According to the National Association of Legal Assistants “Paralegals, are a distinguishable group of persons who assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services. Through formal education, training and experience, legal assistants have knowledge and expertise regarding the legal system and substantive and procedural law which qualify them to do work of a legal nature under the supervision of an attorney.” In short, a paralegal is someone qualified to provide legal support under the direct supervision of an attorney. Yet to this day most people still assume a paralegal is just another secretary who works in a law office. However, this is a huge misconception paralegals face each day. A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, assist attorneys and works hand in hand with them on a daily bases. A paralegal can assist a lawyer in almost every aspect of the job by providing insight and preparing for legal proceedings. However, a paralegal can not give legal advice or practice law.
According to the American Institute for Paralegal Studies “In the late 1960’s, an effort was made by Congress and
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those in the legal community to increase access to legal services in the United States. At that time, not all U.S. citizens could receive legal help because of the high cost of legal services.” During the early years of the paralegal profession, paralegal programs were not yet available, so most legal assistants were trained on the job. The first paralegal program was offered in the U.S. during the later 1960s and a decade later in 1971 only eleven paralegal training programs existed. Today, it is estimated that over 650 programs are available for students in the United States and due to the fact that law firms are trying to increase their efficiency while lowering experiences, there will be a rising demand for new paralegals in the legal workforce. According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for paralegals and legal assistants will skyrocket faster than average at 17 percent before 2022, thus creating 46,200 new jobs.” To become a qualified legal paralegal requires you to have specialized training. Today this training is provided by formal paralegal programs offered at most colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning. Although graduating from an ABA, American Bar Association, approved program isn’t required of paralegals, doing so can have a considerable impact on the availability of career opportunities after graduation. These programs will help you develop skills that are crucial to your ability to work as a paralegal such as Oral Communication, since paralegals are frequently speaking with lawyers, clients and other professionals, strong communication skills are a must. Written Communication, you must have a strong understanding of grammar and punctuation. Written communication skills are extremely important for paralegals because they must present information in written form on correspondence, drafts, pleadings, motions, briefs, contracts and numerous other documents daily. Interpersonal skills, both in everyday dealings with lawyers and other professionals, and in working with clients, strong interpersonal skills are essential to a paralegal. Conflict resolution, mediation, active listening skills should be some of your best traits by the end of your education. Last but not least Computers and Technology, because most of what paralegals’ do in today’s society requires the use of a computer it is important to have a strong understanding of tools like word processing, databases, spreadsheet etc. Salary is an important thing to consider when thinking about choosing a career. A paralegal’s salary depends largely upon the size of the law firm where they are working and the area of the country where they are located. For example, the average annual wage for paralegals and legal assistants in Pennsylvania is reported to be at $53,780 by the BLS. This average annual wage exceeds the national average wage of $46,990 for paralegals and legal assistants. Those who make a higher than average paralegal salary in Pennsylvania frequently specialize in high-demand areas of the law. A paralegal with specialized training or experience, such as someone with experience doing title searches, may get a higher salary than someone who has to be trained on-the-job to run title searches. Specialization paired with education and experience can help paralegals become more competitive in the job market. Paralegals commonly specialize in one particular area of the law.
A good way to decide what area of law to specialize in is to look at your interests and evaluate which areas of the law most closely relates to the things that interests you. Are you willing to working with families and help individuals? Are you a lover of the outdoors with an interest in the environment, or do you binge watch “Law and Order” and day dream about being a criminal defense? No matter what your interests are, there are areas of law that will meet the interests that you have. According to a blog on a paralegal website titled Specialties: Picking your path as a paralegal “Being a paralegal is a rewarding occupation in which you can stretch yourself, earn an excellent living and have an impact on the world around you, no matter which field of law you choose for your
specialty.”
Whether you’re a paralegal looking for a high salary or a casual work environment with a chance to work on many different areas of law, a large law firm and a small law firm both offer a paralegal what they ultimately set out to find the chance to assist an attorney at law.
A Paralegal is defined by the American Bar Association as a person, qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. Paralegals work under direct supervision of an attorney and follow the same ethical rules of the ABA as a lawyer does. ABA Rule 5.3, states that a lawyer must give such assistants appropriate instruction and supervision concerning the ethical aspects of their employment, particularly regarding the obligation not to disclose information relating to representation of the client, and should be responsible for their work product. Per the State B...
Paralegals have become an essential part of today's legal system, and as the profession becomes one of the leading and fastest growing occupations in the U.S. economy; these individuals perform delegated tasks under the supervision of attorneys. Education has played an important part on this matter; it has facilitated this development by allowing lawyers to use these skills professionals as agents to delegate specific tasks such as legal research, gathering of information and the drafting of specific legal documents under the supervision and final approval of their principals. This has been very significant because now; we can enjoy a speedy process in a cumbersome legal system. From en economic standpoint, it has also been beneficial by decreasing the substantial amount of the legal cost a firm could incur if only lawyers were allowed to perform this kind work.
