LexisNexis Paralegal Community

Get started on your legal research:
Go to www.lexis.com
 
New User?
Sign Out 
Subscribe Now
For questions and feedback,
contact us.
Need additional help with your research? Contact Customer Support 24/7 at 800-543-6862.
FAQ/Help
To participate in the forum, you must first login and create a screen name.

Paralegal Career Forum
8/28/2007 3:22:40 PM EST
Paralegal vs. Legal Assistant - which job title is preferred?
The ABA categorizes legal assistant and paralegal into the same career bucket, stating their definition of a legal assistant/paralegal is as follows: “A legal assistant or paralegal is a person, qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.”
 
This current definition of "legal assistant/paralegal,” adopted in 1997, replaces the definition adopted by the ABA Board of Governors in 1986. It adds the term "paralegal" since "legal assistant" and "paralegal" are supposedly, in practice, used interchangeably. According to the ABA Standing Committee on Paralegals, the current definition …”more accurately reflects how legal assistants are presently being utilized in the delivery of legal services.” The term that is preferred and most frequently used generally depends on what part of the country one is from. 
Do you prefer the title of Legal Assistant or Paralegal?  Are the two titles really interchangeable, or does “legal assistant” encompass too many other roles, detracting from the real value of a Paralegal's expertise?

Comments
Vicky Stevens
Subject: Paralegal vs. Legal Assistant - which job title is preferred?
Date Posted: 9/20/2007 8:48:28 AM

I believe the terms Legal Assistant and Paralegal should not be interchangeable. I have completed my associate degree to work as a Paralegal and I completed my undergraduate degree. There are secretaries that give themselves the title of Legal Assistant that have not achieved added extra years of education. I think this is what distinguishes the Legal Assistant from the Paralegal. I would like to see Paralegal Associations to promote required standards for the Paralegal prosfession.

  • Collapse BR in Fort Worth, TX 9/20/2007 5:06:38 PM subject: response to Vicky Stevens
    I''m with you, Vicky. In Texas the State Bar has a division dedicated to us that used to be the Legal Assistant Division but is now the Paralegal Division because secretaries are being called legal assistants. I worked hard to pass NALA's 2-day test to become a CP, and to pass the Texas test to become a Board Certified Paralegal in Civil Trial, administered by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Since many attorneys are now calling their secretaries Legal Assistants, I'm particularly happy to see that the State Bar of Texas recognizes there's a difference.
    • Collapse waterlillies 9/24/2007 4:12:12 PM subject: response to BR in Fort Worth, TX
      Since you are a CP, you can put those initials after your name, plus the word "Paralegal," and you are distinguished not only from the majority of paralegals (who did not earn a CP) but also from Legal Secretaries. There is still nothing wrong with calling Legal Secretaries, who ARE assistants also, Legal Assistants.
  • Collapse waterlillies 9/24/2007 4:10:14 PM subject: response to Vicky Stevens
    Some people have Paralegal certificates but like being Legal Secretaries. There is a wide range in the work involved and the amount of education and knowledge different Legal Secretaries have. There IS a difference in NON-legal (general) secretaries, Medical Secretaries, and Legal Secretaries; and SOME legal knowledge is required to be a Legal Secretary. Instead of shutting out Legal Secretaries, why not just consider them "elementary paralegals?" Maybe have a "Legal Secretaries Division" of the Paralegal groups?
    • Collapse waterlillies 9/25/2007 10:53:27 AM subject: response to waterlillies
      Legal Secretaries who do not have a Paralegal Certificate might not be interested in joining a Paralegal group anyway. I wonder how many would even join, even if there were such a thing as a "Legal Secretaries Division" in a Paralegal association.
  • Collapse gingerdserpas 10/1/2007 12:40:16 PM subject: response to Vicky Stevens
    I also agree with you, Vicky. In our firm, the term "legal assistant" is used to refer to those not certified and/or not having attained a degree in the paralegal profession, (aka legal secretaries and/or paralegal assistants).The two are definitely distinguishable.
  • Collapse Oblon's Lauren 10/4/2007 12:26:05 PM subject: response to Vicky Stevens
    I am certain your monetary compensation more than adequately distinguishes you from a fellow who has no formal training. Also it makes no real difference if the firm you are employed by does not know how to utilize a Legal Assistant/Paralegal appropriately or the firm has more associates vying for the billable work. I personally see no problem with people entering the legal field gaining experience enough to be classified as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal. Many of these people are highly valued by their employers and do in many cases go on to get formal training. It is commendable that you have earned your degrees, however I believe many people worry that the expense they'd incur while obtaining numerous degrees, etc. would not match actual compensation. Again in many firms [not all] no matter what certificates, etc. a Legal Assistant/Paralegal holds, the recognition as a "professional" is majorly lacking. In a perfect world there would not be so much emphasis placed on Distinction/Discrimination.
    • Collapse waterlillies 10/5/2007 4:41:11 PM subject: response to Oblon's Lauren
      I agree with Oblon's Lauren. The education obtained will (hopefully) bring greater compensation. If a Legal Secretary is called a Legal Assistant and that person has a Paralegal Certificate and/or enough experience & knowledge in the legal area, it will (hopefully) be reflected in the compensation. Also, the recognition as a professional for Legal Secretaries / Legal Assistants / Paralegals - that is a big problem, especially with some arrogant lawyers who act in an abusive way to staff members, whatever the staff member's title, experience, or education.
      • Collapse princez916 10/9/2007 11:28:58 AM subject: response to waterlillies
        I've worked in a few firms that pay the secretaries more than the paralegals. At my last firm, I referred to myself as a legal assistant because I performed paralegal duties as well as secretarial duties, so I felt legal assistant encompassed both. I have my B.S. in political science/pre-law, with minors in paralegal studies and business communication. I'm currently attending law school full-time at night and work in a law firm full-time during the day. I run into problems with the question "do you have a paralegal certificate?" I''m not sure how to answer. Paralegal studies is part of my undergrad degree and I have my law school classes to date, but I didn''t attend a paralegal school. Does anyone else have the same sort of issue?
        • Collapse waterlillies 10/10/2007 3:58:33 PM subject: response to princez916
          Some of the problem is that the term "secretary" has come to mean (to some people), someone who does her nails all day. That is why many Legal Secretaries do not like that title anymore and want to be called Legal Assistants - NOT because they want to be Paralegals without having to get a certificate. Most are not interested in Paralegal work or they WOULD study for and earn the certificate (or as princez916 did, take other relevant courses). I think there is a lot of overlap in the work that is done by both, anyway, in a lot of law firms. It seems like Paralegals are more likely to keep databases, for example, and Legal Secretaries / Legal Assistants are more likely to do the traditional secretarial work and some also do some paralegal work. There are Legal Secretary/Paralegal jobs, Legal Assistant jobs, Legal Secretary/ Bookkeeper jobs, and plain Paralegal jobs. It seems like there are a lot of combinations available. I agree with princez916 - the Legal Assistant title can mean both.
  • Collapse Sarchie 11/3/2007 11:04:25 PM subject: response to Vicky Stevens
    I agree even though I don't currently work in a law firm. I've obtained my associates and undergraduate degree in Paralegal/Legal Studies. With the extra effort I would prefer being called a Paralegal as oppose to a Legal Assistant.
the college boy
Subject: Paralegal vs. Legal Assistant - which job title is preferred?
Date Posted: 9/20/2007 2:58:27 PM

