Legal Assistant Career Guide and Counseling

Question: What to wear to a legal assistant job interview? I just graduated from college and I have my first "real world" job interview on Friday for a legal assistant position. I own a black suit, is this appropriate? If not, I would appreciate some suggestions. Also, what is an appropriate way to wear my hair? It is permed so it tends to look a little less than polished. Any interview tips you could offer would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: a black suit is fine. i'd recommend buying a feminine blouse for underneath. the key to professional dressing is looking polished and pulled together without necessarily sacrificing femininity. if you're hair isn't as polished as you like consider pulling it back, or a hair scarf or headband.

Question: How much can legal assistant can make a year? I got a job as legal assistant. Right now I am getting low 30's but how much can I make a year if I continue to do this for 2-3 years? anyone know? anyone with experience as legal assistant or secretary?

Answer: Legal Assistants/Paralegals can make upwards of $60,000/year. After 2-3 years you can expect to make $40,000 - $48,000/year. Salary varies depending on where you work, private or government sector, and size of firm.

Question: What does a legal assistant exactly do? I am studying to be a legal assistant and I know the general info about what it consists of. But i would like to know more in detail what the daily tasks of a legal assistant are and other info such as the average pay and the working hours. Please inform me, especially if you are in this field of work and you can tell me from experience. Thank You!

Answer: I am sorry,.....but poster "Kapn" is correct. The field of Law is rapidly shrinking. This is not a good vocational field to invest time and/or money into. If you don't believe us, I suggest you just do a search here on Yahoo answers to get other posters opinions on the current status of the field of Law. The two positions are not exactly the same - a Legal Assistant will usually have to do more secretarial duties than a Paralegal. Generally, a Legal Assistant has gotton the position they have by experience. Generally a Paralegal has attained the position they have by education. Usually. If you can change your major now, do so. Consider and look into the vocational field of healthcare. I talked to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and he says that future job availability is in healthcare. The field of Law is shrinking........rapidly. You'll find out when you can't find a job in the field of Law.

Question: What is appropriate to wear to an interview for a legal assistant position? I just graduated from college and I have my first "real world" job interview on Friday for a legal assistant position. I own a black suit, is this appropriate? If not, I would appreciate some suggestions. Also, what is an appropriate way to wear my hair? It is permed so it tends to look a little less than polished. Any interview tips you could offer would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: Yes, a black suit is appropriate because it is professional and what you would most likely wear when your actually on the job. I know there are special shampoos for curled hair (sorry, can't remember the name) but it makes it really easy to curl it into bigger, sleeker curls. Or, you could just pull it half-way back in a classic barret. Just keep it out of your eyes, and you'll be good. Good luck on your interview!

Question: Can You find part time work as a legal assistant with out a related certificate? I know some people who do legal assistant work on the side for extra money. They don't have any legal related certification but when I tried to get a similar part time job , they required a certification. How do those many people get that job then?

Answer: If they were able to find legal assistant employment without a certificate or some kind of legal education then they are an extreme rarity. Don't expect to be able to do the same thing. No firms in my area will hire anyone as a legal assistant/paralegal unless they have at least a 2 year paralegal degree or years of law office experience.

Question: Is a paralegal and a legal assistant the same thing as far as education and ability to charge? My legal papers say that the law office secretary is a paralegal. I paid $115.00/ hour for a paralegal. Then I found out she does not have a certificate as a paralegal, but is a legal assistant. Is that the same thing?

Answer: The rate for work does not depend on education, but on your retainer agreement with the law firm. Types of work that can be billed should be spelled out specifically in the agreement.

Question: Can a legal assistant work for someone other than a lawyer? Can a legal assistant/paralegal work in a courthouse without working for a lawyer?

Answer: Yes as a Court Clerk, In Administration, Secretary to Judge, Court Administrator, Deputy Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Chancery Clerk, Municipal Clerk, County Court Clerk, Youth Court Clerk, Court Scheduler. Some of these positions may need more Schooling, In Land Records, Land Tax, Car Tags, But you get the idea.

Question: Do I need any education or experience to become a Legal Assistant? And what do they do exactly? i have a job interview on Thursday.. i have no experience at all but they did call me and they saw my resume, but i cant do they receptionist job because its full time and i need a part time job. the only opening is Legal Assistant.. ugh i hope i get it!!!! plz help with the question!! thanks!

Answer: Paralegals/Legal Assistants, assist attorneys by conducting research, writing reports and doing other preparatory work related to closings, hearings and trials. Education and certification are highly valued in this career. However if your employer wants to work with you he/she may want to train you their way. Check out NALS. They have basic certification courses to help you out. There will always be work in the Legal Field. It is not drying out like some people want you to believe. Its great money, Monday - Friday, all major holiday off.

Question: I want to become a paralegal, can I study the same material when I studied the Legal Assistant course in 1985? I would like to become a paralegal. I don't know if I can study and review the same material I had when I took the Legal Assistant course in International correspondence school in 1985. Thanks for your response in advance.