A Florida Registered Paralegal is a person who is qualified and has gone through training, education and work experience to work under the supervision of a lawyer. He or she is there to help the attorney with drafting documents, legal research, legal investigations, contacting clients, and interviewing clients. The bill says that the requirements of the bill are “the person has to have prescribed education and experience, and have the prescribed certifications”. In order for a person to be eligible to be a Florida Registered Paralegal they have to have met one of the following education and work experience. They have to have a bachelor’s degree in paralegal plus a minimum of one year of paralegal work experience or a person can have an associate degree plus a minimum of two years of paralegal experience. There has been a lot debate over the bill some people think the bill is helping the paralegal while others think it’s just a
I would appreciate an opportunity to attend your university to help fulfill my aspiration of becoming a eminent sports attorney. Growing up a native Houstonian, I have always been enamored with studying law at the University of Houston knowing of all the prestige it proudly displays. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but I didn’t know exactly how I wanted to carve my niche in the legal world.
The Progressive Era prompted an increasing need to form the American Bar Association which was established August 21, 1878, in Saratoga, New York, by a group of 100 lawyers from 21 states who promoted order throughout the nation’s law schools (Matzko, 1984). After over 100 years of existence, the American Bar Association continues to serve and assist law students and lawyers as one pursues to serve and defend the constitutional rights and liberties of others. The American Bar Association is known for providing continuing education and testing to assist future lawyers in one’s quest to defend.
o Type of healthcare worker: Nurse practitioner o When this type of work entered the market: The medical profession of nurse practitioner was developed in the mid 1960s. The job of nurse practitioners grew from implementing work from primary care physicians into that of traditional nurses. o Reasons for creation and growth: In the late 1950s and early 1960s, increased specialization amongst physicians was taking place, which led to many doctors exploring other avenues of medicine, resulting in a large shortage of physicians practicing primary care. This left many rural and inner city areas with very limited access to medical care.
Paraprofessionals continue to be instrumental in the instruction of students with disabilities in public schools. However, because of lack of training, paraprofessionals struggle to implement evidence-based interventions with high levels of fidelity and also report lack of understanding of job roles and responsibilities. I created and examined a training package based upon the evidenced-based practices of discrete trial instruction, prompting and differential reinforcement. I found after the delivery of the six-week program, all participants reported better understanding of their job roles and responsibilities and increased the fidelity with which they implemented those three evidence-based practices. The training package included three separate
Other careers that will be available with the degree would be an expert witness, jury specialist, law enforcement, victim activism, and juvenile offenders.
The paralegal profession developed as legal secretaries assumed additional duties to help attorneys with their workload. The paralegal performs legal tasks under the supervision of an attorney that maximizes attorneys' productivity and cost efficiency in the delivery of legal services. Paralegals work in many different types of law firms, corporations or government agencies in many areas of law (Hollingshead). All duties performed by a paralegal are under the supervision of an attorney who is responsible for the paralegal’s conduct. In fact, the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals define paralegals or legal assistants [used synonymously] as a person qualified by education, training or work experiences, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, government agency, or other entity who performs specific delegated legal substantive work for which a lawyer is responsible (ABA). In class, we learne...
The occupations that I have chosen to analyze using the three elements for this assignment are paraprofessional, what I am currently, and a teacher, what I am going to college to become. Teachers and paraprofessionals work side by side, collaborate, plan, and share many of the same experiences. However, paraprofessionals are often not treated as equals and has created some ethical judgement regarding treatment of the paraprofessionals from other teachers and administrators in the business of education. I want to use this assignment as an opportunity to distinguish the true professional using the elements designed for this course.
Definition: Legal assistants, also known as paralegals, are a distinguishable group of persons who assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services. Through formal education, training and experience, legal assistants have knowledge and expertise regarding the legal system and substantive and procedural law which qualify them to do work of a legal nature under the supervision of an attorney. (www.NALA.org)
I have chosen to use a criminal defense lawyer as my primary legal career for this discussion board. A criminal defense lawyer, is a lawyer who specializes in defending an individual or a company that has been charged with a crime. Criminal defense lawyers have to deal with many different circumstances. For instance, arrests, criminal charges, investigations, sentencing, appeals, and even post-trial issues. However, a lot of criminal defense lawyers will choose to specialize in a certain type of criminal defense. For instance, drug defense, or even DUI defense. Criminal defense lawyers often have to work out substantive issues in connection with their clients supposed crime. Many times criminal defense lawyers will be helping a client even before charges have been filed against them by
The United States Constitution gives us the right of due process under the Fifth Amendment. The right to an attorney is something that should never be taken away. So how do attorneys help their clients? What standards are set to protect them? There are strict guidelines that attorneys must follow to avoid legal misconduct. These standards are stated by the American Bar Association in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. It is very important that attorneys decide carefully before taking on a case for many reasons. They must remember that they have to carefully consider the needs and problems of their clients and uphold their ethical responsibilities to their profession and the criminal justice system. It is when a lawyer does not balance the needs of the client with the ethical aspects of his or her profession that misconduct can occur.
“Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues” (Chapter 15) is an interesting chapter in the textbook “Abnormal Psychology.” Just like the name of the chapter, it helps understand legal, ethical, and professional issues related to the practice of psychology. This is very important because by offering service a psychologist is responsible for the people that are under his or her care, that even goes for people participating for research. Psychologist have authority to practice in their area of expertise, using methods that are not harmful to their recipients and “ that preferably have a strong scientific basis” and never doing treatments that are unorthodox and will put their patients health and safety in any more jeopardy. This also gives patients