Paralegal job interview tips are not too different from other job interview tips floating in the market. The keyword in a paralegal job interview is "Paralegal" and your understanding of the word "Paralegal" could be where the tips start and end. Based on my survey amongst individuals appearing for paralegal job interviews, some of the sample questions asked are as follows
* "What is your understanding of law and legal procedures?" - Please note that companies do not ask this question to understand the efficiency of candidates to be a lawyer. All the companies look for is if the candidate can be a good assistant to the lawyer. For a candidate to this effectively, all he needs is basic analytical and research skills.
* "Give me an instance when you have interacted with a client" - Companies ask this question to determine if the candidate has ever interacted with his clients. This is considered important by companies as there may be many occasions when the law team of the company could be busy dealing with cases and the paralegals are required to interact with the clients.
* "How good are you with analytical skills?" - This is possibly the determining question of the interview. A paralegal is required to analyze large volumes of data as a part of his daily activity. Companies always want to hire candidates whom they feel are good analysts.
* "How has your Paralegal Training prepared you for this job?" - This question is usually asked to candidates who do not have any previous work experience as a paralegal. The answer to this question would signify the candidate's level of preparedness to the job.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Types of Paralegals
If you decide to pursue a career as a paralegal, know that you will have many specialties to choose from. As is the case in most professions, specializing often leads to a higher salary. In addition, you may be able to build off the training and experience you already have.
We've listed just a few of the main types of paralegals below.
1. Nurse Paralegal - Perfect for those with an interest or background in the medical field.
2. Patent Paralegal - One of the highest paying specialties in the paralegal profession.
3. Immigration Paralegal - Rewarding and unique field for legal staff.
4. Real Estate Paralegal - Help facilitate the buying and selling of properties.
5. Bankruptcy Paralegal - Paralegal speciality with vast growth potential.
We've listed just a few of the main types of paralegals below.
1. Nurse Paralegal - Perfect for those with an interest or background in the medical field.
2. Patent Paralegal - One of the highest paying specialties in the paralegal profession.
3. Immigration Paralegal - Rewarding and unique field for legal staff.
4. Real Estate Paralegal - Help facilitate the buying and selling of properties.
5. Bankruptcy Paralegal - Paralegal speciality with vast growth potential.
History of the Paralegal Profession
The paralegal profession was recognized for the first time by the American Bar Association (ABA) way back in 1968.
The reason paralegals were necessary at all was to provide a way to lower the cost of legal services. When an attorney must do all aspects of the legal profession, fees can become outrageous (some say they already are). So paralegals were found to be a necessity in order to provide a low cost alternative for legal services.
Even so, paralegals cannot perform all aspects of the law. But having them help with research and preparing certain forms does aid in lowering the cost of legal services.
The current definition of a paralegal is currently a person with the proper education, work experience or education who is employed to help with legal work that a lawyer is ultimately responsible for.
Many find the paralegal profession a rewarding career field.
The reason paralegals were necessary at all was to provide a way to lower the cost of legal services. When an attorney must do all aspects of the legal profession, fees can become outrageous (some say they already are). So paralegals were found to be a necessity in order to provide a low cost alternative for legal services.
Even so, paralegals cannot perform all aspects of the law. But having them help with research and preparing certain forms does aid in lowering the cost of legal services.
The current definition of a paralegal is currently a person with the proper education, work experience or education who is employed to help with legal work that a lawyer is ultimately responsible for.
Many find the paralegal profession a rewarding career field.
Paralegal Job
So just what is the typical job description of a paralegal? If you are planning on applying for a position as a paralegal, you will likely be expected to meet the following job description. Please note that the tasks may vary from job to job, this is merely a sample paralegal job description provided for your convenience.
Typical Paralegal Job Description:
* Summarizing legal documents
* Performing records research
* Performing legal research
* Coordinating research
* Checking legal forms for accuracy
* Preparing reports
* Preparing correspondence
* Drafting all sorts of legal documents
* Preparing declarations
* Preparing form complaints
The skills commonly required of a paralegal include:
* The ability to perform legal research
* The ability to interview witnesses and document what is learned
* Good writing and communication skills
* The ability to prioritize and work under a tight schedule
* Basic computer skills
* In depth knowledge of legal terminology and principles
* The ability to analyze legal documents for accuracy
Typical Paralegal Job Description:
* Summarizing legal documents
* Performing records research
* Performing legal research
* Coordinating research
* Checking legal forms for accuracy
* Preparing reports
* Preparing correspondence
* Drafting all sorts of legal documents
* Preparing declarations
* Preparing form complaints
The skills commonly required of a paralegal include:
* The ability to perform legal research
* The ability to interview witnesses and document what is learned
* Good writing and communication skills
* The ability to prioritize and work under a tight schedule
* Basic computer skills
* In depth knowledge of legal terminology and principles
* The ability to analyze legal documents for accuracy
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