This legal assistant job description template is free and perfect for posting on online career sites or job boards. Do not hesitate to adapt it to the specific needs of your company and, if necessary, to adapt it to the legal specialty of your company. We are looking for motivated legal administrative assistants to ensure the smooth running of our firm and the efficiency of our case management. Smart, resourceful and versatile candidates will offer a wide range of legal services and work directly under the guidance of one of our experienced lawyers. Must be familiar with legal documents, have high-level organizational and communication skills, have a basic understanding of the law and be familiar with interacting with the client. Previous relevant experience in legal research, documentation or litigation is required! Salary-based experience. Now that you understand “what a legal assistant is,” you may decide to hire a legal assistant. When hiring a legal assistant for your law firm, there are several factors to consider to ensure you make the best business decision for your firm. Start the process by asking yourself questions like: Now that we understand “what a legal assistant is,” we understand that most lawyers and law firms can benefit from the assistance of a legal assistant. But hiring full-time legal counsel isn`t always the best solution, especially for small businesses. In these cases, turning to an independent or virtual legal assistant is an effective solution that allows companies to delegate routine and time-consuming support tasks to a legal assistant when needed. Provide a wide range of secretarial, clerical and administrative support services to legal staff.

Administrative assistants are the glue that holds many businesses together. You will be responsible for a variety of administrative tasks, from scheduling meetings to answering the phone to filing documents. Administrative assistants may also be responsible for assisting their company executives or other employees in general. Working with an external paralegal to take over the substantive work and an independent legal assistant can ease the workload of a lawyer. Lawyers can recover many billable hours that would have been lost on administrative tasks. In addition, lawyers can spend more time on substantive legal work, growing their business, or taking care of clients. The best thing about working with an independent legal assistant is that you don`t have the hassle of hiring a full-time employee. We explored the answer to the question “What is a legal assistant?” earlier in this blog post.

While the terms “legal assistant” and “paralegal” are often used interchangeably, the roles of today`s paralegals and paralegals are different. In fact, it wasn`t until 2020 that the American Bar Association (ABA) revised its definition of a paralegal to remove the term “legal assistant.” Legal Administrative Assistants work with lawyers and paralegals to handle day-to-day administrative tasks. As a Legal Administrative Assistant, you will work in an office, courthouse or similar legal environment. Your responsibilities include creating legal records and other documents without direct supervision, accounting, data entry, proofreading, and basic legal research. They interact daily with other legal administrative assistants. An understanding of legalese and strong computer skills are essential for this position. The American Bar Association (ABA) recently revised its definition of a paralegal to separate the role from that of a legal assistant. But non-legal staff, such as paralegals, should still not go beyond the general guidelines of the ABA Model Guidelines for the Use of Paralegal Services. Under no circumstances may paralegals act as lawyers, provide legal advice to clients or hold themselves out as lawyers. Because paralegals take on more legal work on behalf of lawyers, they often gain more formal training or certification.

However, many states do not require formal paralegal education or training. The ABA outlines training opportunities and certifications for paralegals. Going solo is an important step in your legal career. Move forward with confidence with our guide, which includes ideas and advice from legal experts. Simply put, a legal assistant is a legal professional who performs work on behalf of a lawyer, usually an administrative one. While these statistics give a general idea of the average salary of a legal assistant, it is important to note that the BLS does not differentiate between the two roles. However, Indeed`s data shows that paralegals tend to earn less per year than paralegals. The average annual salary for a paralegal in the United States is $44,229, compared to $51,239 for a paralegal. While paralegals certainly have a lot to offer law firms, they fulfill a different role in a law firm.

Paralegals focus on substantive legal work on behalf of supervising lawyers. Conversely, although legal assistants also work on behalf of lawyers, they focus more on administrative support tasks. This distinction is more important than it seems at first glance. Law firms that don`t recognize the unique roles of paralegals may miss out on the value paralegals can bring to a law firm. Most law firms are looking for legal administrative assistants who are qualified in criminal justice, law or administration. Our legal assistants are comprised of experienced legal experts, including lawyers, paralegals and seasoned specialists, who will not only teach you about law, but also educate you on the many ways a paralegal integrates with a Las Vegas law firm. While paralegals can perform many support and administrative tasks on behalf of a lawyer, paralegals are limited in what they can do. In smaller law firms, legal secretaries are often responsible for greeting clients and answering the phone, making customer service and communication skills an important part of the role. If you`re considering a legal assistant, be sure to look for a candidate who has experience in areas that are particularly valuable to your law firm. The goal is to find a legal assistant who can handle tasks that are not sustainable, effective or impossible for a lawyer. The right legal assistant should help you make your practice stronger, more efficient, and more profitable.

Paralegals and paralegals are lawyers who support the work of lawyers – both add value to a law firm. But they are not the same. While these rules are good general guidelines, specific codes and rules for working with paralegals may vary from province or territory to jurisdiction. With that in mind, it`s important to review your state`s rules and regulations and comply with how lawyers can work with paralegals (and the tasks they can assign). Education: Most employers require legal administrative assistants to hold at least a high school diploma or GOL. Some employers prefer candidates who have a Bachelor of Laws or paralegal studies. Classes in English, grammar, writing, and software can be helpful for those aspiring to a degree. A skilled legal assistant earns on average between $35,000 and $78,280 per year, with more than half of working paralegals earning significantly more, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In Nevada, the average salary for a Nevada legal assistant is $46,350. As we discovered, paralegals support law firms by working on behalf of lawyers with other team members – from paralegals to lawyers.

But what exactly does a legal assistant do? Legal administrative assistants are currently in high demand, with legal assistant employment expected to grow by 15 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all professions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With an additional 285,600 jobs available over the next 10 years, now is the perfect time to start your career as a legal administrative assistant. Part of the value of a legal assistant is that their exact role and responsibilities can vary depending on the specific needs of a law firm. However, the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) classifies legal assistants as individuals whose work includes certain administrative and secretarial tasks to assist a lawyer, with some tasks overlapping those of a paralegal. These paralegal duties include legal research if the person has sufficient training and experience. As part of your qualification, you`ll visit courts, prisons, meditation centers and more to see the law in action firsthand, making your paralegal training applicable to the Las Vegas legal system. Our nine-month program also offers a flexible schedule that allows you to participate in paralegal training, take care of your family, and live a balanced life in Las Vegas as you head into your new career. When starting your career as an administrative assistant, it`s important to consider the company you want to work for.