it is considered unauthorized practice of law and they may face legal action and penalties.

Working conditions

The scope of the paralegal work means that it is essentially a desk job and the paralegal remains in the lawyer’s offices or at the library. They work 40 hours in a week and mostly long hours.

So what has changed now?

In the past there wasn’t a lot of attention the work of a paralegal received owing to the fact that they worked in the background not meeting the clients or interacting on a face-to-face basis. Now however the role of a paralegal has received a great impetus and they have stepped out of the shadows to take on a more multifaceted and dynamic role in the attorney’s office.

How to be equipped as a paralegal?

Paralegal programs are taught in law colleges that are accredited by the Bar Association and usually a two year course is completed. The knowledge of computers, skill in verbal and written communication, keen comprehension and upright and honest demeanor is what the paralegal must possess after the course. People skills, ability to read large volumes of written matter carefully yet quickly and ably research law is imperative for the paralegal job.

Paralegal certification

In the Unites States there are two organizations that certify paralegals – the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). They conduct certification exams and the certification implies the paralegal can offer good quality legal assistance. While the NALA conducts a two-day exam, the NFPA exam lasts four hours. Both the exams are comprehensive covering all key and sub-sections of law ensuring that the paralegal is tested in a holistic manner. The NALA confers the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) or the Certified Paralegal (CP) title that are proprietary trademarks of the NALA. Those who pass NFPA’s exam are known as PACE Registered Paralegals (RP). The paralegal certification ensures that the paralegal is accredited as a legal assistant of high caliber while the integrity of the paralegal profession as a whole is maintained. The NALA’s CP exam is conducted twice a year all over the country.

In the United Kingdom, the National Association of Licensed Paralegal (NALP) conducts the paralegal certification exam and awards the qualifications. The applicants for the CP exam have to successfully complete a special exam that tests them on the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the NALA Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. To retain and renew the certification, the CP has to continue his/her education with 50 hours CLE done within every 5 years. This can be done through seminars, online webcast seminars, textbooks, videos and all of them culminate in a test that gives credits. Failure to renew the certification results in the CP title being revoked. Being a member of the NALA has accompanying benefits and discounts. After the CP certification one can pass the NALA’s Advanced Paralegal Certification course to get the ACP title.

Talking about pay

Thanks to the demand and nature of the job, paralegals get paid well. Government law agencies, private firms and international organizations hire paralegals. The starting paralegal salary would be around $30,000 and with work experience it gets promising. With 20 years experience a paralegal could earn as much as $76,000 annually. In the US, California offers the best salaries and a CP would get in the range of $35,000 to $74,000 as annual emoluments. Paralegals with certification are greatly sought after and the pay is commensurate with the qualification.

The paralegal job is interesting, one heaped with hard work, challenges, learning and with an opportunity to make a long and rewarding career. As long as there are laws there will be a need for qualified and capable paralegals to assist the attorneys.

Is Paralegal certification worth?

Many paralegal aspirants are unaware of the worth of certification. Yes, paralegal certifications really have a great worth in the career of a paralegal. Paralegal Certification is a process in which paralegals will be giving an exam about the paralegal subjects. Once they are certified, they will be working on many advanced legal technologies and many more important skills which are highly mandatory to be a successful paralegal. Paralegal certification offers an increased proficiency to the paralegals than un-certified paralegals. Thousands of universities are offering paralegal certification courses to the aspirants in the United States of America.

Does certification make any difference in the career of paralegals?

Yes, Paralegal certification really makes an abundant difference in the career of paralegals regarding their career growth, Paralegal salary and in many more professional terms. The Tag of certification is making much impact in hiring the paralegals. Most law firms are coming forward to hire the paralegals who hold certification. This just states the recognition of certification for paralegals. There will be much difference in the salary of certified paralegal and an un-certified paralegal. Monetary benefits will be much higher to the certified paralegals compared to un-certified paralegals. In some companies, the difference in remuneration may be up to 50%. The Tag – certified paralegal weighs a lot in the resume of a paralegal. Candidates holding the resume with certified paralegal status can easily move in to the large and reputed law firms. Paralegal certifications favor a paralegal aspirant in all ways and it is also important to possess a certification from the National Leading certification Issuing authorities. Take the certification classes from reputed colleges and give certification exams in accredited certification universities.

