Both legal secretaries and paralegals are
lawyer's assistants. Legal secretaries with certificate training work
under the direction of attorneys, preparing documents and providing
research support. Paralegals, also known as legal assistants, hold
certificates or degrees and perform independent legal work, including
document preparation, legal research, interviews and analysis under an
attorney's supervision. Both may earn voluntary professional
certification.
Online Education Programs for Legal Secretaries
Legal secretaries working as lawyer's assistants may hold an online certificate. An online legal secretary course generally takes about two months to complete. Lessons and coursework are typically exchanged with the instructor by e-mail. Some programs encourage students to interact with fellow learners through online bulletin boards.Prerequisites for Study
Online training programs for legal secretaries expect that learners will have adequate keyboarding skills and word processing skills. Students should be computer literate, able to use the Internet and send e-mail.Typical Syllabus for Online Legal Secretary Certificate Training
These programs incorporate general office skills and knowledge of the legal system so that legal secretaries can provide clerical and research support to attorneys. Coursework generally includes the following topics:- Office management
- Legal document preparation
- Legal research and citations
- Interview skills
- Legal ethics
- Legal procedures relevant to tort and contract law
- Legal terminology
Continuing Education
Legal secretaries with at least three years' work experience are qualified to sit for the National Association of Legal Secretaries' (NALS) Professional Legal Secretary certification (www.nals.org). While there are no academic prerequisites to take the exam, the test measures the skills and abilities demonstrated by successful legal secretaries. These include clerical skills, familiarity with legal terms and basic legal procedures, professional ethics and interpersonal skills. A legal secretary can take continuing education classes in order to maintain NALS certification, which lasts five years.Online Education Programs for Paralegals
Paralegals and legal assistants may complete online courses as part of certificate, associate or bachelor's degree programs, typically in paralegal studies or a similar field. Some training programs may be American Bar Association-approved. However, those are hybrid programs that include on-campus courses as well as online coursework. Students may take several weeks to a few months to earn a paralegal certificate, two years to earn an associate's degree or four years to earn a bachelor's degree.Prerequisites for Study
Program requirements for online paralegal training vary widely. Some online programs have no prerequisites while others are designed for students who have already earned an undergraduate degree.Students are expected to have access to a computer with Internet access. Most programs offering online coursework have students interact with the instructor and fellow students by e-mail, although some programs also require students to have Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capability.
Typical Syllabus for Online Paralegal Training
Courses in online paralegal training programs for lawyer's assistants typically confer substantive legal knowledge. While paralegals are not authorized to give legal advice or represent clients in court, they may handle basic legal matters and trial support under attorney guidance. The syllabus generally includes the following concepts:- Legal authority
- Basics of legal research
- Selection of jurors
- Preparing legal documents
- Overview of tort and contract law
- Legal interviewing
- Legal investigation
- Legal analysis
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