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LEARN HOW TO BE A PARALEGAL OR LEGAL SECRETARY ON THIS WEB SITE
The products on this web site instruct on how to be a litigation legal secretary or litigation paralegal. Litigation is the most popular type of law and pays the best. Every state has procedures for their state court and for their federal courts. There is one book for the state courts listed above and a federal court book as well. There are also practice projects which teach you how to get the work done once you are working at a law firm. The course is for beginners and the refresher course is for those who move from one state to another, or who have been out of the workplace for awhile. Here is a brief overview of what litigation paralegals do and what litigation legal secretaries do, along with salary details:
HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I EARN? WHAT ABOUT MY JOB DESCRIPTION?
The job descriptions for legal secretaries and paralegals overlap. It depends on the attorneys and it depends on the firm. Paralegals and legal secretaries with the same number years of experience usually earn the same money. Earnings can be from $30,000 to $80,000 for a legal secretary depending on the number of years of experience and part of the country. Earnings can be from $40,000 to $100,000 for paralegals depending on the number of years of experience and part of the county. You may be able to research this more on the internet by looking for positions posted online. New York, California, Ohio and Illinois pay very well. Southern states tend to pay less. Washington and Oregon don’t pay as well as California and New York. New York State pays the highest amount as far as the latest information available.
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR PARALEGALS
- Monitor discovery, incoming and outgoing docs.
- Set up depositions, talk with other side and coordinate, send out notices of deposition, calendar, arrange for court reporter and conference room.
- Drafting answers interrogatories from the file getting as much info as they can.
- Drafting answers to requests for production, pulling documents, this can number into the thousands.
- Bates number and develop log of incoming requests for production - can number into the thousands.
- Draft summary of documents produced by the other sides in the case by reviewing all documents and typing up a line by line itemization of what they are.
- Medical summaries of medical records if this applies to the desk.
- Develop privilege log with respect to discovery productions as to why documents won’t be produced.
- Pretrial work – set up pretrial conference, draft pretrial documents as needed.
- Trial work - send out subpoenas for trial and notice to attend trial, order checks for same, get trial notebooks ready, get deposition transcripts ready, and anything else the attorney wants at the courthouse.
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR LEGAL SECRETARIES
Legal secretaries can also do some of the above. A good summary would be to say that they do
EVERYTHING except the above:
- Send out summons and complaint, arrange for service of process and complete messenger slip or communication with Sheriff, calendar date, follow up on service of defendant.
- Draft notice of appearance, get attorney signature, and send out for service.
- Send out answers to complaint, cross-claim, counterclaims and third-party claims and arrange for messenger service.
- Draft motions and set up hearing dates for same.
- Calendaring of everything that comes in and goes out.
- Remind attorneys as needed of everything they need to do.
- Open mail, date stamp everything.
- Maintain pleading files with index and chronological order in perfect form.
- Fax documents out – follow up and make sure they were sent and no error occurred.
- Read all incoming pleadings and letters for dates to calendar, and put on calendar.
- Make appointments for attorneys.
- Make lunch reservations for attorneys.
- Make travel arrangements for attorneys.
- Arrange for conference room reservations as needed.
- Answer phones as needed for your attorneys.
- Make copies of cases for attorneys as needed.
- Arrange for outside copy service of voluminous documents as needed.
- Electronically file documents in Federal Courts; scan to pdf and file correctly online.
- Get out all letters with enclosures timely, create envelopes and get out all cc’s accurately.
- Get out all federal express packages on time daily.
- Call opposing counsel for meeting arrangements as needed.
- Call judge’s staff as needed relative to the case; keep on track the correct name of the judge on each case as they can change.
- Create and maintain an up to date Case Notebook.
- Create and maintain an up to date Case Schedule notebook.
- Keep addresses correct and up to date in Outlook contacts.
- Keep a form file online or in paper files of commonly used documents.
- Transcribe tapes involving letters, memos to attorneys at your firm and pleadings.
- Put into final form letters, pleadings and anything that goes out the door so it is accurate and looks perfect in format and in grammar/spelling.
And much more.
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