Paralegal certification is highly beneficial in all ways. So, do posses a certification in order to have a bright career in the law field.

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Way to become a paralegal: Many law enthusiasts will be dreaming to become paralegals but will be unaware of the way to become paralegals. Paralegal training is highly essential in order to become a paralegal. The most popular three ways to become a paralegal are through possession of 4 years bachelor degree or accredited paralegal program, online paralegal programs or through 2 year associate degree.

Paralegal training: There are many community colleges, technical schools and vocational schools offering paralegal training to the paralegal aspirants. The training course will be different depending on the school they peruse their paralegal degree.

Paralegal training will help the paralegals in all ways to perform the tasks efficiently given by the lawyers or attorneys. During the training period, paralegals will be trained on the skills and abilities that they need to show and implement in their job tasks. They will be learning and trained about performing research and investigation skills in particular. They will be trained about the case trial sessions, preparation of case documents, investigating and collecting the case evidences, setting the schedules of lawyers, preparing for case meetings, hearings etc.

Paralegal training sets you perfectly for entry-level positions. These training courses will serve you with technical knowledge, research skills, and all the law related subjects.

Though the paralegals are trained successfully in order to perform their duties, paralegal certification is also important in order to have a better career growth and to improve their job skills. Though possessing a certification is not mandatory in the field of paralegals, but possession of certification really makes a huge difference in all terms. It is really beneficial to be certified as a paralegal by possessing a paralegal certification from any of the Certification issuing authorities. One can have quick growth in their paralegal career if they hold the paralegal certification along with a paralegal degree. Majority of the law firms do prefer the candidates who are certified paralegals rather than un-certified paralegals. A team of certified paralegals really mean a lot in the success of the law company. Mainly in the current situation, every paralegal aspirant is definitely thinking to attain paralegal certification along with a paralegal degree.

Here are some of the leading law agencies issuing the certifications to the aspirants. They conduct the certification tests to the aspirants and offer certification to the candidates who qualify in the test.

Paralegals are also called as legal secretaries as they are tasked to perform daily duties of law officers.

If you want to build your career in paralegal profession, you should know completely about paralegal job description where you can know the terms like educational qualification, duties, responsibilities, essential skills and abilities, salary, training and certification, job outlook in detail.

One can know everything about a paralegal career by going through a paralegal job description.

What are the tasks performed by a paralegal?

A paralegal has to perform numerous tasks simultaneously to make their attorneys work smooth and efficient. Some of the most important works handled by a paralegal are stated below.

They need to conduct huge research on the cases and drag the required evidences to the attorney. They make the attorney’s work simplified by helping him in all possible ways.
They need to cross check the client’s legal forms and ensure accuracy to the attorney.
They prepare the case filing, processing and declaration forms. They also speak to the clients and collect the required information for the case.
They need to maintain and follow up the case files regularly.

How paralegal salary is calculated?

The salary of a paralegal varies with several terms like experience, industry type, employer type, certification type, geographical location etc.

The below salary information is according to the experience they hold.

Paralegals who hold the experience of less than one year earns in the range $23,355- $40,560. The paralegal salary of those who are with 1-4 years of experience can earn in the range $25,945- $46,008. Those who are with 10-19 years of experience can get more than $50,000 per annum and those who hold the experience of 20 years can enjoy the income of about $64,434 per annum.

Here are some of the interesting and unusual jobs in the law field.

Paralegal:

Paralegals are not fully qualified solicitors as the lawyers but they do work in law offices under the attorneys or lawyers. The paralegal duties includes document management, filing case files, drafting pleadings and contracts, legal research, meeting the clients, administrative work etc. They support the attorneys from all corners of work and make their loads of work easier and smoother. The starting paralegal salary will range from £15,000 to £22,000 per annum. An experienced paralegal who is employed in a reputed firm can make up to £40,000 per annum.

