You have decided to become a paralegal and want to know what jobs you can get with a paralegal certificate. The answer is simple: whatever job you’d like! Before you rule yourself out of only being able to work in the legal world by getting your paralegal certificate, you should know that there are two types of paralegals — those who work for lawyers and those who work for non-lawyers. Not all jobs are created equal, and it is important to think about the type of job you would like.
Paralegal certificates are one of the most popular types of legal training in the country, and for good reason. Getting your paralegal certificate can open up a lot of doors, and give you a leg up on other job seekers.
But what do paralegals actually do? What kind of jobs can you get with a paralegal certificate? It’s important to know what these jobs entail before you decide whether or not to pursue them.
Here are some popular jobs that require a paralegal certificate:
Legal assistant – A legal assistant works under an attorney, performing administrative duties and helping their boss complete work-related tasks. This usually involves research, typing documents, maintaining databases, and working with clients on behalf of their attorney.
Court reporter – Court reporters are tasked with taking down everything that happens in court during trials and hearings. They take notes on what’s being said by witnesses or lawyers, as well as judges’ instructions; then they type up transcripts of these events so that everyone can refer back to them later on if needed. Court reporters must have excellent typing skills as well as good listening skills since they’ll be listening carefully
What jobs can you get with a paralegal certificate
Introduction
Paralegal work is a growing industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the paralegal job market will be growing by 8 percent in the next 10 years. That’s much higher than other professions. If you work as a paralegal, you’ll be able to find a job almost anywhere in the world.
Paralegals work in a variety of settings, including law firms, private corporations, government agencies and the court system.
Paralegals work in a variety of settings, including law firms, private corporations, government agencies and the court system. They may also be employed by other organizations that provide legal services to their clients.
For example:
- A paralegal working for a city government might help people with applications for public benefits such as food stamps or housing assistance.
- A paralegal working for an insurance company might assist in settling claims made against the company by its customers.
- A paralegal working for a large law firm might handle document retrieval and indexing as part of documents discovery process during litigation proceedings (such as contract disputes).
Legal research is a critical skill for paralegals.
In your role as a paralegal, you’ll be tasked with performing legal research. That means finding answers to questions related to the law, but not performing actual legal work. Paralegals need to have an extensive knowledge of the law and ways to find those answers quickly and accurately. You will spend most of your time researching information for attorneys or clients so that they can make decisions about their cases.
It’s important that you can easily understand how laws apply in different situations, because this will allow you to find relevant cases and laws faster than someone who doesn’t know what they’re looking for yet. You’ll also need some experience using computers so that you can locate case citations quickly when needed (more on this later).
Paralegals perform many administrative duties in addition to legal research.
- Prepare correspondence. Paralegals are responsible for drafting and maintaining letters, memos, and other documents. They also prepare formal letters with the attorney’s signature on them to send to clients and opposing parties in a case.
- Organize files. In addition to creating a filing system for new cases, paralegals create files for existing cases as well, which may include witness lists or exhibits that need to be added when relevant evidence comes in during the case.
- Perform research. Paralegal duties can involve extensive research into legal issues surrounding your personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit so that you have enough information to make decisions about how your case should proceed forward. This includes researching precedents set by previous court decisions related to similar cases; gathering data from previous cases’ verdicts; compiling statistics on similar injuries; reviewing medical records; interviewing witnesses who were present at the time of an injury; reviewing police reports; conducting personal interviews with those involved (such as eyewitnesses), etcetera.”
Real estate closings are another important task for paralegals.
Real estate closings are another important task for paralegals. When you buy or sell property, there is a lot of paperwork involved in the process. A real estate closing involves the transfer of property deed and other documents that must be signed by all parties involved in the transaction. The lawyers representing both buyers and sellers will want their own paralegals present to ensure each party is aware of all terms of agreements. Paralegals at real estate closings may also be tasked with preparing and serving legal papers on behalf of their employer, such as notices informing someone that they must provide information related to an ongoing case or lawsuit.
Keeping case files organized is another important task for paralegals.
You’ll also be responsible for keeping case files organized. This can include sorting through documents, filing them in the correct order, or filing them away after they’ve been used so that you can easily find them when you need them. This is a vital part of your job because it enables you to make sure all information is up-to-date and accessible when needed by others. If a client calls with a question about their case, you’ll want to be able to quickly look up what they need in order to answer their questions—and if you don’t have an organized system set up, it could take too much time and cause frustration for both parties involved.
Paralegals have many different tasks to perform at work.
Paralegals have many different tasks to perform at work. They have to be able to keep track of many different things and they are given instructions by their bosses. They also need the ability to work well with others, especially if they will be working in a law office where there may be other paralegals and lawyers around them.
Conclusion
Paralegals are a critical part of the legal system. If you are interested in becoming one, it’s important to understand the different tasks you will be expected to perform once you land your first job. There is no one size fits all description for a paralegal position because they work in so many different environments, from corporations and government agencies to law firms and courts. However, there are certain skills that most paralegals must have—including research abilities, communication skills and organization skills—in order for them to succeed at their jobs. If this sounds like something that interests you then consider getting started by looking into local programs today!