I believe the term Legal Assistant should be earned. I am now studying to be a paralegal and I enjoy it. It is a lot of work and someone who wants to be called a legal assistant should earn the title.

paltstatt
Subject: Paralegal vs. Legal Assistant - which job title is preferred?
Date Posted: 9/24/2007 5:31:35 PM

After working hard to earn the CLA and later the ACP designation, I feel that paralegal should be the title of choice. I agree with Vicky that the legal secretary should not be considered a legal assistant. This has been an ongoing battle with our paralegal association to educate attorneys in our area of what a paralegal/legal assistant is and how they are different from a legal secretary. I was a legal secretary for many years, and chose to advance my career and become a paralegal. There are too many new to the legal profession (no experience) who come in as secretaries and immediately consider themselves a legal assistant. It makes the paralegal profession look bad when you have a secretary sign a letter as "legal assistant" enclosing documents for production but not bates-labeling them or identifying them in any way. A paralegal knows that you never let a document out the door without a bates-number or other form of identification. This example is a personal experience and very embarassing when I had to go back to opposing counsel to confirm what documents had been sent over (the case involved over 10,000 pages of produced documents). If the legal secretary doesn't want to be called legal secretary, then he/she should simply be referred to as "assistant to named attorney" rather than misleading the client and public that they are a legal assistant when they are employed in a clerical capacity.

  • Collapse waterlillies 9/25/2007 10:48:59 AM subject: response to paltstatt
    Most Legal Secretaries would know about the bates numbers, except ones without much experience. Also, the attorney is at fault for not supervising a non-lawyer assistant, especially one without much experience.
redz
Subject: Paralegal vs. Legal Assistant - which job title is preferred?
Date Posted: 1/25/2008 3:40:36 PM

i agree with vicky- there should be some distinction between legal secretaries, paralegals and legal assistants - my state has no laws about that. i too spent countless hours in class learning the ins & outs about the legal profession and am now studying diligently to take the NALA exam. I have worked hard for this and think that others who just walk in off the street w/o the proper knowledge, should be called legal secretaries until they have earned the right to be called legal assistant. Time and money spent earns me the right to be called a professional "paralegal". What can we do about this?

  • Collapse waterlillies 2/3/2008 3:59:37 PM subject: response to redz
    Legal Secretaries who do more of the bookkeeping and non-legal work than the legal work consider themselves "Legal Assistants" also, simply because they work in a lawfirm. "Assistant" just means someone who assists, anyway. I do not think there are many (if any) Legal Secretaries who would call themselves Paralegals, although Legal Secretaries who have taken on enough paralegal tasks in addition to their secretarial work, or who are working on a paralegal certificate, might call themselves a "Legal Secretary/Paralegal." It seems like "Legal Assistant" is a medium gray area between the two.
    • Collapse dottie hunter 2/20/2008 10:52:34 PM subject: response to waterlillies
      Paralegal
Bookmark this site now...for quick access to resources that can help you succeed.