What You Need to Know in Order to Become a Paralegal Secretary
In most law practices, a legal secretary and a paralegal are two different jobs with different responsibilities. However, smaller law firms and sole practitioners often hire one person to handle both jobs. When this happens, the job is called paralegal secretary. A paralegal secretary handles word processing for the lawyer with whom she works along with other substantive legal responsibilities to assist the management of cases. There are several things an individual needs to know in order to become a paralegal secretary.
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Word Processing
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Paralegal secretaries, also called legal assistants, are responsible for a great deal of document preparation, so they need to know how to type quickly and how to format correspondence, memos, legal briefs and other pleadings and reports. Extensive knowledge of word processing software, usually Microsoft Word, is key. It is also important for the paralegal secretary to type at least 60 wpm accurately from a dictation machine, which is the tool many lawyers use to record what they need transcribed.
Legal Research
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When functioning as a paralegal secretary, it is important to know how to perform legal research to identify and pull case law regarding various matters. Most firms use Lexus/Nexus for legal research. In this role, the legal assistant will investigate existing statutes as well changing case law and prepare memos regarding the information for the lawyer's review.
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Spreadsheet Perparation and Management
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Paralegal secretaries are often required to manage and organize their attorney's caseload by using spreadsheets such as Excel. This program can help keep track of expenses and billable hours that are applied to each case. Some law firms use specific case management software instead of Excel to oversee files, but spreadsheet preparation skills are still important for every legal assistant to have.
Local Rules, Forms and Procedures
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Each court has slightly different rules, procedures and forms that are used during the course of a lawsuit. Paralegal secretaries need to stay on top of this information to make certain that matters get filed correctly.
Practice Area Specific Software
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In some areas of legal practice, it is important for a paralegal secretary to work with case specific software. In bankruptcy law, they will use programs like Best Case to prepare petitions and accompanying schedules. In real estate law, paralegal secretaries might use SoftPro to put together closing packages. Estate law has other software programs designed to collect and format necessary information and supporting documentation.
Education or Certification
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While there are no state requirements to work as a paralegal secretary, some firms have educational requirements that might include a college degree and/or a certificate from a paralegal program that is approved by the American Bar Association.
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