CAREER FOCUS ON........PARALEGALS Without paralegals - also known - TopicsExpress



          

CAREER FOCUS ON........PARALEGALS Without paralegals - also known as legal assistants - lawyers would not find enough hours in the day to do everything which needs to be done. This is why a fast-growing career is that of the paralegal. WHO IS A PARALEGAL? Paralegals assist lawyers as they prepare documents and other requirements for trials, hearings and meetings. They find work in law offices and many other law-related organisations, not only private but also in the public sector. WHAT THE WORK INVOLVES At some time during the workday a paralegal may: Conduct research on many aspects of laws, regulations and legal articles. Organise information and documents for review by a lawyer. Maintain paper or electronic filing systems. Prepare reports and other documents. Draft correspondence and legal documents such as contracts and mortgages. Call clients, witnesses, lawyers and others to schedule interviews and meetings. Just how much or how detailed work a paralegal is expected to do depends on the size of the company and also the size of the case being worked on. Work hours would be the regular nine to five, but overtime may be needed when completing something with an important deadline. WHO IS THIS CAREER FOR? Good organisational, inter- personal, communication and research skills are a must as paralegals must be able to find, document and share information with a supervising lawyer . They also spend a lot of time working with clients and other professionals and must develop good relationships. HOW DO I QUALIFY? There are paralegal training programmes which will qualify you for entry into this profession. You will need at least five passes at the CXC-CSEC level, including English and maths to enter most of these which lead to diplomas, certificates and associate degrees. Familiarity with electronic database management is also an asset. WHO OFFERS TRAINING IN JAMAICA? In recent decades, many institutions have started offering training in this area including: The Justice Training Institute The Paralegal Training Institute The University of the West Indies Open campus The University College of the Caribbean The Institute of Law and Economics Some community colleges, including the Portmore Commu-nity College.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 02:03:55 +0000

Trending Topics



Recently Viewed Topics




© 2015