NCJ Number
15462
Date Published
1974
Length
61 pages
Annotation
INFORMATION FROM EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, EMPLOYING LAW FIRMS, AND PRACTICING LEGAL ASSISTANTS ON THE QUALIFICATIONS, WORK ASSIGNMENTS, AND TRAINING PROGRAMS OF LEGAL PARAPROFESSIONALS.
Abstract
AT THE TIME THE DATA WAS COLLECTED, THIRTY-THREE FORMAL PROGRAMS FOR PREPARING LEGAL ASSISTANTS WERE IN EXISTENCE. THESE PROGRAMS ARE IDENTIFIED AND DESCRIBED BRIEFLY IN AN APPENDIX TO THIS REPORT. A NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS ARE BEING PLANNED AND IT APPEARS THAT THE NUMBER WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THOUGH PARALEGAL PROGRAMS ARE BEING OFFERED AND PROBABLY WILL CONTINUE TO BE OFFERED THROUGH A VARIETY OF INSTITUTIONS, THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE APPEARS TO BE THE MOST COMMONLY USED VEHICLE. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION AS TO WHETHER LEGAL ASSISTANTS SHOULD BE TRAINED AS SPECIALIST OR GENERALISTS. BOTH KINDS OF PROGRAMS ARE NOW OPERATING EFFECTIVELY. THE RESPONSES IN THIS STUDY BY BOTH EMPLOYING FIRMS AND PRACTICING LEGAL ASSISTANTS INDICATED A PREFERENCE FOR SPECIALIZED TRAINING, BUT THIS MAY BE BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS REPRESENTED LARGE LAW FIRMS WHERE THE USE OF SPECIALISTS IS MORE PREVALENT. ALTHOUGH MATHEMATICAL CORRELATIONS WERE NOT COMPUTED, THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE AGREEMENT BETWEEN EMPLOYING LAWYERS AND PRACTICING LEGAL ASSISTANTS IN THEIR RESPONSES TO MANY OF THE QUESTIONS ASKED. FOR THE MOST PART, AS GROUPS, THEY AGREED ON THE CHARACTERISTICS DEEMED NECESSARY FOR SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE AS LEGAL ASSISTANTS. SIMILARLY, THEIR CONCEPT OF THE ROLE OF PARALEGAL PERSONNEL AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION OF THE DUTIES BEING PERFORMED SEEMED HIGHLY CONSISTENT. BOTH GROUPS, HOWEVER, INDICATED THAT THE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES THAT LEGAL ASSISTANTS PERFORM COULD BE BROADENED CONSIDERABLY. THE APPENDIXES CONTAIN BRIEF FORMAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS AND TABULATED NUMERIC DATA FROM RESPONDING FIRMS AND LEGAL ASSISTANTS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)