A lot of your day as a legal assistant is spent completing tasks, all with the goal of helping a lawyer. You might organize documents or compile the facts of a case, you might even help the lawyer prepare for an upcoming trial.
Whatever the lawyer needs your help with, you're there to get it done. The majority of legal assistants work for law firms or even government agencies, but you can find work as a legal assistant in many industries.
If you want to become a legal assistant, you probably should earn your associate's degree, or at least a certificate in paralegal studies. Employers may even only look for people with a bachelor's degree. Either way, you should expect some on-the-job training. After all, you want to make sure you're collecting the right facts.
There are certain skills that many legal assistants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, computer skills and research skills.
If you're interested in becoming a legal assistant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 51.3% of legal assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.4% of legal assistants have master's degrees. Even though most legal assistants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Legal assistants work with lawyers to make sure the lawyer's cases are properly managed. They may draft legal documents, review items for the lawyer's signature, provide initial recommendations on key items, set up appointments, and other administrative duties.
