Administrative Legal Assistant Career Guide and Counseling

Question: What is today's average annual salary for a Legal Administrative Assistant in Ottawa with 2+ yrs of experience? Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Answer: The previous answer using the salary wizard is incorrect. This figure is for a legal assistant or paralegal, NOT a legal administrative assistant. A Legal Administrative Assistant is the lowest rank in the firm (just a receptionist in a law firm), followed by legal secretaries, legal assistants, then paralegals. In many provinces, legal assistants and paralegals are the same. However, with the advent of all the so called private "colleges" the rules are changing. Their legal secretary programs are being renamed to legal assistant programs. Law firms will ask if you qualify for membership in the Paralegal Association in your province. LAA's are a way in the door to work in a law firm. In Ottawa, you are looking at $28K with benefits only.

Question: is a legal administrative assistant the same as a legal assistant/paralegal? I am trying to figure out what classes I need to take for college to become a paralegal. A major they have in the course catalog is called legal administrative support associate of applied science. In the description it says "The program leading to an associate of applied science degree in Legal Administrative Support provides students with the technical skills and knowledge necessary for employment in a legal office as a legal administrative assistant or legal word processor." I have done research and saw that a legal assistant is the same as a paralegal. Now this might be a stupid question but I just want to be sure before I spend all this money and time into a degree that wont get me what I want. But my question is, is a legal administrative assistant the same as a legal assistant/paralegal? Thanks for all your help and answers :)

Answer: My apologies for the previous spiteful and vindictive poster - they are stalking me. I actually work in the law field. No, a legal administrative assistant is not the same thing as a legal assistant/paralegal. A Legal Assistant is not the same thing as a Paralegal. Generally, a Legal Assistant has gotton to their position by experience. Today, employers are preferring their Paralegals to have a Bachelor's degree. A Legal Administrative Assistant usually is more involved in the Human Resources aspect, like recruiting, interviewing, and training new employees - keeping track of payroll - etc. You need to be very careful, before you spend a ton of money on this. The guidance counselors at colleges/universities are not going to tell you the truth. Reminder: We are in a recession, and the colleges/universities are hurting just like the rest of the world, and they will tell the students anything to get to their money. The truth is that the lawfield is rapidly decreasing. If you don't believe me, check out what other posters have previously said about the lawfield. Call some local law firms, and talk to the manager of Human Resources and ask them if they are hiring - ask a manager of Human Resources at a law firm about the job availablity in the lawfield. Please be very careful - I actually work at a law school, so I see this first hand, repeatedly day after day. I see so many students pour their life savings into this, only to find out when they graduate that there are no jobs. I did this also, years ago, before I got my job at the law school. But people that are looking for jobs today are finding out that the lawfield is dramatically changing and is a very different world than when someone looked for a job ten years ago. I strongly suggest that you change your major. The vocational field of health is where the job availability is.

Question: what's the difference between an Administrative Assistant and a Legal Secretary? Is there any difference between an Adm. ***. , a secretary and a legal secretary? What duties do they have to perform? Why d legal secretaries make from 10K-30K more than an Adm. Assistant?

Answer: Tequila Lucky is right. An Administrative Assistant is a more general position and does not usually have any requisite knowledge or experience. A Legal Secretary is going to need to have some kind of Legal experience and knowledge. It's a more specialized position, so they're going to make more money. Sometime Legal secretaries are required to have a paralegal degree or working towards one. Administrative Assistants are not required to have a degree, but it's always a plus.

Question: I am a legal administrative assistant planning to move to Dallas. 15+ years experience and typing at 80+ wpm.? Does anyone have any leads? Thanks alot!

Answer: Here you go. Try these sites. Plano and Richardson, TX will probably have jobs for you. McKinney, TX might also. All of these cities are to the North of Dallas. http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/job-search-l-Da… http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/J… http://www.insurancelawjobs.com/index.ph… http://dallas.craigslist.org/lgl/ Salary information. Keep in mind the cost of living is lower in Texas. http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=paralega… http://www.simplyhired.com/a/salary/sear…

Question: Need help assessing transferable skills to go from legal secretary to administrative assistant? I am not looking for any more legal secretarial work. Please advise if you can help me determine transferable skills to ease my way into an administrative assistant position.

Answer: ... internal (the attorney) and external (the clients) customer service - always a biggie; multiple line telephone;, report/correspondence preparation; time management; multitasking; professional presentations; verbal and written communication skills; document creation (bills, collections notices and the like). Basically, anything that you think an administrative assistant would do, that you could do based on your expereince (whatever your experience may be) put it down! Let's face it, if we only put down the stuff on our resume as it applied to our previous jobs, we could never get a job in a new position. At least you could get the interview and really impress them by telling them how good you were as a legal secretary. The interviewer will know if you are right for the job and if the job is right for you - something you both should want.

Question: what does a legal administrative assistant do?

Answer: Legal secretaries prepare correspondence and legal papers such as summonses, complaints, motions, responses, and subpoenas under the supervision of an attorney or a paralegal. They also may review legal journals and assist with legal research—for example, by verifying quotes and citations in legal briefs. Good luck!

Question: Does anybody know exactly how much does a legal secretary/legal assistant make a year? I am very interested in working at a law firm as a legal secretary, but my question is how much do they make a year compares to an administrative assistant? I also want to know do legal secretaries make more than administrative assistants, and how much do legal assistants make at a law firm? Are legal assistants the same as legal secretaries? I just want to know since I would like to work at a law firm as a legal secretary. I want to know in the United States. I live in Chicago, and I want to know the amount they make and also in Los Angeles, CA since I am looking at moving there in two years.

Answer: -$35,000-$40,000 a year including bonuses for Legal assistants aka Paralegals. However, it depends on what firm you go for. -No, legal assistants are not the same as legal secretaries. Although, they have similar job functions, except the legal assistant is more involved in researching.

Question: Whats the difference between a Legal Administrative Assistance and a Paralegal? I am interested in law but im not very comfortable with public speaking at all. I would like to be a legal assistant of some kind and im looking into Paralegals and i just read about Legal Administrative Assistance. As of right now im leaning more towards a paralegal. Can anybody give me some information on both professions? Like exactly what a Legal Administrative Assistance does? and what a Paralegal does. Salary? School?

Answer: I don't know that Legal Administrative Assistance is a job title. Legal Assistant and Paralegal are basically the same profession. Legal Secretary is not the same as Paralegal/Legal Assistant. To be a Paralegal/Legal Assistant you can get a degree/certificate from a school that is approved by the Bar Association. Salary depends on where you live.

Question: I have an Associates Degree in BIS as an Administrative Assistant, but I still can't seem to get a job.? Can I pick up some courses somewhere to become a Medical Administrative Assistant or a Legal Administrative Assistant, I live in Michigan. Any suggestions? All will help. Thanks. Thanks, but redo my resume how? What should I do to it?

Answer: You could try on-line academic studies offered by LEGITIMATE institutions. I would just type in "search" Medical Administrative Assistant or Legal Administrative Assistant. Best of luck,

Question: Executive Assistant in New York City? Is anyone an executive assistant in Manhattan? Please advise as to how many years experience as an assistant you had before obtaining your position and the salary range. I have been a legal administrative assistant for 8 years and I am thinking about upgrading soon.

Answer: Usually 5 years service as a legal administrative assistant is enough for this post !!