Difference Of Opinions About Paralegals And Legal Assistants

19 March 2021

Working in law is not an easy endeavor. Multiple roles and designations keep this sector afloat. While lawyers and judges are primarily associated with law, you can’t ignore the importance of paralegals and legal assistants who ensure that the court system can do its job. Even though you are working for a lawyer as an assistant and paralegal, these are not the same job professions. Here’s how both career paths differentiate from each other:

Contents

1 What Do They Do?
- 1.1 Paralegal:
- 1.2 Legal Assistants:
2 Where Do These Fields Differ?
3 Wrap Up:

What Do They Do?

What Do They Do

Understanding what their jobs entail is an excellent place to start to build your knowledge on what a paralegal does compare to a legal assistant, and here’s how:

Paralegal:

As a paralegal, you are helping a lawyer with their cases. That means you conduct all relevant research work on laws and draft legal documents with the best supporting evidence for a lawyer to be used in court.

They also assist a lawyer prepare trail reports and file appeals with the opposing counsel. Since paralegals also specialize in criminal law, real estate law, and immigration policies, they have the legal rights to bill clients for their work. However, legal assistants cannot do the same.

Legal Assistants:

As a legal assistant, your job is more on the administrative side than regular work. You will help a lawyer prepare legal documents such as subpoenas and take their phone calls for them.

You’re also critical in reminding the lawyer about their court appearances and helping them schedule their appointments and workload. You will also be vital in greeting clients and ensuring all emails get a response. Your work will include organizing all the relevant paperwork a lawyer may need, such as statements and evidence, and file them appropriately. Finally, you prepare bills for a lawyer’s clients, but you cannot bill them for your services.

However, suppose you wish to try your hand as in law and work your way from a paralegal to an independent lawyer. In that case, there are many exciting and well-structured online programs for you, such as an online criminal justice degree. This degree is not only the first stepping stone into your promising career. Still, it provides you with the necessary resources to do well as a legal practitioner.

Where Do These Fields Differ?

When you are aware of what a legal assistant’s and a paralegal’s job entails, it is easy to dive deeper and study their differences more comprehensively:

1. Skills:

As a paralegal, you may find yourself sharing certain skill sets with a legal assistant. However, since your job requires you to work within the legal framework, you should know how to take legal actions known as litigation charges organization breach of contract. You will need to know how to use Microsoft Office or any equivalent word processor to prepare your documents. Also, learn how to compile a proper document that follows standard documentation format. You will need to know how to carry out research and make use of the evidence you have.

You will need to schedule meetings and remind the lawyer to attend all-important court appearances and meetings. You should know the basic law framework and know-how to enter all relevant data.

2. Experience:

Most law firms ask for paralegals who have some experience of working in law. Most ask for at least a minimum of three to five years of work experience. Suppose you go with only entry-level expertise with no experience to only two years of experience. Chances are you may not get a job as a paralegal and given the competition in this sector alone. You trim down your options further if you don’t take advantage of every opportunity before applying for a job.

As a legal assistant, your job experience is not under heavy scrutiny. Whether you’re new to the job or have been working for a while, you can quickly secure a job yourself. It is not unheard of for paralegals to start as legal assistants and interns before applying for higher employment opportunities till they’re eligible to work as a paralegal.

3. Salary:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most paralegals can earn $49,500, while a legal assistant can earn $44,180. However, these wages can go higher, and in 2019, they had crossed the $50,000th mark. Your salaries mainly depend on your employer. If you choose to work in a private setting than a non-profit, you have higher chances of earning more.

4. Education:

As a paralegal, you will need to have solid formal education to find employment. You will need to attend a bachelor’s program in legal studies or paralegal studies. Then appear for your examinations. You will also need to intern while you study. And getting work right after your bachelor’s may become problematic if you choose to skip out on all opportunities and directly apply to a law firm.

As a legal assistant, you may need to look into a bachelor’s degree and get a certificate in paralegal studies. However, you may start your job right away after you graduate as a legal assistant. You don’t need to do many internships, but it helps to walk in with some experience.

