Legal Assistant Job Description

What does a legal assistant do?
A legal assistant is responsible for carrying out a variety of day to day functions in a law office such as meeting with clients, assisting attorneys, doing research work, and filing various documents. Legal assistants can find jobs in consultancy firms, insurance agencies, research organizations, foreign embassies, and government agencies. They can even become officers of the court, and serve important functions such as preparing documents related to a case, and interviewing potential witnesses. Due to the wide variety of tasks they can accomplish, employment opportunities for legal assistants in the past few years have soared unlike ever before. Among all occupations, legal assistant jobs have moved from the fifteenth position to the fourth in the United States over the past 10 years.

Available Programs:

Areas of Specialization
Legal assistants can choose from a wide variety of degree programs and certification courses. Students can either pursue a traditional on-campus degree or join an online program. Taking online classes has quite a few added advantages. For one, you can take classes day or night, from the comfort of your home, through a simple internet connection. Moreover you not only save on commuting costs, but also don’t have to purchase a large number of books and other study guides – most colleges offer ‘online libraries’ where you can look up a book at the click of a button. Additionally, online colleges also offer courses at a fraction of the price a traditional college does. Aspiring legal assistants take classes in the English language, besides technical writing and oral skills. They also learn criminal law, civil law, substantive law, medical & healthcare law, insurance law and immigration law in addition to ethics and humanities.

What sorts of responsibilities does a legal assistant have?
The generalized training and education legal assistants receive enables them to fill a variety of managerial and administrative roles in various organizations which may or may not be included in the legal assistant job description. Paralegals who work in law firms are responsible for meeting with clients to discuss details about a particular case, assisting attorneys in various functions, attending court hearings with attorneys and taking notes, reviewing evidence and interviewing various witnesses. They also prepare various contracts and agreements and are responsible for filing documents such as lawsuits on behalf of a client or an attorney. Another vital function highlighted in the legal assistant job description is research; a variety of sources such as the internet, newspapers and public records are studied to gain information about a particular case. Legal assistants can also do a number of tasks traditionally assigned to attorneys, such as litigation, appraisal of property and various items and file tax returns.

Specialization for legal assistants
As the field of law becomes increasingly complex, legal assistants also specialize in a particular area, such as medical & healthcare law – which deals with the various aspects of law in medical cases. Another rapidly expanding field is immigration law, where legal assistants deal with the various legal procedures involved in applying for, and obtaining citizenship. Other fields where legal assistants are employed include administrative & business law, criminal & civil law, litigation, estate planning, real estate, social services and family law. Legal assistants can also choose to work in other industries, such as federal, state or local government bodies and various private businesses such as insurance and software companies.