Salary of a certified paralegal will be much more than the paralegal who is uncertified. So, it is better to possess paralegal certification to improve paralegal skills and also to enjoy good amount of salary.

Legal lecturer:

Many professional and experienced lawyers get the extreme satisfaction by turning their job role in to legal lecturers. They find satisfaction in preparing the law students for competitive exams through teaching. The starting average salary of a legal lecturer is around £35,000. According to the experience, the salary may increase to £50,000 and above. A large proportion of legal lecturers will be females.

Court administrative officer:

Court administrative officers look after the daily routines of court running. They manage the entire administrative works of court such as assigning court rooms, scheduling for case hearings, maintains the paperwork of daily cases, prepares the list of day’s case etc. some officers also look after the fees and fines that are to be collected from the clients and lawyers. They send summonses and also help the public in filling the related forms. The annual starting salary of a court administrative officer is between £12,000- £16,000.

Paralegals are the individuals who lend a hand to attorneys in carrying out their legal works. They work in wide variety of firms – from government agencies to law firms, from armed forces to the trade unions, engineering and accounting firms, construction companies etc. They are employed in every firm where law-related work will be held.

Paralegal profession is quiet interesting profession in which you need constant dedication and hard work towards legal work. In addition to hard work and dedication, there are few more essential qualities that are needed to be a paralegal.

Investigative and research skills: The skills of research and investigation form the backbone to any paralegal. They should be capable of providing concrete and genuine information related to the case.

Analytical skills: A paralegal should own good analytical skills. They need to analyze each and every facts of the case. The way of analyzing should be very perfect so that you get the right evidences that are need to solve the case.

Excellent communication skills: paralegals will be in great need of good communication skills. There are many reasons for depending on the communication skills. One of the main reasons is that they need to conduct interviews with witnesses, suspects. They need to communicate excellently with attorneys, clients, witnesses and many others who are involved in the case.

Excellent coordination skills: Paralegals should possess good coordination skills as they need to manage various things in their job. They need to schedule appointments for their lawyers, meet people, communicate with the related people; collect the required evidences and many more works will be handles by paralegals in which they require high coordination skills.

Though a paralegal degree teaches you all the above skills, a paralegal certification program helps you greatly in providing intense training in all the above skills.

You can get the depth of the paralegal studies if you enroll in any paralegal certification program. Finally, to be a successful paralegal an individual should be intelligent, highly organized, and a quick worker.

The paralegal profession is constantly in demand as many of the lawyers prefer to have legal assistants or paralegals in order to move their legal works smoothly. A bachelor degree or associate degree in the paralegal field is always beneficial to posses. Apart from the paralegal degree, paralegal certification makes an additional benefit in the career of paralegals. Having a paralegal certificate makes you to get the best jobs in the reputed law firms. The certification programs help paralegals to possess advanced knowledge about the legal concepts. Comparatively, paralegal salary will be lesser than the salary of a lawyer or attorney.

As per the statistics of occupational employment, the average salary of a paralegal is pegged at $45,622 per annum. The top earning paralegal can make around $73,550 annually. The variations in the earnings of paralegals are completely related to the terms of education, training, employment size, employment type, experience, type of certifications etc.

The salary of a paralegal is hugely dependent on the employer type. A lawyer residing in a small town may not afford to pay much to his assistant as much as the lawyer paying who is in New York law firm. The paralegals that are making outstanding salaries will be of employees of reputed firms in the large cities.

Salary of a paralegal in United States: The pay of paralegals given by the U.S dept of justice will be in the range $51,000-$78,000.

The Popular Snell is the second largest company in the United States paying their paralegals in the range $48,000-$54,000.

Paralegals are the professionals who are working under attorneys or lawyers in many of the legal tasks. They are simply considered as the true assistants to the lawyers in their work and are regarded as ‘lawyer assistants ‘in simple terms. They take a special place in assisting lawyers in case hearings, trails and closings. A bachelor degree in paralegal studies is mandatory in order to become a paralegal while paralegal certification is not compulsory. Though certification is not mandatory, many paralegals prefer to hold paralegal certification in order to have a brighter career in the legal field. A couple of years of experience and a certification can really make a fruitful career in the law field.

