1. Home
  2. Careers
  3. Paralegals And Legal Assistants
  4. Required Skills Responsibilities Activities

Paralegals and Legal Assistants Occupation Detailed Description

Paralegals and Legal Assistants career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Paralegals and Legal Assistants

The main tasks and work activities of Paralegals and Legal Assistants are to prepare legal documents, research relevant legal materials to aid decision making, evaluate information related to legal matters in public or personal records, represent the interests of clients in legal proceedings. In general, for the Paralegals and Legal Assistants, reading Comprehension, active Listening, speaking, writing and other 9 skills are required.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Paralegals and Legal Assistants jobs. 3.42% of Paralegals and Legal Assistants have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 7.25% of Paralegals and Legal Assistants have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
3.42%
Post-Secondary Certificate
7.25%
Some College Courses
0.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
50.23%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
39.10%

Tasks and Work Activities of Paralegals and Legal Assistants

  • Prepare legal documents, including briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
  • Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents.
  • Call upon witnesses to testify at hearing.
  • Direct and coordinate law office activity, including delivery of subpoenas.
  • Keep and monitor legal volumes to ensure that law library is up-to-date.
  • Appraise and inventory real and personal property for estate planning.
  • Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
  • Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.
  • Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of case.
  • File pleadings with court clerk.
  • Arbitrate disputes between parties and assist in the real estate closing process, such as by reviewing title searches.
  • Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsUsing relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Performing Administrative ActivitiesPerforming day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
  • Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Processing InformationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Prepare legal documents.
  • Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making.
  • Evaluate information related to legal matters in public or personal records.
  • Represent the interests of clients in legal proceedings.
  • Coordinate legal schedules or activities.
  • Maintain the order of legal documents.
  • Confer with court staff to clarify information.
  • Meet with individuals involved in legal processes to provide information and clarify issues.
  • Arbitrate disputes between parties to resolve legal conflicts.

Skills and Abilities for Paralegals and Legal Assistants

  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Perceptual SpeedThe ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Scannerse.g. Image scanners
  • Laser fax machinee.g. Laser facsimile machines
  • Notebook computerse.g. Notebook computers
  • Optical character recognition systemse.g. Optical character recognition equipment
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Photocopierse.g. Photocopiers
  • Scannerse.g. Scanners
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.