Wrap Up:

If you are looking for a law career, becoming a paralegal or a legal assistant is a good start. These two professions are just as important as the lawyer itself. Without the proper help, a lawyer may struggle in staying on top of their cases and not know how to make compelling cases. As a paralegal, your job will be working with the lawyer and their clients, especially for the legal system. As a legal assistant, you will make sure all appointments happen on time. All relevant documents are in the system.

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Ariana Smith

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.

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5 Common Types Of Personal Injury Cases

Personal injury is usually a legal term referring to a variety of injuries to the person’s body, emotion, or reputation. According to the common law jurisdictions, personal injury is used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit where the victim can claim a lawsuit for an inflicted injury. The person who has suffered a significant amount of personal harm can claim a lawsuit against the perpetrator. The lawsuit proceeds against the perpetrator who has been careless enough to cause such personal injury or harm to the victim. The defendant can be strictly liable regardless of any intention. Five Types of Personal Injury Claims Personal injury claims can be bodily injuries or non-bodily injuries. Bodily injuries are mostly caused by accidents or inflicted accidents, and non-bodily injuries are harm caused by psychological factors like emotional distress, false accusation, defamation, and more. 1. Automobile Injuries According to the data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 9,560 people suffered automobile injuries in the first quarter of 2022. The ratio of automobile injuries has increased to almost 7% from the amount of data produced in 2021. The victims of crime injury claim compensation for the injury they have succumbed to. Once you have suffered an injury from an accident, you must contact a lawyer regardless of any situation. You are advised to contact a lawyer regardless of the nature of the accident. In most cases, it becomes hard to prove a defendant is guilty of drunk driving or speeding; in such a scenario, you need a well-experienced personal injury attorney to support you. Expert personal injury attorneys or crime victim attorneys can easily negotiate through trials and provide detailed evidence and leverages to establish the case against the defendant. 2. Medical Malpractice Medical malpractice is another personal injury case where doctors take advantage of patients with a lack of knowledge. According to the National Practitioner’s Data Bank (NPDB), there are more than 60,000 cases of medical malpractice inflicted on patients in the U.S. Doctors responsible for imposing medical malpractice on patients can cause permanent damage to the patient’s body. Medical malpractice has also led to severe cases of death. In this case, the accused doctors can be held responsible and liable for practicing unlawful activity. If your doctor is responsible for misdiagnosis, medication errors, anesthesia errors, surgical errors, and childbirth-related complications, then they can be held liable on legal grounds. 3. Workplace-Related Injuries According to the data in the United States, almost 4,764 and 5,333 people succumbed to fatal workplace-related injuries, respectively, in 2020 and 2019. Workers from the lower economic section undergo insecure workplace structures. Most often, businesses hiring labor from the socio-economically lower section of society do not completely ensure a safety blanket for the employees, such as laborers working the window cleaning job on high-rise buildings or skyscrapers, wall painters, mechanics, and more. If you are suffering an injury due to the workplace environment, then it is advisable to seek personal injury attorneys or crime victim attorneys as soon as possible. It is advisable to create a layout of the unsafe practices with detailed information along with your co-worker who might have also suffered an injury. 4. Assault Cases Personal injuries are not always related to bodily factors sometimes, they can also be psychologically inflicted. In case of assaults or harassment, victims can go through a tremendous amount of pain due to the disruption of their mental stability. Assault cases can result in harming both mental and physical stability. According to data in the United States, there were almost 246.8 assault cases per 100,000 population in 2018. It is advisable that you reach out to the crime victim attorneys as soon as possible once you’ve been assaulted. Sometimes, assault cases inflicting mental trauma are hard to prove in court. That’s why detailing all the information about the assault, and cooperating with the victim's attorney is highly preferable. 5. Products Liability Suppose you’ve bought a product and you find that the product has manufacturing errors or is damaged, then you can claim product liability. This includes manufacturing defects of the component parts, assembling errors, and fraud of the wholesaler or store owner. A defective product can harm a consumer's economy, and thus they can claim a product liability suit. Crime victim attorneys can settle a product liability case on the basis of negligence, warranty breach, data breach, and parts removal. The United States Department of Commerce established the Model Uniform Product Liability Act and has been handling the product liability charges since there is no federal product liability law functioning in the United States. Conclusion An experienced attorney can help you deal with legal advice and support you throughout your legal proceedings. A professional attorney has a kind of negotiation skills from several trial experiences which will ensure your win against the perpetrator in court. Thus, it is important for you to choose an attorney on the basis of their previous experience dealing with personal injury claims. Additionals: What’s Liability In A Personal Injury Case?Personal Injury Laws And Statutory Rules In UtahRed Flags To Avoid When Hiring A Personal Injury LawyerFiling A Personal Injury Lawsuit In South Carolina: Here Are 7 Things You Should Know

