The differences between a Legal Assistant and a Paralegal

[@edwardteague7964]

Thank you, Eda. I'm an elite paralegal with a law firm on contract that specializes in state and federal habeas corpus and I own my company in this field. You are absolutely correct and I appreciate your sharing this with those within our profession. I must say that I have a legal assistant who works with us and I couldn't do my job as well as I do without her assistance. She is awesome. Actually, my attorney-clients and I sometimes invite her to participate in strategy because we want her to advance her skill set and because she's got a sharp legal mind, too. The bottom line is we are a team seeking the very best outcome for the client.

[@letstalkparalegal]

That is great!! So glad to hear!! Thank you for your comment!!

[@intentionalhome]

This is so awesome!

[@preparedlegal]

In California, Legal Document Assistants (LDAs) (Formerly known as Independent Paralegals) are non-attorney legal professionals who already provide competent legal services to the public for the past 20+ years. The current system where legal knowledge is privileged is not serving or protecting the consumer or our country. We need to empower the Consumer to act through knowledge and by breaking up the legal monopoly which is UPL.

[@letstalkparalegal]

I love this! I'll be headed to San Diego in August. I have many clients from California. Very innovating things happening. Hopefully we can make a change for the better soon!

[@honeypineda9804]

Wow thank you for this information. I have an interview tomorrow. Very nervous i told them i have no experience. They said they came across my application on indeed. Which is very true I felt like its something i can do. But now I'm even more nervous!!! I went to school for medical biller. I have had the worst time getting a job in the field i went to school for every place wants experience and dont have time to train.😤😔!! So I figured I would apply here since it says they will train the right candidate😁😀 well this has made me feel better so I agreed to interview.😊 WISH ME LUCK. what can u advise me on interview tips.🤔🤷‍♀️

[@letstalkparalegal]

I have a video on interview tips. It's on my Talks with Eda Rosa playlist... let me know what you think! Good luck!

[@ikeacha4153]

@@letstalkparalegal So it boils down to experience is what I'm hearing you say. I guess my follow-up question/curiosity would be: could one be promoted from assistant to paralegal status within the same firm after x number of years, or would it just be better to reapply elsewhere after say 3-5 years at that point looking for paralegal jobs? I think the confusing aspect is ultimately that many applications still say "Paralegal/Legal Assistant." It will take time for everybody to consciously note the differences.

[@letstalkparalegal]

@@ikeacha4153 yes absolutely 🤗

[@letstalkparalegal]

We have a video on transitioning positions as well. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnqkXp18bdJ3nsU

[@laurajane4806]

@@ikeacha4153 Most firms break it up by billable/non-billable. In a perfect world, everything non-billable is done by the Legal Assistant and the Paralegal would perform tasks that are billable. I've worked in several law firms and my experience is different than she describes. Usually, the Legal Assistant works directly for the lawyers as does the Paralegal and the lawyers divvy tasks to both depending on whether its billable or not. An example of a team might be Lawyer A, Lawyer B and their shared legal assistant. A paralegal often works for two or three of these teams. Many firms have one paralegal that works for everybody. Most things Paralegals do are now done with technology that didn't exist before. For example: Bates stamping used to involve an actual "stamp" by hand device wherein the number increased with each stamp. Document production was done by hand and now its scanned into the computer and then dealt with via software. These tasks soon became "overhead" tasks and roles changed. Paralegal/Legal Assistant means its a hybrid job and you'll be performing both. Get whatever title you can and learn everything you can at work (not in textbooks), and every 3 years you will be extremely marketable for better and better jobs :-)

[@smartafridigr8322]

U are too kind and helpful

[@twentysixlinx327]

Nicely done

[@letstalkparalegal]

Thank you!

[@lesliewilliams5510]

Thank you:)

[@letstalkparalegal]

You're welcome 😁 let me know of there is anything else I can help with

[@hannankhalid1921]

What's the difference between "Legal Assistant" and "Lawyer"?

[@letstalkparalegal]

See the difference between a paralegal and a lawyer video. It's the same concept.

[@laurajane4806]

A lawyer is a member of the Bar and is an officer of the court. A legal assistant is a clerical person who performs legal administrative tasks. A legal assistant is ethically barred from giving legal advice.

[@lyndajay4407]

The money 😁

[@thegoldenland]

Is it possible a normal person fight at court by getting assistance from paralegal without lawyer?

[@letstalkparalegal]

It is possible. Depending on your jurisdiction a paralegal may assist you in preparation of documents and legal research mostly for immigration and family law. Some USA states now even have limited licensing options for paralegals to obtain and they would be able to provide limited legal advice and represent you in Court.

[@thegoldenland]

@@letstalkparalegal Thank you for yr reply. I don't understand why they don't get lawyer license. They knows everything already. Lawyers don't have super brain. A lot of lawyers are sloppy and they don't have good judgement. I can even read the code and argue that cause of action does not apply to code.

[@letstalkparalegal]

@@thegoldenland many reasons why they do not get a bar or JD .. the top 3 reasons are it's very costly and at time you do not see the return on investment until 5-10 years later, secondly liability in being a lawyer is very high and suspectable to many law suits against them, the third and most common are they don't want to be lawyers and have that responsibility they just want to do the research draft and provide customer service

[@thegoldenland]

@@letstalkparalegal Good to know. Thanks ~

[@smartafridigr8322]

Plz can u suggest which is good as a career paralegal or work law clerk plz

[@letstalkparalegal]

It depends on what you want to do. Paralegals have different levels. Stay tuned as I will be recording a video on the different levels of paralegals. A law clerk depending on what jurisdiction you're in would most likely need to be a JD student which in turn a litigation paralegal can do just a lot the same.

[@smartafridigr8322]

@@letstalkparalegal plzzzzz do I willl wait is it the same in Canada as well

[@letstalkparalegal]

@@smartafridigr8322 it depends on where in Canada

[@smartafridigr8322]

@@letstalkparalegal in onterio dear

[@letstalkparalegal]

Ontario had many options for paralegals for limited practice. Checkout the Let's talk paralegal podcast interview with Rebecca Tripp (paralegal from Canada)

[@sarahthelibrarian7591]

I’m so sorry, but it’s pronounced “differ-in-chee-ate,” or “ˌdɪfəˈrenʃiˌeɪt.”

[@letstalkparalegal]

That's what happens when you speak 3 languages. You get tongue tide .. thank you for your comment.

[@sergioalmasy8722]

I'm sorry, but it's pronounced "differ-ren-she-ate (spelt: differentiate). At least in British English😁😁