The Legal Assistant assists layers by doing research legal precedent, investigating facts, or preparing legal documents. The Legal Assistant must know how to use the internet in order to do some of the research work.

Primary Responsibilities:

• The Legal Assistant is in charge of doing research work to verify facts for the attorney.
• The Legal Assistant often prepares documents that the attorney needs to initiate legal action.
• Sometimes the documentation maybe used in court action cases for lawsuits.

The legal documents that a Legal Assistant may prepare are:

• Briefs for the attorney
• Pleadings that the attorney uses during a trial
• Appeals
• Wills
• Contracts
• Real Estate Closings

The Legal Assistant is responsible for preparing affidavits or other documents, maintaining the document files and file pleadings with court clerks. The Legal Assistant gathers and analyzes research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes and documents to help the attorney prepare his case for the client. The investigation of facts and law of cases to determine causes of action and preparing case material is hard tedious work. This saves the attorney from spending much of their precious time that is why a Legal Assistant is very valuable in a law firm. The Legal Assistant is the one who directs and coordinate law office activities which includes the delivery of subpoenas.

The Legal Assistant may arbitrate disputes between parties and assist in real estate closings. The Legal Assistant often keeps and monitors legal volumes up-to-date to ensure that the firm’s law library is up-to-date. The Law Assistant must have a good knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. The Legal Assistant must have full knowledge of laws, legal codes, court precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

The Legal Assistant must have good administrative and clerical skills. The Legal Assistant must have knowledge of computer hardware and software programs. The use of word processing is a must for a Legal Assistant. The Legal Assistant manages files and records as well as doing stenography and transcription for the attorney. Many Legal Assistants go to court hearings in order to take notes. The Legal Assistant designs forms so must be fully aware of legal terminology in order to create new forms. The Legal Assistant must have knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including application and programming.

The Legal Assistant has constant customer contact so it is essential that people skills are good in order to perform personal services. The Legal Assistant must be able to assess clients, provide for their needs meeting quality standards for services provided. The Legal Assistant must have good administration and management skills in order to operate in the legal environment. The Legal Assistant must have the ability to be involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resource modeling, leadership techniques, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

The Legal Assistant must possess certain skill requirements in order to function in their position in the law office. Time Management is vital for yourself and others that work with you in the office. The Legal Assistant must have good active listening ability giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking the time to understand the points being made, asking appropriate questions and not interrupting at inappropriate times. The Legal Assistant must be able to write effectively for the audience that the memo is directed. The Legal Assistant must be capable to speak to others conveying information very effectively. The Legal Assistant should be able to understand the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Sometimes the Legal Assistant needs to be able to adjust actions in relation to others actions on a fast pace setting. This requires the ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Often the Legal Assistant monitors and assesses the performance of their own actions as well as the actions of others. This is all part of being able to work as a Legal Assistant in a law firm or with an attorney in private practice.

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