what is the difference between a paralegal assistant attorney

by Prof. Monte Oberbrunner Sr. 8 min read

Paralegals are more involved with the actual technicalities of the law, whereas legal assistants undertake broader tasks. If you are looking for a more hands-on law career, becoming a paralegal may interest you more.

Legal assistants also work closely with lawyers. However, they may not perform as in-depth legal work as a paralegal. Legal assistants work more on the administrative side when assisting lawyers. They may keep track of appointments, prepare documents and assist with financial or operational tasks.

Full Answer

Is a paralegal the same as a legal assistant?

Oct 18, 2021 · The educational requirements of both paralegals and legal assistants aren’t set in stone or always clearly defined, but there is a difference between paralegal and legal assistant jobs. Neither paralegals nor legal assistants are regulated or licensed to practice (with the exception of California’s paralegals), which means that the educational pathways to these …

How much does a paralegal and legal assistant make?

May 28, 2021 · Another difference between legal assistants and paralegals is their salaries. Because paralegals complete more education to qualify for their roles, they tend to earn more. The average annual salary for a legal assistant is $42,573 per year while paralegals earn $49,177 per year. Paralegals who hold a paralegal certificate generally earn 15% more than the average …

How to become a paralegal or legal assistant?

Because of their extensive work on cases, paralegals are able to bill clients for their work, whereas legal assistants cannot. In addition, paralegals are able to specialize in certain areas such as criminal law, family law, real estate law and immigration law.

What is a paralegal or legal assistant?

Jul 01, 2020 · A legal assistant is typically someone who works for a lawyer or in a legal capacity. Due to changes in roles, the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) says legal assistants (PDF, 2.8 MB) “divide their time equally between paralegal tasks, including researching and preparing discovery, and legal secretary tasks, up to and including filing, docketing and assisting their …

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What is higher than a paralegal?

Legal secretaries perform more administrative tasks than paralegals. They can be found preparing legal documents such as subpoenas, answering phones, using scheduling software to keep track of appointments and other secretarial duties.Oct 10, 2017

What does a paralegal assistant do?

A Legal Assistant, or Paralegal, is responsible for helping Lawyers and other legal professionals prepare for trials or court cases. Their duties include answering phone calls and greeting clients, contributing to fact-checking and compiling case evidence and communicating with court employees to confirm court dates.

What is the difference between legal assistant and a paralegal?

A legal assistant generally performs more administrative tasks than a paralegal. Duties may include word processing, filing and taking phone messages. Paralegals will most often conduct more research for the attorney and the caseload.Mar 12, 2010

Do you need a degree to be a legal assistant?

Required Qualifications Legal assistants do not necessarily need to have a university degree but candidates who have graduated in a relevant discipline may gain an advantage during the application stage.Aug 14, 2019

Do paralegals need a law degree?

You do not need a Law Degree to become a paralegal. However, many employers look for legal or paralegal training. There are specialist qualifications for paralegals, developed to give you the skills and knowledge to work effectively as a paralegal.

Can a paralegal become a lawyer?

Paralegals can become lawyers by attending law school and passing the bar exam just like anyone else who aspires to become a lawyer. As paralegals, these types of professionals spend a lot of time assisting lawyers in their work.

Do paralegals go to court?

Paralegal duties would typically involve preparing legal documents, research, admin, providing quotes to clients, interviewing clients and witnesses, giving clients legal information, going to court and handling a caseload of clients.

What is a paralegal salary?

An entry-level Paralegal with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of R120,485 based on 27 salaries. An early career Paralegal with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of R122,303 based on 132 salaries.

Why are paralegals better equipped than legal professionals?

Paralegals can benefit the community, the private bar, the judiciary, and the paralegal profession by volunteering of their time, abilities, and skills as trained legal professionals. Pro bono activities also give the local paralegal associations' greater visibility with bar associations, the judiciary, and the public.

What Is A Paralegal Assistant?

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The term "paralegal" is widely understood to describe a person qualified through education, training, or work experience to perform substantive legal work under the guidance and supervision of an attorney. The same often applies to legal assistants, but the National Association of Legal Assistants made a distinction be…
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Duties of Paralegals vs. Legal Assistants

  • Paralegals and legal assistants perform many of the duties an attorney would have to take care of personally if he did not hire such a professional. They do legal research and draft pleadings, contracts, leases, and other court and legal documents. They help with trial preparation and can usually assist clients by answering many of their questions. However, they cannot give legal advi…
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Legal Secretaries vs. Paralegals and Legal Assistants

  • Many law firms call their legal secretaries“legal assistants” so they can justify billing clients for these employees' hours as well, but the duties of a legal secretary are typically more limited. They may draft correspondence and usually organize files and perform word processing, transcribing the attorney's dictation from audio devices and following his directives for other tasks. They tak…
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Paralegals

Legal Assistants

Paralegals and Legal Assistants as Non-Exempt Personnel

Why Paralegals and Legal Assistants Are Different

  • Many view paralegals and legal assistants as interchangeable titles and roles. For example, the American Bar Association uses the same definition for both paralegals and legal assistants. Both paralegals and legal assistants can perform substantive legal work under an attorney’s supervision. However, I think it’s more accurate to view them as two different points on the spec…
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What Paralegals and Legal Assistants Can’T Do

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