Tips for Having a Weed-Friendly Wedding

If you love marijuana and consume it, whether by smoking or eating or applying it as an oil, it’s probably top of mind when planning your wedding, too. If both you and your partner are 420-friendly, you might like to consider integrating cannabis into your special day somehow. Here are some tips that can help you throw a wedding day that is weed-friendly and fun. 1. Check State Laws Firstly, to ensure you don’t potentially get into any legal trouble, which would put a big dampener on your big day, check state laws to ensure your weed-friendly wedding will happen in a location where recreational marijuana use is permitted. Some states only allow medicinal cannabis possession and usage, so you can potentially leave yourself open to fines or charges if you have weed available and in use at your wedding. Check out regulations by reading state government websites or exploring marijuana-specific websites containing helpful information broken down by state, such as https://weedmaps.com/dispensaries/in/united-states/colorado. If you discover you can’t legally have cannabis as part of your day in your current location, and it’s important to you that it’s incorporated in some way, you may need to consider having a location weed-friendly wedding in another state or area that you travel to for the event. Always check this out before putting a deposit down on a venue and other facets of your ceremony and party. 2. Ask Venues if They Permit Weed Use However, keep in mind that even if you decide to say “I do” in a spot where marijuana is permitted recreationally, this doesn’t guarantee that the wedding venue you select will be okay with it. In many states, business owners have the right to forbid cannabis possession or usage on their premises. If you book somewhere that’s not okay with it, they could refuse to let you in or serve you or potentially even make you and your guests leave if they discover weed has been brought in. 3. Choose Product Types and Presentation The next step is to consider what type of weed you want to make available on your big day. For instance, are you interested in serving and using edibles, such as gummies, brownies, or cookies? Or perhaps you prefer joints or bongs or other methods? You may even want to have a few options for you and your guests to select from on the day. Take the time to consider presentation, too. For example, some couples choose to set up a fun weed bar with various products for people to come and utilize, or they like to designate a specific chill-out room where people can get high. You might also make marijuana part of your party favors, or you can incorporate it into design aspects of your weed-friendly wedding, such as on the invites and table decorations, and even added into flower bouquets. Also, you could get creative and include cannabis into your weed-friendly wedding reception menu in one or more ways. For instance, have weed baked into your wedding cake or other desserts or offer weed-laced drinks or dishes. No matter how you approach the matter, it’s best to clarify how much of a part you want weed to play in your nuptials from the start when planning and work back from there, accordingly. 4. Think About How to Keep Children and Pets Safe Many couples have their own children or pets that they include on their wedding day, or they invite other people along. If this is the case, it’s vital to set things up in a way that means weed isn’t ever in any position where it can be consumed by kids or pets and make them sick. You might have someone handling a weed bar to ensure products don’t fall into the wrong hands, or you could ask everyone to only use marijuana in a particular area, etc. You could also utilize lock boxes for goods or only allow pets and children at the ceremony and not at the reception where you plan to have cannabis freely available. 5. Add Cannabis to Your Registry If you’re looking for additional weed-related wedding ideas or simply have a tight budget and want to save yourself some cash, you might like to add cannabis to your wedding registry. This way, people can buy it or put money into the wedding stash for you. These are a few ideas to get you thinking and planning for your weed-friendly wedding, but how you approach it can be as creative and out of the box as you like. Read Also: How to Preserve Memories at Your Wedding Why Cannabis Is Good For Health? The New Tech Running Canada’s Cannabis Industry Ethnic Wedding Attire: 3 Tips to Wear The Traditional Dhoti-Style Maharashtrian Saree