Why certification holds the better side?

Good experience and certification degree holds the better chances in the paralegal career. They take a special position in the growth of a paralegal career both in monetary terms and administrative terms.

Currently, there is an intense competition for promotions, raises, leadership positions in any kind of professional organizations. Holding a certification in the particular field definitely pulls your resume to the heights. Certification also helps you in improving higher ethical standards and helps you to maintain higher standards through out the career. There will be a huge difference in the salary of a certified paralegal and an uncertified paralegal. Nowadays, many law firms are hiring the candidates who hold paralegal certification in additional rather than the candidates who are uncertified paralegals. The starting paralegal salary will be around $30,000 per annum. This pay will be given to the candidates who do not have any working experience in the law field. But the training, experience, geographical location, certifications etc plays a vital role in variation of paralegal salary. The annual average salary of a paralegal is about $46,000.

Paralegals who hold the experience of less than or 2 years earns around $42,700 per annum. The highest annual pay of a paralegal will be around $74,000 while the lowest annual pay will be around $30,000. Paralegals who are employed in private firms will be earning much than the paralegals employed in government agencies. In the present trend, the expected salary of a paralegal employed in a reputed firm will be around $1, 00,000 per annum.

Paralegal job description simply gives the detailed information about the job role of a paralegal in the legal system. Moreover, there are several terms like education qualification, tasks, responsibilities, certifications, training, experience and paralegal salary will be discussed in paralegal job description.

There are many major interesting tasks involved in the role of a paralegal. Some of such tasks are stated below. The duties of a paralegal will be widely differing according to the status of attorney’s office.

•  A paralegal mainly deals with a bulk of file works regarding briefs and documents of legal cases. Mostly, the entire paperwork of case procedures will be done by a paralegal.
• They need to investigate the case histories and submits the required witnesses’ information to the attorney.
• They need to perform major research skills in order to detect the right precedence for the particular case. The task of researching will be considered as the most interesting and rewarding part of the job.
• They need to collect statements from the clients and witnesses and prepares them for the trail case. They will be performing great organizational skills in this section of job.
• They also perform court filing works and help the attorney in every section of the duty. Drafting the legal documents is considered as the foremost task of a paralegal.
• In some cases, they may also interview the clients and witnesses to crosscheck the case data.
• They conduct the factual research and legal research to find the right evidences of the case. They also perform the administrative tasks such as scheduling attorney’s appointments, file documenting, settling the financial accounts etc.
• They ensure proper case report to the attorney and assist him in legal proceedings.

Although a great deal of experience can be obtained while on the job, it is highly recommended for a candidate to complete college-level training to hit the professional realm of legal services. By doing so, they can hone and take their knowledge and skills about the subject to another level.

The prerequisite to hold a degree in paralegal studies is to earn an associate degree in paralegal studies or a bachelor’s degree in a related subject and obtain a certificate in paralegal studies. Earning an associate degree is one of the most effective ways to acquire a paralegal certification, as it takes only two years to complete. The course basically includes paralegal training and other related academic studies. If you happen to hold a college degree already, a paralegal certificate should be able to suffice. Although there are various certificate programs with varying length and prospectus, most of these include rigorous paralegal training for those candidates who already possess a degree, as they can further increase their employment opportunities.

Another method to earn a paralegal certification is to go through rigorous paralegal training, which includes a set of specific qualifying requirements that are to be undertaken by paralegals for a forthcoming job in a law firm.  Although the quality greatly varies, by enrolling yourself for a paralegal training course, you will not only get first-hand experience of that the job may look like but you can also find better ways to hone your skills to enhance your experience and knowledge in paralegal studies. Apart from including courses in legal research and the legal applications of computers, most of these training programs also offer an internship, wherein candidates get to earn practical experience by being part of a private law firm for instance. This experience can also be showcased as a valuable asset in the candidate’s resume.