Defining the Role of a Legal Support Specialist
The duties of a legal support specialist typically include some, or all of the following: interviewing clients; maintaining and organizing case files; drafting correspondences; scheduling appointments; filing of pleadings at federal, state and local courthouses; maintaining and organizing calendars; taking and transcribing witness statements; maintaining fee agreements, retainer and trust accounts, submitting invoices to insurance carriers; marketing, preparing, mailing and proof-reading pleadings and correspondences, folders, etc . ; communication with non-English speaking clients. Other tasks include scheduling travel such as arranging hotel accommodations and transport, attending depositions and court hearings, and performing legal research when needed.
Essential Skills for a Legal Support Specialist
Legal support specialists perform a wide range of tasks. They must have the skills necessary to complete all the responsibilities assigned to them, from working with clients to filing documents with the court. As with any position in the legal field, it’s always best to have too many skills than not enough. So you may want to add some of these skills to your repertoire if you don’t have them already.
These are the technical skills some employers look for in a legal support specialist. These vary by area of practice. Consider how you can develop these skills if you don’t possess them yet. You may consider asking someone who does possess them to train you, or you may even be able to pick them up through training programs.
The importance of communication skills in a legal support specialist should go without saying. You will often be the first point of contact for visitors and prospective clients. Some firms expect their legal support specialists to resolve issues that arise, so you should have excellent judgement and interpersonal skills. You should be able to work under pressure and make the right moves quickly, even in stressful situations.
Organization, time management and attention to detail are also important. Your work will include deadlines. You will also have a number of responsibilities to juggle. Finally, you will need to make sure you document everything properly and fulfill regulatory requirements. You cannot afford to miss a filing or leave a crucial piece of documentation out of a case file.
Finally, there are personal qualities that are a must for a legal support professional. You must be adaptable and flexible, as you will have to field a variety of requests throughout the day. You may work multiple cases at once and with many lawyers. You will need to be able to work on your own with minimal supervision. Finally, some clients will expect you to be sensitive to their needs, so you will have to be gracious as you navigate difficult personalities.
If you want to become a legal support specialist or you want to add these skills to excel at your current job, consider contacting a career adviser. You may also look for a mentor within your organization. Many law firms promote from within, so showing your skills now might lead to a promotion in the future.
Educational and Training Routes
A legal support specialist typically possesses at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. In fact, some employers will accept a diploma from a vocational school, community college, or other educational institution. This is becoming much more common as more colleges offer certificate courses to cover the necessary training for a legal support specialist. While on-the-job training is valuable, the theoretical background that a session with the College itself can provide will make a significant difference.
After obtaining the necessary education, legal support specialists should endeavor to obtain certification from one of three recognized certifying organizations. Accredited by the National Association of Legal Secretaries, the Professional Legal Secretary (PLS) designation is helpful for anyone looking for steady employment with a proven track record. The Association of Legal Administrators also offers two certifications, first for legal administrators (CLM) and second for legal managers (CLM). The latter is geared to those responsible for managing law firms. Another option available to legal support professionals is certification from the International Association of Administrative Professionals. Offered since 1962, becoming a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) or an Organizational Management Certificate (OMC) can improve your employability.
Career Avenues and Work Settings
Legal support specialists enjoy a variety of career opportunities. The most common path of employment is within a law firm, but those who have earned this professional designation are regularly recruited for positions within corporate legal departments and government agencies, particularly the judiciary. Other common opportunities can be found within educational institutions and non-profit organizations or as independent legal support specialists or consultants. Many law firms, corporations , and government offices also offer co-op/apprenticeship programs for candidates enrolled in legal support specialist education programs.
The 2012 CareerCast Jobs Rated report identified two occupations typically related to that of a legal support specialist: paralegal and/ or legal assistant. This report noted that these two careers consistently rank among those most suitable to "the needs of today’s professionals." Any given law firm might employ one or more legal assistants or paralegals, depending on the size of the practice. However, legal assistant jobs are forecasted to grow a mere 18.9 percent by 2020, while paralegal opportunities are projected to grow at a staggering rate of 55 percent through the decade.
The Significance of Legal Support Specialists
Amidst the hustle and bustle of lawyers, paralegals, clients, witnesses, and a myriad of documents, the legal support specialist acts as an important component of the legal system. The legal intricacies of a law firm are often difficult for even the most astute lawyer to manage alone. As such, legal support specialists possess extensive training and a specific set of skills and knowledge that help to ensure that the case is handled properly and efficiently. As experts in office administration, legal research, and document preparation, they are essential to maximizing the efficiency of the whole firm.
Legal support specialists play an important role in the ongoing representation of clients. They are tasked with many administrative functions relating to a case, including client assistance, answering and redirecting calls, scheduling appointments and meetings, maintaining the calendar and scheduling hearings, and filing pleadings and preparing correspondence. Additionally, they conduct legal research to determine how to best approach a situation, whether that involves researching the law, reviewing contracts, or gathering information on a case. This latter aspect of their responsibilities ensures that they are not only contributing toward administrative duties, but also assisting in the creation of legal strategy created by the lawyer or paralegal. Throughout the entire process, legal support specialists stay in communication with clients, witnesses, and other relevant parties. In some cases, such as personal injury claims, they may even be responsible for billing clients and collecting payments. As can be seen, a legal support specialist plays an invaluable role. Without them, the firm could potentially grind to a halt from the volume of work requested.
The Future of Legal Support
As with most jobs, the skills and needs for legal support personnel are constantly changing. Legal support specialists find themselves in a career that has been one of the most impacted by technology. From dictation to e-filing to PDF and other digital formats, paralegals and legal assistants have had to adapt quickly over the years. Along with these technological changes, legal support specialists have had to change the way they communicate and process work.
In the future, more and more of the communication will be electronic, both within law firms and with clients. Legal professionals are already communicating more via text or email. More offices are turning to a "paperless" office or at least a minimal paper environment. That means that a paralegal must learn to scan, convert to PDF, e-file, and utilize an electronic copy system. The days of having multiple file cabinets of case files is becoming rare, giving way to a system of virtual file storage that allows immediate access to records from anywhere.
Legal support specialists will continue to serve as an important part of the legal industry , and paralegal jobs are expected to increase in the next several years. Paralegals will still and always be necessary to investigate and analyze information and to prepare a legal document or report. However, firms are looking for paralegals that not only understand the law and regulations of their specialties, but also have strong technology skills: the ability to search federal and state courts, conduct thorough and accurate online research, and even assist in electronic discovery in some circumstances. Additionally, management and people skills are becoming an absolute necessity. The paralegal job description of the future will include being responsible for planning and coordinating administrative procedures and processes. They will be managing and monitoring the progress of work and resources, as well as making sure all activities comply with regulations and standards.
The bottom line is that as technology changes – like it does in every other industry – legal support specialists will adapt. They will change with the needs of their firms and the needs of their clients.