Law schools take a reasonable amount of time to get you into the professional field. However, if you are enthusiastic, excited, and eager to start your career in law, then the legal assistant degree program is the best pick.
You do not necessarily require a whole degree; an associate degree program like this would for you to get into the field.
Read Also: Best Courses to Be a Lawyer
As a certified legal assistant, you will be a significant part of every court case by aiding attorneys. You will take care of everything from preparing legal documents and maintaining documents for each case to conducting legal research, scheduling appointments, and performing additional administrative responsibilities.
Ultimately, with a quick career start, the degree will get you jobs that will bring satisfaction and double the chances of success in the law field.
Most legal assistant and paralegal degree programs offer the required knowledge and skills that the jobs in law may demand from you.
Wondering about what those are specifically? The following are the top seven things you learn during your legal assistant degree program.
7 Aspects You Will Cover Under the Legal Assistant Degree Program:
- Introduction to the Legal Assistant Program:
The first course includes understanding the basics of the legal assistant field.
The introductory course helps you gain a thorough insight into the history of American law, the American legal system, the principles of law, legal assistants’ crucial role in the system and the ethical practices of the profession.
Additionally, the course will help you understand the legal terminologies used. You will also get to know what opportunities and career options the program is likely to bring for you in the future.
- Ethical Responsibilities of a Legal Assistant:
No matter what profession you step into, you must understand its ethics and professional responsibilities. Ethics serve as a framework for honest and just professional behavior.
Hence, the course is designed to prepare you for the ethical challenges you may face as a legal assistant so that you respond to such challenges and will utter confidence in your legal profession.
- Legal Research and Analytical Skills:
Students who possess excellent research skills excel as legal assistants. The reason is that legal assistants are expected to utilize different resources to craft and organize legal information.
Therefore, every paralegal program consists of courses that help strengthen and polish your research skills using innovative research methodologies and tools using technological and non-technological resources within the legal domain.
For instance, you will be offered assignments to research and analyze a legal issue and create a report.
- Insight into Different Laws:
Since as a legal assistant, you should be knowledgeable of all types of laws of the country. Hence, the program will help you understand different rules, specifically with specialized courses on each.
The laws that are primarily covered during the degree are:
- Family Laws
In this course, you will learn everything about family laws in the US. From adoptions to child custody and divorce, the course will prepare you to serve as a legal assistant for any family law. You will also be trained to prepare materials and documents to support the family law cases.
- Real Estate and Property Laws
Although the course is not a must but is preferred when employers hire the right legal assistant. Therefore, a course that covers general real estate and property laws is included. You will learn to analyze the cases and prepare documents like leases, deeds, closing papers, etc.
- Business Laws
In the business law course, you will understand the legal principles that businesses abide to follow. Additionally, you will learn how to draft documents for different business forms for the business sector.
Additionally, you may study:
- Constitutional Laws
- Intellectual Property Laws
- Criminal Laws
- Immigration Laws
- Corporate and Partnership Laws
- Personal Injury Laws
Different specialized courses will offer a detailed understanding of these laws’ provisions and procedures.
- Basic to Advanced Legal Writing:
One of the core responsibilities of a legal assistant is to research, analyze and write high-quality legal documents. Hence, in the legal assistant program, you will have specialized courses that will help polish your writing skills in the legal field.
Throughout the degree program, you will learn how to draft, structure, format and revise legal documents, including court pleadings, motions, legal briefs, memoranda, etc.
- Civil Litigation:
Legal assistants play an essential role in litigation-oriented law offices. Therefore, the course of civil litigation is included in most legal assistant degree programs.
You will learn everything from the basic theory of civil litigation to practical considerations. The course will also help you understand the idea and laws of civil litigation in accordance with US law. Alongside this, you will learn how to apply litigation laws in the field through a series of steps.
Ultimately, you will get hands-on knowledge on preparing the material required for claims to start an action and make motions for judgments.
- Efficient Use of Legal Applications and Tools:
As every field has specific software and tools that help ease the daily processes, so does the legal field.
So, through the program, you will learn how to use modern technologies and tools to make your work as a legal assistant easier.
You will gain practical experience using Microsoft office, including word, excel and PowerPoint, within the legal framework. Not just this, you will learn how to use cloud-computing software for better management of legal procedures.
The Final Word:
Undoubtedly, legal assistants are the backbones of any legal system.
Now that you know what the legal assistant degree programs have for you in store, you should consider some of the best college options that are offering the program. Create a list of the top ones, research them in detail and apply them to the most suitable legal assistant program.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the job description of a legal assistant?
-Investigate the case facts to make sure the consideration of all relevant data
-Identify appropriate materials, legal articles, judicial decisions, and laws for assigned cases
-Organize, analyze, and compile information
-Collect and record exhibits
-Develop written statements
-Draft legal arguments for lawsuits
-Prepare motions and pleadings for filing in court
-Secure affidavits
-Support attorneys in trials
-Track and organize files from case documents to facilitate access and availability to attorneys
-Draft separation agreements, mortgages, and contracts
-Plan estates and establish trust funds
How much does a legal assistant make?
Average base salary. $19.22. Average $19.22. Low $13.54. High $27.28. Non-cash benefit. 401 (k) View more benefits. The average salary for a legal assistant is $19.22 per hour in the United States. 11k salaries reported, updated on Dec 2022. source: indeed.com
Best Interview questions for a legal assistant.
-Why have you chosen to pursue being a legal assistant?
-What is your work experience like?
-How are your skills with research?
-What are your plans for your career?
-Why should we hire you?
-What soft skills do you have?
-How do you ensure your work is accurate?
-If you report to multiple attorneys, how do you prioritize your work?
-Recall a complex legal decision you’ve dealt with, and describe the process that you utilized in order to finalize your decision.
-Where did you go to school?
-How do you establish rapport in a professional context?