Paralegals and Legal Assistants

People in this career often have these skills:

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Maintain the order of legal documents.
• Prepare legal documents.
• Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making.
• Identify implications for cases from legal precedents or other legal information.
• Prepare information or documentation related to legal or regulatory matters.

• Meet with individuals involved in legal processes to provide information and clarify issues.
• Confer with court staff to clarify information.
• Evaluate information related to legal matters in public or personal records.
• Perform administrative or clerical tasks.
• Serve court ordered documents.
• Coordinate legal schedules or activities.
• Represent the interests of clients in legal proceedings.
• Arbitrate disputes between parties to resolve legal conflicts.
• Evaluate condition of properties.
• Appraise property values.
• Inventory materials or equipment.

• Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

• Brokerage Clerks

• Billing and Posting Clerks

• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs

• Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents

• Court, Municipal, and License Clerks

• Tax Preparers