• INTRO
• PROGRAM OVERVIEW
• CAREER OUTLOOK
• COMMON JOB TITLES

 

Degree Earned:
Occupational Associate Degree of Applied Business in Business Office Technology Concentration in Legal Assisting

Available Campuses for this program:
Hattiesburg

Introduction

Legal assistants are not only crucial members of a law firm’s team, they also have job opportunities in the legal departments of large corporations and in government offices. They investigate the facts of the case, help analyze and organize information, prepare written reports, and draft contracts, mortgages and other legal documents. They’re needed in almost every field imaginable and often specialize in such diverse areas as government, medical, real estate, family/estate planning, litigation or corporate law.

Program Overview

The Associate of Applied Business Degree in Legal Assisting emphasizes software proficiency, business skills and basic legal classes. Graduates will be prepared for entry-level employment in positions such as legal assistants and administrative assistants in a legal environment. With additional work experience and/or training, they may qualify for advancement to such positions as legal research assistants and paralegals.

Career Outlook

Legal Assistants are projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012. Some employment growth stems from law firms and other employers with legal staffs increasingly hiring legal assistants to lower the cost and increase the availability and efficiency of legal services. The majority of job openings for paralegals in the future will be new jobs created by employment growth, but additional job openings will arise as people leave the occupation. Despite projections of fast employment growth, competition for jobs should continue as many people seek to go into this profession; however, highly skilled, formally trained legal assistants have excellent employment potential.*

Professional responsibilities vary with each firm. The range of skills is listed below:

Draft Documents including letters and court forms (specific for each county) Set up and maintain files Know basic definitions and legal jargon Deal with bills and fees Deal with client via phone and face-to-face Customer service skills Act as filter for attorney

Understand timeline/order of documents Know clients and case information Respond to issues Dictation and transcription Client confidentiality Correspondence Computer skills Typing Research