Brandy
is our fantastic Florida Registered Paralegal (FPL) here at the Law Firm of
Marcie Baker. She is Marcie’s right-hand woman and keeps the office organized
as well as assists in client matters and keeping everything up-to-date. I
honestly do not know how she does it all, but she makes sure that no task is
left unfinished. When I worked at a larger firm in 2019, I served five
paralegals who also assisted with similar tasks, but each had anywhere from
8-13 attorneys that they were answering to.
So
what exactly is a paralegal? According to the American Bar Association a
paralegal is, “a person, qualified by education, training or work experience
who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental
agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive
legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.”
Paralegals
have a variety of duties, and their workload can also depend on what kind of firm
they work at and how many attorneys they are serving. At our office, Brandy
serves as a paralegal in the areas of Workers’ Comp., Family Law, and Chapter 7
Bankruptcy, the areas of our practice.
What
does it take to become a paralegal? Paralegals must first complete a formal
paralegal education program. Programs can range anywhere from 2-4 years, and
specific requirements depend on the law firm that you are hoping to work in. While
in the program, future paralegals can participate in internships and on-the-job
training to gain the appropriate legal experience. After completing the program
paralegals can seek employment where they interned at, or look for a position
at a firm with a type of law that they are interested in. Ultimately the choice
is up to them and what works best for them at that point in their lives.
To become a Florida Registered Paralegal like Brandy, you have to:
- Be a legal adult (18+)
- Have a Bachelor's Degree or an Associates Degree PLUS experience
- Pay a fee and renew your registration prior to its expiration every year, as well as complete an annual 30 years of continuing education.
So
what are the differences between a lawyer and a paralegal? Well, for starters,
paralegals are trained so that they can practice in the legal profession and a
lawyer is licensed to practice law. Lawyers must take and pass the bar exam,
whereas paralegals just need to meet each state’s legal requirements, if there
are any. Even though a lawyer may assign work to a paralegal, the lawyer is
still responsible for making sure that work is done correctly and ethically.
Paralegals cannot give legal advice, but there still is supervised work that
they can do. Some of work that paralegals can do under the supervision of
lawyers is:
-
Research case law and make recommendations
to lawyers
-
Prepare documents to be filed with the
court
-
Preparing petitions or appeals for family
court
Paralegals are extremely
important to the success and organization of law firms. Despite the fact that
they often work behind the scenes and their names aren’t on the side of the
firm’s building, their work makes an impact and many lawyers would be lost
without them. We are so thankful to have Brandy and for all of the amazing work
that she does!
***This blog is meant to serve informational purposes
only. Nothing within this post constitutes legal advice. Should you need to
speak with an attorney please fill out our contact form below to schedule your
free consultation.
How to Become a Paralegal in Florida, Paralegal Requirements FL (paralegal-edu.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment