Being A Paralegal Is A Rewarding Career
A Paralegal is a paraprofessional who are trained in the law and who assists legal licenced and qualified lawyers, but who are not licenced in the law themselves. This is true in the United States, however in Canada a Paralegal is required to be licenced by the Law Society Of Upper Canada.
Below we look at the duties, voluntary registration and paralegal salaries.
What Type Of Duties Does A Paralegal Handle
A Paralegal, or legal paraprofessional is not authorised to to offer legal services in the same way that lawyers can, however as they are not officers of the court, they are not ggenarally subject to government or court santioned rules of conduct. The term Paralegal stemmed from legal administrative assistants and basically is a term related to one whose work is overseen and managed by a licenced lawyer. While there are training courses at educational facilities, you can also become a Paralegal through on the job work experience.
A Paralegal typicall assists a lawyer prepare for meetings and their appearances in court. Due to lawyers very tight schedules, you will be doing anything that assists the lawyer including running their schedule, taking notes, inviting required attendee’s at meetings and even just getting the coffee. It may also mean proof reading depositions and a lot more depending on your experience and the trust that is built between you and the lawyer in question. It can be a fast paced role and is certainly a lot more than being a glorified receptionist.
Becoming A Registered Paralegal.
While not a requirement in the United States, A Paralegal can become registered which means that they meet a certain standard of knowledge. One of the benefits of becoming a registered Paralegal is that you can command a higher salary. There are two major national organisations that offer certification to Paralegals that meet certain standards. These are voluntary and are not a requirement, however if you are serious about becoming a Paralegal, then it is worth investigating.
Both the NFPA (National Federation Of Paralegal Associations) and NALA (National Association Of Legal Assistants) offer this certification – click the links provided above for more information on their services.
What Is The Paralegal Salary?
The salary for a paralegal ranges from $50,000 to over $100,000 depending on who you are employed by. For example, a recent salary surevy advises that the salary for a Paralegal employed by the U.S Federal Government average just over $73,000 per year, while a Paralegal working for a State or local government earns around $54,000 per year. If you are employed directly from a law firm in a large city, the general starting saalary is $50,00, however thsi can rise to over $100,00 depending on experience and the type of law company that you work for. Working directly for a law firm partner will earn you more than working for a lower level employed lawyer at a law firm.
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