Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Legal & Corporate Governance

Level 4364 of 1200 points

Job description

Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Job purpose

To investigate the facts and law of cases, research legal precedent, and prepare and maintain the documents required for legal proceedings, so that lawyers are able to formulate a defence, initiate action or complete a transaction on a properly researched and fully documented basis.

Skills

Working knowledge of law and government — legal codes, court procedures, precedents and agency rules — applied to the drafting and review of affidavits, briefs, pleadings, wills and contracts, with the research technique to locate authority in statutes, decisions, legal articles and public records. Requires strong written English and confident use of legal research and document management systems. A bachelor's degree is the most common qualification, with a significant minority holding an associate's degree and a further group a high school diploma, plus one to two years of on-the-job learning.
Meets clients and other professionals to discuss the details of cases, files pleadings with court clerks, and calls upon witnesses to testify at hearings. Explains documents and research findings to those who are not specialists, and may arbitrate disputes between parties.
Investigates the facts and law of a case to determine causes of action, gathers and analyses research data, and assesses whether documents and processes comply with legal requirements. A missed precedent or a defective document can prejudice a case. Problems are analytical but bounded: precedent and procedural rules exist to be found, and the qualified lawyer retains final responsibility.
Prepares matters for trial, including organising exhibits, and maintains paper and electronic filing systems so that documents can be produced when required. Several matters run concurrently against filing and hearing dates fixed by the courts. Priorities are set by the court timetable and by the lawyers conducting the matters.
Seated desk-based work using research databases and document systems, with repetitive keyboard use and the handling and organising of paper case files, exhibits and legal volumes. No manual handling or dexterity demands beyond this.

Responsibilities

No line management. Directs and coordinates law office activity, including the delivery of subpoenas. Provides the research and documentation on which lawyers rely, and deals directly with clients on the detail of their cases.
No budget and no spending authority. Prepares real estate closing statements and reviews title searches, and appraises and inventories property for estate planning — work in which an error of valuation or documentation has a direct monetary effect on clients and beneficiaries. All figures are settled and approved by others.
Ordinary care of a workstation, research and case management systems and the paper and electronic filing system. Monitors legal volumes so that the law library remains up to date. No responsibility for stock or plant.
Accountable for the accuracy, completeness and confidentiality of case documentation, and for maintaining it in retrievable order. The material is privileged and often personally sensitive, and defects in it carry procedural and legal consequences. Form and content are governed by court rules and by the supervising lawyer.

Effort required

Prolonged close reading and analysis of statutes, decisions and legal articles, with exacting attention to citation, wording and procedural detail. Concentration must be sustained while switching between concurrent matters and between research, drafting and client contact, and while working to court deadlines that do not move.
Regular contact with clients on matters that are contested, financially significant or personally distressing, including litigation, estates and wills, calling for discretion and composure. Decisions and their consequences rest with the lawyers conducting the matter.
Seated at a desk for the great majority of the working day, with repetitive keyboard and document-handling motions sustained across it. No lifting or exertion.

Working conditions

An indoor, climate-controlled office throughout, without material physical hazard. Psychosocial demand arises from handling privileged and contested material and from dealings with clients in dispute or distress rather than from the physical environment.
Works a regular established schedule, with the length of the working week varying between posts, punctuated by pronounced peaks and steady time pressure around filing deadlines, hearings and trial preparation, the timing of which is set by the courts. Work is governed by court rules and by the direction of the lawyers responsible for each matter; substantive decisions are referred upward, and discretion lies in the organisation and thoroughness of the work rather than in its conclusions.

Skills

40% · 217 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 4 of 8
72 of 144 points
Factual and theoretical knowledge in broad contexts within a field of work. The job requires a range of thinking and practical knowledge to find solutions to specific problems in the job or study area.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Effective communication and interpersonal relationships. The job holder is required to adapt communication to different audiences and foster trust, cooperation and positive working relationships.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Variable problems. The job involves dealing with different kinds of problems that require careful thinking, research into different options or adjusting existing ways of doing things. Guidance and resources may be limited.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 2 of 5
29 of 72 points
Basic organisational skills required. The job involves planning and organising one's own work within set deadlines. Some input into scheduling and prioritisation of tasks.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 58 points▾

PeopleLevel 0 of 5
0 of 144 points
Does not apply. The job does not require any responsibility for people.
Goods and equipmentLevel 0 of 5
0 of 84 points
Not applicable. The job does not involve any responsibility for goods or equipment.
InformationLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for information. The job involves managing information to ensure it is accurate, of high quality and secure. The job holder may make decisions about the handling of sensitive data.
Financial resourcesLevel 0 of 5
0 of 96 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any responsibility for financial resources.

Effort

15% · 65 points▾

Mental effortLevel 3 of 5
36 of 60 points
High level of mental effort. The job involves frequent concentration on complex tasks that require considerable mental effort, such as interpreting complex data.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 2 of 5
29 of 72 points
Occasional psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires occasional involvement in emotionally demanding situations, such as handling minor conflicts or dealing with upset individuals.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 24 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Minimal exposure to hazards or stress. The job involves little or no exposure to physical hazards (e.g. chemicals, moving equipment, noise) and minimal emotional or psychological risks (e.g. occasional routine tasks with no emotional burden). There is minor exposure to dust, dirt, fumes, noise, waste, poor lighting, etc.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.