I think they are interchangeable. If there is no difference in the company, I would always choose «Paralegal» on the CV via «Legal Assistant». Legal assistants assist lawyers and paralegals by submitting drafts, proofreading, writing correspondence, and managing the Department`s mail and document flow. In my affiliate program, they are taught as interchangeable. Anyone with training or experience in substantive legal matters can call themselves a paralegal. Some people prefer to make the distinction as a status symbol, but at least in my field, I haven`t found lawyers who pay differently depending on the job title if the job description is similar. I was a transactional and hourly paralegal. Anyone with the right education/experience can become a certified paralegal here by the State Bar Association. If your state does not recognize paralegals, you can still apply for NALA certification. None of the paralegals I`ve worked with turn up their noses at NALA just because they call themselves paralegals. I am just wondering how many of you have strictly «traditional» paralegal responsibilities that involve preparing legal transactions or processes versus pure administrative functions like planning, telephone reception, etc.? For example, are you doing a strict legal preparation or is it a mixture of paperwork and bureaucracy? I work for a large company in a hybrid role in a satellite office, so I do paralegal, legal administration, reception, reception, hospitality, finance, whatever needs to be done because I`m the only non-lawyer on site. For me, it was specific in my job description and I was specifically looking for such a role.

They struggled to fill it because I think most of my market prefers a rigid structure unless you work for a small office and they needed someone who could handle at least 20 lawyers. Case managers are the primary paralegals and team leaders in cases. They oversee the processing of files, assign tasks to the team, review projects before going to see lawyers, work with suppliers, attend court hearings every day, attend legal team meetings, etc. You travel to all events related to the case (testimony, jury exercises, all pleadings, hearings and trials). Paralegals do billable work – paralegals do not. Paralegals are doing more for this reason. If you file a lawsuit, if your company allows it. When I did the NP, I was a paralegal, then a case manager, then a paralegal. Maybe your company combines these roles. The dispute would consist of drafting applications, answering questions, etc. As a paralegal, this is primarily my job. What state are you in? In California, paralegals are defined in the Business Professional Code.

You cannot call yourself a paralegal unless you meet the training requirements set out in the Code. Your lawyer will not be able to charge you at the paralegal rate unless you meet the training requirements. So, if you are in CA, I would give you the code. (BPC 6450) You should know that more and more places are using the legal assistant to refer to the administrative assistant. This is reflected in job boards. This means that when you review job postings, paralegals are usually for administrators. I could be wrong, but I suspect some recruiters don`t understand that a legal assistant can be a paralegal – so they don`t consider that possibility when setting up their ATS screening, etc. I`m currently looking for a job, so it`s worrying for me.

I don`t know if this will help me, but I decided to add «paralegal» to my job titles, such as «Corporate Director (Paralegal)» or «Senior Legal Assistant/Paralegal». When I started as a legal assistant in 2014, I had just finished my bachelor`s degree and was being paid $11 an hour. Health care would have been half of my salary, but luckily I was 21 years old and under my mother`s insurance. My company has paralegals and LAs. Paralegals are assigned to specific lawyers (usually 2 lawyers per para) and can bill clients by the hour. LOs are assigned to teams (4-8 lawyers, 2-4 paras) and cannot bill clients, even if they help prepare briefs or advance documents that paratroopers or lawyers may charge. LAs do a lot more tracking invoices and physically sending mail, etc., but that`s not exclusively their domain. Most LAs are promoted to paralegals after 6 months or one year (in title and pay). I ask because I am an ace in law and I have a certificate in paralegal studies. Most of the jobs I see now are mixed; But 10+ years ago, I remember there were more «paralegal» professional roles advertised as working strictly under the direction of a lawyer, with the lawyer`s assistant managing the phones and administration for everyone. Yet I often see here that paralegals seem to be a notch below «paralegals,» and others use it interchangeably.

I just changed my title to a similar situation to yours. I have a bachelor`s degree and a paralegal certificate. Very small law firm, elderly lawyer who called me his legal assistant. I`m the only support staff member for a few lawyers, so I do everything. Paralegals are to lawyers what nurses are to doctors. It is a professional degree. You can do anything a lawyer can do, except give legal advice and represent clients in court. Some states offer certification or licensing for paralegals. They usually do a higher level of work and you can charge time there. Paralegals are not assigned to lawyers, receive work solely from their assignments, and are responsible for most business-related work. They always travel to attend trials and important events (jury exercises, hearings and important trials). The reason I ask the question: I consider myself a legal assistant and an interchangeable paralegal, and since then, I started this work a year ago.

The other day, my lawyer heard my colleague call me a paralegal, and as soon as she hung up, he said something like, «Don`t call her (sic) paralegal, paralegal is an art term, she`s a legal assistant.» Which me off a lot. It`s also strange, because he didn`t seem to care in the past. I corrected it and said that paralegals are not licensed and the term is not regulated. In addition, the largest paralegal organization (NALA) uses «legal assistant» and «paralegal» interchangeably. He didn`t care. It was last week (and it still bothers me), so I don`t remember exactly what happened next, but it looks like he won`t consider me or refer to me as a paralegal until I get my NALA certification (which I plan to do now in December). I`m in New Jersey, with about 5 years of experience as a toilet paralegal, and that`s pretty much what I do. Eta: I have an AAS in paralegal studies and I earn as much as ladies with a bachelor`s degree. For 4.5 years, your firm has been using the interchangeable Legal Assistant and Paralegal? Do you think there is a universal definition of one or the other that you would like to see adopted? That is absolutely true. I`m a paralegal by title, but 99% of my job is more like a legal assistant/secretary. My firm doesn`t have paralegals either, we need a bachelor`s degree and we do all the work, but lawyers call us paralegals. One of them even calls us «secretary,» which makes me cringe every time.

I also wonder what I should put on a resume for future jobs In my experience, a legal assistant usually does administrative or pre-litigation work while a paralegal does litigation work. Don`t let anyone tell you that titles are interchangeable. This is not the case. A legal assistant is a specialized secretary. If your title is a legal assistant, but you are a paralegal and you have the qualifications and training of a paralegal, I would certainly ask for the designation to be promoted. There are certificates for paralegals and their earning potential is much higher than for a legal assistant and receptionist. There are also executive assistants who are the secretaries of one person. The earning potential for them is also quite high.