What Is A Paralegal?
A paralegal is someone with formal legal training who helps attorneys prepare for cases. Paralegals answer questions from clients and explain legal documents, so the attorneys have more time to get ready for their case.
Paralegal responsibilities can include:
- Interviewing clients
- Preparing legal documents for court or for client signatures
- Conducting legal research
- Reviewing case files
- Filing appeals with the opposition
- Attending legal proceedings
- Summarizing testimonies and depositions
Because the position requires knowledge of US law, paralegals are often required to have an associate or bachelor’s degree in:
- Legal studies
- Criminology
- Criminal justice
- Pre-law
- Another relevant field
Though paralegals have specialized knowledge of legal matters, they aren’t qualified lawyers—which means they can’t offer legal advice or represent clients.
What Is A Legal Secretary?
A legal secretary is often confused with a legal assistant, but though they sound similar, these roles have different duties. Legal secretaries perform customer service and administrative duties for legal professionals.
Legal secretary responsibilities can include:
- Transcribing dictation
- Producing and proofreading legal documents and correspondence
- Communicating with witnesses and clients to schedule interviews and meetings
- Attending court proceedings
- Preparing and sending out bills and resolving billing issues
- Providing general administrative support like calendar maintenance and travel arrangements
- Organizing and maintaining documents in both paper and electronic form
There are no formal education requirements for legal secretaries, though it’s recommended that they have at least an associate’s degree in:
- Political science
- Public policy
- Business
- Psychology
- English
There are also professional certifications available for legal secretaries, such as Accredited Legal Professional, Professional Legal Secretary, Certified Legal Professional, and Certified Legal Secretary Specialist.
Paralegal Vs. Legal Secretary: A Comparison
The roles of paralegal vs legal secretary do have a lot in common, but they also share a few differences. In this section, we’ll go over the similarities and differences of the two positions.
The Similarities
Both legal secretaries and paralegals are there to support the attorneys at the law firm. These positions come into greater contact with clients than attorneys do and focus on the day-to-day of the office so attorneys can focus on cases.
Although neither of these roles are official lawyers, they work alongside legal professionals to support caseloads and perform administrative duties.
The Differences
Paralegals have more to do with the legal aspects of the law profession, while legal secretaries do more administrative work. Paralegals are more involved in court processes and hold more responsibilities since they are highly visible within the law community.
Legal secretaries, on the other hand, play a supportive role through helping with document preparation and other duties. Though they may be present at court proceedings, this has more to do with staying up to date on cases and transcribing them—not to provide input.
Which One Should You Hire?
This really depends on what duties you need help with at your organization. If you’re looking for someone to shoulder more responsibility—like collecting research, conducting interviews, and preparing statements—then hiring a paralegal would be the best choice.
If what you need is organizational and administrative help—such as organizing files, scheduling meetings, and ensuring that the attorneys can focus on their cases without getting bogged down by routine tasks—then you should consider hiring a legal secretary.
Due to the increased responsibilities of paralegals, they do typically receive higher pay than legal secretaries. Keep that in mind as you budget for which position to hire.
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