What Does a Legal Support Specialist Do

More than a name, there is a difference between a paralegal and a paralegal. Law firms need to understand “what a legal assistant is.” By understanding the different roles (and responsibilities that come with them), lawyers can make a more informed decision as they build their teams to grow their law firms. To become a legal specialist, you will typically need at least a high school diploma or GED certificate and previous office experience at a law firm that can help you gain essential skills and knowledge of legal procedures. Some legal positions require a bachelor`s degree in law, law or paralegal studies. Employers may prefer candidates certified as paralegals or paralegals. Additional qualifications include excellent communication, research and organisational skills, as well as analytical skills, attention to detail and computer skills in legal software. From the tasks that paralegals typically take on to the advice for hiring and working with paralegals, this blog post covers the main benefits lawyers can gain from working with paralegals. With a better understanding of what a legal advisor can actually offer, you can make more informed decisions when considering adding legal counsel to your team. Organization: Legal professionals often use their organizational skills to keep track of their workload and schedule.

You can also use your organizational skills to organize files and documents for lawyers. Organizational skills can also help you track case information and evidence. It is rare for a single lawyer to handle a case, especially one that may be on trial. Litigation support specialists help compile and review litigation data and information. They also help with courtroom technology, help with presentations, and more. A legal assistant performs the necessary routine tasks on behalf of a lawyer. The work often involves elements of administration, customer service and coordination. Simply put, a legal assistant is a legal professional who performs work on behalf of a lawyer, usually an administrative one. To become a legal support specialist, you must have strong writing and communication skills. You should also be able to work independently and become familiar with technology.

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. 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). 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? If you are considering hiring an independent legal assistant, there are two general avenues you can take: Legal assistants work closely with lawyers to take care of some of the time-consuming administrative work that reduces the lawyer`s efficiency and productivity. The 2020 Legal Trends Report showed how much of a problem this is for many lawyers. Specifically, the report found that lawyers spend an average of only 2.5 hours per day on billable work. It is clear that many companies could benefit from the help of a legal assistant. 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. Hiring a paralegal can be an effective solution for law firms that need help with substantive legal work. A paralegal also costs less than another lawyer. If your firm is struggling with lawyers who are overburdened with essential legal tasks, few billable hours, or dissatisfied clients and customer service complaints, you may benefit from working with a paralegal. There are many opportunities for advancement for legal specialists. Many specialists start as paralegals or paralegals and then become lawyers. Other specialists may hold management positions in law firms or set up their own legal consulting firms. Some may even choose to become judges. The possibilities are endless for those who have the will and ambition to succeed.

Attention to detail: Legal counsel may need to review and analyze large amounts of data, so it`s important to have good attention to detail. You may need to read large amounts of information to find the most important details and information. You may also need to verify the accuracy of the documents and ensure that they are complete. As a legal specialist, your job is to help a lawyer create, review and revise legal documents, letters, agreements and contracts. There are many areas of specialization you can focus on, such as commercial litigation, civil lawsuits, class actions, and labor disputes. Typically, you will work under the direct supervision of a lawyer or report to a team of lawyers who will assign you tasks such as interviewing clients or witnesses, preparing affidavits, and amending legal documents. Communication: Legal professionals communicate with clients, other support staff and lawyers. They use oral and written communication skills to explain legal processes and procedures to clients and answer questions from other support staff. They also use written communication skills to write and send emails to clients and lawyers. All salaries, job posting statistics, employment trend forecasts and skills opportunity information on this page are historical data and do not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by EMSI Burning Glass (now Lightcast) and uploaded regularly. For more information about how they collect data and what it represents, see Emsi Burning Glass Data Overview.

No matter how you find a freelancer, it`s also important to make sure you have a good process to make it easier for a legal assistant to work with your business. Effective law firm processes are especially important if your legal assistant works remotely. Adding paralegals to your cloud-based practice management system makes it easy to collaborate with legal assistants, whether they`re in the office or remotely.