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Paralegal v. Legal Assistant, Cetified v....

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Posted 12-19-2008 04:20 AM EST

Anonymous

Hello,

I was wondering what the difference is between a Paralegal and a Legal Assistant. I have seen employment positions advertised for both, but are they the same?

What is a certified Paralegal? Who regulates the certification? Is it expensive to get certified? Should I do this, or can I get a Paralegal job without this?

Thanks.

Post #396

Posted 12-23-2008 08:26 AM EST

Anonymous

The term Paralegal and Legal Assistant are interchangeable. Depending on who you work for they will call you either.

What state are you in? I believe some states do have official certification programs. You can also go to school for this--some school offer 2 year degrees, and there are some programs that are not degrees, they are programs that last a few months.

Anyone can get a paralegal/legal assistant job without any type of certification or schooling.

Some paralegals bascially do legal secretary work, while some do real legal work--it all depends on your situation.

Hope this help, good luck.

Post #397

Posted 12-29-2008 12:34 AM EST

Anonymous

I agree that technically they are considered the same. Generally the term paralegal is used more for someone who basically does legal work specifically (e.g., reviewing and drafting documents), and legal assistant is a bit more general. For instance, I worked for a lawyer as the only "staff" and I was doing both legal work and maintaining the trust and operating accounts, answering the phones, etc., so when he asked whether to call me a paralegal or a legal assistant I decided on legal assistant.

In a way it's analogous to Physician Assistant, a formally trained and licensed medical professional who tests and diagnoses but cannot write prescriptions, versus "physician's assistant". When deciding on the formal title, the AMA chose to leave off the possessive because "physician's assistant" could be interpreted as "any helper". But it is correct that technically "paralegal" and "legal assistant" are considered interchangeable and which is used depends on the particular boss or company practice.

There is also the matter of different connotations, similar to "lawyer" versus "attorney". To the general public "legal assistant" sounds like "general helper with a fancy secretarial title", but "paralegal" sounds like, "almost an attorney."

Post #398

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