Artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications are at the forefront of discussion about how the digital age could affect existing areas of business and society, such as how the law is practiced and applied.   In this article, we will be looking at how the advent of artificial intelligence could impact law firms and the paralegals who work for them. What Impact Could AI Have on Paralegals? AI has boundless applications in a huge range of fields, such as the medical, legal, and educational sectors, but its particular use in legal research, one of the areas of responsibility for many..

Unlike a lot of modern workplaces, the need for staffing in law offices fluctuates depending on a significant number of factors and certain cases may require a significant increase in personpower in order to cover the required legal ground.   Legal departments rarely take on levels of work and activity that can be categorized as consistent. Some duties, such as tax preparation, governmental reporting, and compliance, are almost entirely seasonal. Casework and legal procedures can lead to a dramatic increase in staffing needs, with their completion meaning a dramatic decrease, over the course of a year.   The reality is..

Working as a paralegal means working in a critical behind the scenes role, processing and handling different types of evidence that can prove vital in helping lawyers crack their cases.    In this article, we’ll be looking at five of the most common types of evidence you can expect to be working with as a paralegal. Direct evidence  Direct evidence is one of the most common forms of evidence that you can expect to be dealing with. Alongside circumstantial evidence, direct evidence makes up one of the two types of so-called “primary evidence”.   The exact nature of direct evidence..

Changing your career can be daunting at any stage of your life, but picking a new career later in life can be particularly challenging. If you are considering making the move to start a new career as a legal secretary, here are some factors that you should take into  Consider Your Current Career Carefully If you don’t like the day to day tasks you perform in your job, try to look more closely at which parts, in particular, demotivate you.   Money is not always the most important factor, but it should definitely be considered before you look at moving..

Legal administrative assistants play a vital role in our modern legal system, providing essential administrative support to lawyers and paralegals. However, the terminology around the job role can sometimes make identifying exactly what the job role contains a little tricky.   The legal administrative assistant is often confused with the “legal assistant” which the American Bar Associate lists as another term for Paralegal. To make things clearer, we’ve put together a short guide on the responsibilities and duties that make up a day in the life of a legal administrative assistant. What is a Legal Administrative Assistant? The American Bar..

Criminal Law What is criminal law? Criminal law concerns itself with finding and punishing people who have broken the law by committing crimes. The goal of criminal law is to uncover the true perpetrator of a crime and exact justice. Criminal law includes a wide range of crimes, from homicides to pirating copyrighted material.   What do criminal law paralegals do? Criminal law paralegals can work for the prosecution or the defense. In both cases, paralegals will help attorneys prepare for trial by gathering evidence, arranging for witness interviews and filing legal documents with the court. During a trial, they..

Getting a position in the field of law has always come with the perception that you need to spend many years and thousands of dollars on becoming a lawyer. The reality is that most law firms wouldn’t be able to without their vital paralegals, and training to become a paralegal can take as little as nine months! The importance of paralegals to the modern legal sector can be seen in the rising demand for them. Employment for Paralegals is expected to increase 8% from 2014-2024, faster than average for all occupations according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics...

Strong writing skills are essential to your job as a paralegal. The legal industry relies on good communication, and written communication is one of the most commonly relied upon modes. Between emails and letters to clients, opposing counsel, and court officers and various pleadings and responses, paralegals play an important role in helping ensure that the law firm clearly transmits its message. Present Your Position In Active Voice You can find a lot of great tutorials out there about how you can learn to write in active voice. I’ll give you the same advice I received in high school from..

As a freelance paralegal, you are able to be your own boss and provide your paralegal services to clients on an as”needed basis.” Because you are not an employee of the client, there is usually a fixed term that this work would occur over, anywhere from a few days to a number of months. Who Hires Freelance Paralegals A law firm or attorney might hire a freelance paralegal to work for them when they have more work than they can handle by themselves. This particular arrangement works out well for both the client and the paralegal, as the client will..

Part of excelling as a paralegal is keeping abreast of technologies that could have a significant affect your field. For those specialising in criminal law advances in law enforcement technology are especially important, as they can have a fundamental effect on the cases you may find yourself working on. To help you keep up to date with with potentially significant changes in how technology is changing law enforcement we’ve listed eight examples of advanced equipment that are in use today.   Handheld laser spectroscopy devices Handheld laser spectroscopy devices are used to determine the chemical composition of an unknown substance...