Things To Consider Before Hiring A Divorce Lawyer

Going through a divorce is already traumatic. Hiring a divorce lawyer shouldn’t be. You already have so much to think about. If you have children and combined assets, the process of divorce would become even more tangled. If your lawyer is good, you can avoid a long tussle and solve things fast so you can put the disturbing past behind you and move on. Hiring a lawyer is a very important task. Your future is at stake here. Your emotional and financial health is in your lawyer’s hands. The longer you have been in the marriage the more tangled the case becomes. If you have debts, dividing these could be tricky. There would be a lot of clauses that need to be looked into to divide these debts and assets. If you’re going through the divorce with a lawyer, chances are that your partner has a lawyer too. Since law proceedings can go any way, it is extremely important that you choose a lawyer that can help you get your fair share of the years and life that you built together with your partner. We can understand that the entire situation must be really overwhelming for you so we’ve put together a list of the top factors that you need to consider while hiring a lawyer. Things To Consider Before Hiring A Divorce Lawyer: Attorney’s experience: It goes without saying that your attorney must have experience with divorce proceedings. Law is a tricky boat to steer and unless your lawyer has some experience he would not be aware of the obstacles he needs to steer past. Now even while looking for a lawyer, check their credentials and certifications. You could personally check up with these some of the people they’ve worked with in the past. It would give you a fair idea of how the lawyer works. The biggest thing that you’d find out is their credibility. It is important that you go through many of their previous clients to make an informed decision. Fred Coover of Coover Law advises considering the experience and local reputation of a divorce lawyer before hiring them. Any big decision needs groundwork. Put in some time and effort to browse through the lawyer directory in your area and sift through their cases. Everything is available online, so you could do this any time. Lawyers generally have multiple cases in different branches that they work in their careers. Choose a lawyer that has experience in specifically divorce cases. This would tell you that they know their way around divorce proceedings. Background check: After checking their experience, check up on the lawyer’s background and how credible they are. If they have a reputation of unscrupulous methods of filing and fighting cases, you may want to steer clear. You don’t want to be stuck with a lawyer who doesn’t do things ethically because this could put your case in jeopardy as well. Divorce proceedings should be a one-time thing. You don’t want to go through the mental trauma again. If your lawyer employs unscrupulous methods, the case could be open again and you may have to compensate more than you received in the divorce hearing. Contact the local bar council and find out about the lawyer you’re thinking of hiring. They would be in the best position to advise you and give you information about the lawyer you’re seeking. Communication: Since filing cases is all about communication, when you meet the lawyer, you must be able to communicate with them effectively. Everyone’s way of communication is different and you must find one for yourself with whom you can communicate. If you feel like the lawyer isn’t true to what they say, move on to the next. Most lawyers who have been in practice for a long time have a fixed way of working and you shouldn’t have problems. In case you do, move on to find another attorney. They must be available for you via calls, emails or be open to meeting in person in their work hours. This shows that the lawyer is committed to your case. As Jim Parke from leading Melbourne law firm tells us, “Divorce is a very emotional and stressful time for the parties involved. It’s important to hire a lawyer who is sympathetic and understanding but also acts swiftly so things can be done in a timely manner”. The last thing you want is a drawn-out process which makes the event even harder to deal with. His legal practice ensures divorce proceedings are taken care of quickly. Fees of the attorney: While hiring a lawyer, inquire about their fees. Some lawyers charge by the hour and some for consultation. The normal rate that most experienced divorce lawyers charge is anywhere between $100 to $200 for consultation. Clear the paperwork and discuss the mode of payment clearly with them. Are the payments properly invoiced? Will any fees be refunded if you don’t employ their services. Lawyers charge a retainer fee which is an upfront fee. Check with the lawyer if this fees will be refunded in case you decide to terminate the contract midway. Ensure that the contract mentions all these terms clearly before signing. Read Also: How To Get A Cheap Divorce In Texas What Are The Grounds For Divorce In Illinois? How Long Does It Take To Get A Divorce In The UK? 3 Reasons Why You Might Need A Family Lawyer Top 7 Reasons To Hire A Private Detective Agency During Divorce Cases 6 Ways To Heal After Divorce From An Emotionally Abusive Marriage Top 7 Reasons To Hire A Private Detective Agency During Divorce Cases Divorce Lawyers In Houston Texas: A Short Guide On Saving Your Marriage

Difference Of Opinions About Paralegals And Legal Assistants