As we are all aware, lawyers are always busy people. They are always bombarded with tons of legal work and duties to accomplish every day. Definitely, they are not able to handle all that work by themselves. To lighten the weight of their workload, attorneys opt to hire legal secretaries. Legal assistants are appointed to do almost any type of task assigned to them by their assigned superiors.
Also called “legal secretaries,” paralegals are highly-trained professionals who help lawyers in a number of legal aspects. Such people are taught in supplementary official affairs but are not fully eligible to be identified as attorneys. Nevertheless, paralegals must also have an understanding of the law and the practices that are being implemented in the legal structure. Listed below are reasons why one would choose to be a legal assistant:
A Mounting Increase in Income
The legal job market is rapidly thriving, offering paralegals a much greater salary than in previous years. As their workload multiplies, their salaries also continue to grow. Staying close to an estimated $50,000 annually, the average paralegal’s salary is often less than what they make through bonuses and additional pay from overtime shifts.
The salary of a legal assistant is not as much as an attorney’s salary, but it is still very good.
High employment demand
Taking up the biggest sector of a legal career, becoming a paralegal is one of the most well-liked career options in the legal industry. The paralegal line of work has faster employment growth, making paralegals one of the fastest-growing professions all over America. As a result of the rising demand for paralegal professionals, many schools are now offering paralegal courses. The paralegal occupation continues to improve as the legal sector and law firms appoint more of these professionals to give society more access to legal services.
Easy-to-Obtain Career Qualifications
To practice law, an attorney must go through roughly seven to eight years of formal education and pass the bar exam. Legal assistants, on the other hand, do not have to go to a law school in order to get a degree. Many online programs provide courses for paralegals that are less tedious and more accessible for those who choose independent study in the confines of their own homes. A bachelor’s degree in legal studies paired with a paralegal diploma from an ABA-approved paralegal program are the prerequisites for better employment opportunities.
High-level thinking abilities
Anyone with the ability for some mind-twisting or problem-solving is most probably sure to enjoy working as a legal secretary. This occupation needs innovative thinking in order to succeed. Every single day in this area of study brings a new challenge for a legal assistant to encounter. Expertise in research and drafting is also important for this line of work. A good legal assistant must also be up-to-date with the latest legal trends and equipped with knowledge of the law and its procedures.
Social Prominence
All these years, the social rank of a paralegal has been rising. Nowadays, paralegals are no longer considered secretaries or assistants; they are known as appreciated members of the legal team as well. These people are fully qualified to handle the majority of the work that lawyers and solicitors do, making work more effective and obtaining better results. Legal secretaries now have a wider range of duties to perform, resulting in a greater and more respected status in the legal industry.
Being one of the hottest careers in the nation, becoming a paralegal could be the dawn of a better future for you. You can become any kind of assistant lawyer such as a business, real estate, immigration, family, employee, or traffic lawyer in Illinois, while becoming a legal assistant offers the chance to support lawyers and gain valuable legal experience. Why not learn to become one now?