Paralegal Job Description

If you are interested in a career as a paralegal, than look no further. The job is very similar to that of a lawyer, with the exception that the former can't offer legal advice or represent cases in the court of law. Paralegals step in, to help the lawyers do the many tasks that are needed to build a court case.

Job Description

A paralegal is required to have effective communication skills. He should have a thorough knowledge of legal terminology. Most specialize in litigation and are fully qualified to help out the attorneys. The educational requirement for this job requires knowledge of law and computers. You can take a certificate course to become one. Bachelor or Associate degrees are also available. These degrees take about two years for completion. You can also voluntarily opt for paralegal certificates from National Association of Legal Assistants, National Federation of Paralegal Associations or American Alliance of Paralegals. The work environment in this job is mainly indoors with occasional visits to law libraries and courts. Paralegals work in many industries, aside from the legal world. So there are many types of paralegals depending on the type of specialization they choose. For example, there are patent paralegals, bankruptcy paralegals, nurse paralegals, immigration paralegals and real estate paralegals.

Duties and Responsibilities

He is responsible for collecting relevant information related to a case such as researching the case laws etc. He is supposed to crosscheck the facts and their validity. They help the lawyers by doing the preliminary research before a legal document can be prepared. They perform the task of summarizing and checking legal documents. The drafting of documents is handled by them. Simple tasks like locating the witnesses, preparing the pleading, obtaining affidavits is carried out by a paralegal. They also at times, keep a track of files and transcripts and organize meetings. In short, they do the groundwork for the lawyer and assist him in his job. Since different types of paralegals specialize in different industries, their job description also differs. A nurse paralegal often works with attorneys who have cases relating to medicine. These paralegals are specialized in medicine. A real estate paralegal has experience in the real-estate industry and helps with case building and collecting research for cases involving real-estate. Bankruptcy paralegals are in high demand these days, and are involved with cases pertaining to bankruptcy laws. Immigration paralegals assist clients through the process of immigration. Job description of paralegals like patent paralegals varies accordingly. There are plenty of career opportunities in this field as one gains a lot of experience to become a full-fledged legal attorney.

Salary Range

According to the US Labor Bureau, the average salary is $54,000 per annum. Paralegals working with law firms get paid the most. Salary for beginners can vary from $38,000 to $56,000 per annum depending on whether they work for government or a corporate firm.

Working as a paralegal, can help a person interested in the field of law in getting the required exposure. Paralegal job description is very vast and it covers all the details that a budding attorney needs to know. This sort of paves the way for your success as you become well aware of the tricks of this trade.