Answer: you can study the same course over and over till you get it .thats prefered,, by the ones that hire you,,

Question: can a legal secretary eventually make as much as a legal assistant? dont they both do the same job?..if so then whats the point of going to school to be a legal assistant ?

Answer: They are the same. "Assistant" came into vogue when "secretary" became un-PC. However, a lot of legal employers are slow to change so you still see secretary a lot. If you check your want ads locally, you will see the average salaries for legal secretaries. Most don't make the top of the scale, but where I live, sometimes the public entities (particularly a rich county I used to live in) pays the best. Usually private practice is stressful but you could make more money.

Question: What is the difference between a paralegal and a legal assistant? what are paralegal duties compared to a legal assistants duties? are they the same?

Answer: They are the same. However if you're talking about legal assistants like in secretary then they are different.

Question: Anybody who is, knows, or was a Legal Assistant? I want to get my associate's degree as a paralegal, but would it be better for me to do a 6 month legal assistant's program and then go back for my associate's? How easy is it to find a job as a legal assistant? What is there average salary?

Answer: In terms of certifications, I would recommend sticking with the associate's degree. I doubt the other program is ABA certified and it is unlikely to carry any real weight in your marketability as a paralegal. In corporate practice, it would carry no weight at all for me if your resume came across my desk. For large law firms and mid sized law firms the market is currently pretty bad for most paralegal fields outside of litigation. Even with litigation paralegals it is fairly difficult but not impossible to get an entry level position. You'll want to circulate your resume to a few placement agencies for both fulltime and temp positions. It costs you nothing and they are networked into most of the large and midsized law firms. The entry level salary for paralegals varies depending where you are and what field you are entering but it ranges from about 24k-36k. I couldn't disagree more with Helen's view towards being a paralegal. Her explanation is contradictory. I know several former paralegals, myself included, that saw being a paralegal as a natural progression in making an informed decision about whether to pursue a law career. It places you in a realistic position to know what a law career really entails which is something to which the vast majority of students enrolling in law school are completely ignorant and one of the main reasons that lawyers are among the most dissatisfied business professionals in the United States. It is actually kind of mind boggling that so many people would invest well over $100k on a professional degree from a position of almost complete ignorance but that is what a lot of lawyers did. You'll also get practical experience in law that you are unlikely to ever receive in law school if you ever do decide to pursue a law career. Seasoned paralegal's (5-8 years experience) depending on the area of law can draw base salaries as high as over $80k and over $100k if they become a paralegal manager in a large law firm. That doesn't include overtime which is often available in abundance and I have known some paralegals who have earned over 120k in income with overtime.

Question: Which Legal Assistant Certifications are the most accredited in the Legal Proffesion? I'd like to pursue a Legal Assistant certification, but I would like to get a respected one and not just some instant easy online accredation.

Answer: You should go to the web site for NALA, the National Association of Legal Assistants (www.nala.org), and see what they recommend, which is CLA. All states recognize a CLA (Certified Legal Assistant) certification. You will have to take a test that will take a good part of a day. Buy the CLA study guide after you graduate from a college with a paralegal program. First you need an accredited college. Be careful which you choose, talk to legal assistants and ask which they recommend. Easy does not mean good. A good program is essential. You need to graduate with the ability to step into a law office or government office and function. But get a CLA certification. Best of luck to you.

Question: What are the legal office assistant duties not book answers.? Work with legal assistants and feel I am crossing over into their area.

Answer: Do you mean legal secretaries? Attorneys often give paralegals duties such as filing papers in court. Delivering papers to a client. Arranging files. Organizing documents for a case. Library Research. Not every law firm or attorney, uses Paralegals/Legal Assistants in the same way. Paralegal and Legal Assistant titles are interchangeable. If the crossing-over is not clear to you, ask the Office Manager or Paralegal Manger to explain your duties, as well as, duties of the Paralegals and Legal Assistants in your office.

Question: How can I become a legal assistant trainee? I live in the Los Angeles area and I would like a career in the legal field. I have been a admin assist for 3 years. I would like to transfer my skills to this profession.

Answer: try applying for admin positions at local law firms. You can gain experience, and they will most likely provide tuition reimbursement if you require additional training to move into more advanced positions within the company.

Question: What is a good objective to get a legal secretary or legal assistant job? I need to get a job in the legal field, but I do not have any experience other than my current customer service/clerical/admin full time work. I've been having a hard time deciding if I should say something simple like, " Seeking a legal secretary position for a progressive organization" or " Responsible position in the legal industry involving multiple detail oriented responsibilities".

Answer: Here are a few: 1. A clerical profession in a legal field to assist others and increase my experience. 2. Accomplish the assigned workload in a timely manner and meet established performance standards and objectives. 3. A position as a legal secretary that will fully utilize my skills