Who is a paralegal clerk

One key difference between law clerks and paralegals is education. Law clerks have typically completed law school, while paralegals only have a relatively small amount of technical education in the field. Also, paralegals are confined to research and legal writing under the supervision of an attorney — they cannot provide legal advice.

However, their job is very critical to ensuring your case goes as smoothly as possible. Client Testimonials Read all reviews. Law clerks and paralegals are two terms often confused by those not familiar with the legal profession. Law Clerk Law clerks are legal professional who work for a lawyer or judge. Paralegal A paralegal is another legal professional who works as an assistant to an attorney.

Workers Compensation Aurora. Negotiated settlement for injured worker. The attorney I worked with and the By selecting "Submit," I authorize Rasmussen University to contact me by email, phone or text message at the number provided. There is no obligation to enroll.

Carrie is a freelance copywriter at Collegis Education. She researches and writes articles, on behalf of Rasmussen University, to help empower students to achieve their career dreams through higher education. Posted in Paralegal. Brianna Flavin Will Erstad Carrie Mesrobian This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content.

Please visit www. External links provided on rasmussen. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U. Department of Education. What's the difference between a law clerk and a paralegal?

What does a law clerk do? Where do these roles fit into the legal system? Clark believes both law clerks and paralegals are essential to the practice of law. Is a legal career in your future?

At most schools, Paralegal is a 2-year program. Law Clerk typically takes about 1 year to complete. At Herzing, we offer an accelerated month Paralegal program. The other key difference is curriculum.

Paralegal programs in Ontario are designed to prepare students for licensing with the Law Society of Ontario. The curriculum is based on the topics covered in the exam. These include all the areas of law you can practice as a licensed paralegal in Ontario, plus courses on managing an independent practice. All accredited paralegal programs have the same curriculum, which includes:. Law clerk training is much narrower in focus.

Student learn legal office procedures, such as client billing, appointment scheduling, and administrative tasks. The law clerk program also teaches students how to prepare legal documents related to real estate transactions, wills and estates, commercial law, and litigation proceedings.

Licensed p aralegals have a special status in Ontario, which allows them to represent clients independently in certain legal matters. Legal assistants and law clerks do not have this right. They work under the direct supervision of a lawyer, providing valuable support with case research, trial prep aration, and practice management. A licensed paralegal can represent clients in small claims court, administrative tribunals, and for certain criminal matters.

The primary difference here is that licensed paralegals in Ontario can represent clients independently similar to a lawyer. This means their career path may include starting a private practice or joining a firm of other independent paralegals. Many Toronto paralegal firms specialize in a specific area of practice, such as motor vehicle offences or landlord-tenant disputes. Paralegals can also pursue careers with:. Law clerks cannot represent clients independently.

But they certainly have a range of other career options, which include working at:. Law clerks are not required to pass a licensing exam.

Once you complete your training program, you can get straight to work. On the other hand, p aralegals who want to represent clients independently are legally required to get licensed.

They must pass the Law Society paralegal licensing exam—a challenging, 7-hour multiple choice test.