What is the Difference Between a Legal Assistant And a Paralegal

If you think the law profession only contains lawyers and judges, that is not the case. There are many other professional people besides the judges and lawyers. Various assistants also play a great role in the subsiding of various affairs. However, legal and paralegal assistants are the main pillars. People are unaware of the difference between a legal and a paralegal assistant.

In this blog, you will know more in detail about who is a legal assistant and who is a paralegal assistant. We will also inform you about the differences between legal and paralegal assistants. So let us dive into the topic.

Who is a Legal Assistant?

A legal assistant is a person who performs administrative tasks on behalf of the lawyer. A lawyer is busy and has to study the cases of the people in detail to win them. However, if he is doing administrative tasks too by himself, it can cause several problems. That is why a legal assistant performs all the administrative tasks that a lawyer might need.

A legal assistant performs communication with the clients on behalf of the lawyer. He also does legal research regarding the client’s history, documents all the process appropriately and writes the case in a way to be understood by the lawyer.

Who is a Paralegal Assistant?

A paralegal assistant also somewhat performs the same tasks as a legal assistant. However, the main difference is that paralegal assistants must get a certificate first.

A paralegal assistant can also perform the tasks independently and can describe and perform the process of hearing in court. Still, they are mostly hired by the law firms to help with their lawyers in the investigation, report building, documentation of the whole process of crime and other features. Becoming a legal or a paralegal assistant can both have great value. However, paralegal assistants can lead more successful life due to the private setup they make.

Difference Between Legal and a Paralegal Assistant

There is not much difference between legal and paralegal assistants. Both of them work for clients and share the same major responsibilities. However, paralegal assistants can earn more through their setup in which they perform all their functions independently. Legal assistants need to work with the senior lawyers and do work for them. The major work is investigating, writing reports, communicating with clients, accounting and other such tasks.

Let us have a different close look at the difference between legal and paralegal assistants.

Major Difference

The major difference between legal and paralegal assistants is that legal assistants are more concerned with administrative tasks. However, the paralegal who performs administrative tasks can perform other tasks and are certified professional for a specific task. They are technical assistants and are capable of performing tasks in a better way. Paralegals have certificates, whereas legal do not have and work on behalf of the lawyers. You can become a legal assistant while studying for the certificate of paralegal assistant so that you can have a better idea about the job of a paralegal assistant.

How Should You Choose between Legal and Paralegal Assistant Professions?

Just know that becoming a paralegal is better than becoming a legal assistant when you want to choose it as a profession. To become a paralegal assistant, you need to get a certificate of paralegal assistance. You must also practice and gain first-hand work experience as a legal assistant to perform later as a paralegal assistant. Becoming a paralegal assistant would allow you to work independently, apart from being concerned with lawyers. So it is better to choose to be a paralegal assistant.

Experience

The paralegal and legal assistants have almost the same kind of experience, but the paralegals are more efficient than the legal assistants because of their certifications. A paralegal assistant studies the cases of different clients in their period of studying for clients. A person can become a legal assistant while studying for the certificate of paralegal assistance and gain first-hand knowledge by working in the lawyer’s office and helping them.

Duty

The main duty of both legal and paralegal assistants is almost the same, i.e., client-related duties, answering their queries, etc. however, paralegal assistants have more technical duties, whereas legal assistants have more administrative duties. They mainly check the client’s profiles for immigration from Abu Dhabi, guide them through the process and make good summaries regarding their history.

They make accurate reports and answer the queries of the clients but are not capable of signing the papers as it is only possible through a prosecutor or a lawyer. The legal and paralegal assistants will efficiently guide you through the process of immigration through their experience.

Money they Charge

The legal and the paralegal assistants charge differently. The paralegal assistants charge more compared to the legal assistants. The reason is that paralegal assistants have certificates and more experience and exposure than legal assistants. The paralegal assistants have the authority to guide and process the applications with their signatures. At the same time, the legal assistants cannot do so. Paralegal assistants can also perform several tasks on their own. However, legal assistants cannot. So they charge relatively lesser than paralegal assistants.

Are the Paralegals Lawyers?

Many people seem confused about the fact whether paralegals are lawyers or not. The simple answer to this question is no. Paralegals are not lawyers themselves but can perform the function of a lawyer for smaller cases. They can guide the clients well regarding their cases, sign their papers and perform several actions. But they are not lawyers. They hold a certificate of becoming paralegal assistants and perform multiple actions regarding it.

Lawyers are, however, more efficient than paralegal assistants. They study for five years and hold a degree that authorizes them to conduct different cases of people. So paralegals are better than legal, and lawyers are better than paralegal assistants.