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This question is about legal secretary.
Is a legal secretary the same as a paralegal?
No, being a legal secretary is not the same as being a paralegal. A legal secretary serves in a more clerical capacity, typing, transcribing, and filing, while a paralegal typically assumes more legal responsibility, often writing legal drafts and creating legal correspondence on behalf of the attorney.
Certified paralegals are legal professionals who are not lawyers but who have passed the standardized testing given by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA).
Meanwhile, legal secretaries do not have any legal qualifications. Their duties typically include keeping a lawyer's calendar, booking appointments with clients, and taking messages and questions in case the lawyer is unavailable.
A legal secretary is an administrative assistant trained exclusively in the field of law. Through a comprehensive and specialized training program, legal secretaries are proficient at handling all administrative duties within a law office or legal department setting.
Although the terms legal secretary and paralegal are often interchanged with one another, these two terms describe distinctly different professions. However, many legal secretaries go on to become paralegals after obtaining an associate's degree in paralegal studies and gaining professional certification.
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