Interview with a Legal Assistant - Misconceptions and Continuing Education

For the last few Fridays we have been publishing an interview with a legal secretary from New York, Ellen Adams, to help give you an idea about what a legal assistant career is like. This vocation is expected to grow at a faster-than-expected rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it a reliable career choice for the future.

1. Are there other fields related to law that students may want to consider? Well, the paralegal field is another option. I feel it was developed because long ago due to the fact that the first year associates complained about not wanting to do the “grunt work.” I consider that a “bridge” between legal secretarial and deciding whether or not you want to go to law school and become an attorney. Paralegals need the same skills – attention to detail, great time management skills, diplomatic skills, etc., to be successful in that area of legal work. Paralegals also need a strong foundation in legal concepts and vocabulary, along with technical training in specialized areas — such as corporate law, bankruptcy, intellectual property law, just to name a few areas of concentration. You need to develop the theoretical skills and receive the practical training necessary to get the job done successfully. Paralegals work under the supervision of an attorney and are able to perform all functions of a lawyer except giving legal advice. No matter what you decide, there is a lot to learn in the legal profession. Managing clerks, docketing (keeping court calendars for all attorneys in the firm) clerks, records management are also areas to consider. Each of these will require training. Some of these things can be learned on the job, but not all of them can be, and you are often better off taking any courses at the local college or university to learn all that you will need to successfully assist the attorneys. Many colleges and universities offer certificates and/or diploma programs that help you prepare for work in this capacity.
2. Are there recommended continuing education opportunities for your profession? Yes and no. The same courses that I mentioned above will help you expand your knowledge of the law and what is required to assist an attorney effectively and efficiently. Taking continuing education courses in different areas (such as fundamentals of business law, licensing of intellectual property, or fundamentals of equal employment opportunity law, just as an example) will help you improve your interactions with the legal profession or within the firm that you might work, so I would say it definitely could not hurt. However, unless you make the decision to become a paralegal or legal specialist, the next step is law school. Other than that, you choose an area that interests you that may have absolutely nothing to do with law, and go on from there to pursue other fields in which you may have a strong interest. The one thing working at a law firm will do afford you the opportunity to see how it all works from the inside, and that will help you decide if you want to continue in your role as a secretary or move on to another career within law or outside of the law. Sometimes, it helps you decide that you are fine with “blooming where you are planted;” other times, you decide to choose another career path altogether. But you definitely will get an education no matter what you decide.
   
   
3. What misconceptions do people have about being a legal secretary? I already knew that I didn’t want to be an attorney. … However, I was interested in law, so I chose the legal secretarial route. I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to do, but I was mistaken. It is hard, but it is definitely manageable. I think that some people can romanticize any profession, but it is tough work and, as I mentioned earlier, not for the faint-hearted. You need a thick skin. We are not talking Perry Mason or L.A. Law or Boston Legal here. Those are exaggerations, to say the least. It can be interesting, it can be enlightening, it can be (on a rare occasion) fun, but it is never dull and can be quite intense.All in all, it’s been an interesting career.

In case you missed it, here’s the first two parts of the blog mini-series.

• Interview with a Legal Assistant Part I - A Rewarding Day on the Job
• Interview with a Legal Assistant Part II - Advice, Challenges, and Preparation