The Role of a Legal Assistant
Legal Number Crunchers in the Queen City
An overview of the legal system in Cincinnati will reveal the interplay of lawyers and legal assistants. As you might expect, lawyers are the more sophisticated legal specialists. Lawyers provide overall strategy, direction, and leadership to the legal process and draft and argue legal issues related to a case. Most of the legal work in a case is carried out by one or more legal assistants. They are the legal specialists who work closely with the lawyers and the public. Legal assistants perform a variety of essential tasks that are critical to the successful delivery of legal services, including legal research, drafting of legal documents, filing legal documents, filing documents with government regulators, reviewing and analyzing government and regulatory policies, organization of legal information, and personal interface with clients, witnesses, vendors and other third parties. The legal assistant provides organizational skills and people skills that enable the smooth, efficient and successful operation of a legal practice.
What exactly does a legal assistant do? An overview of the typical legal assistants activities include, but may not be limited to:
Most jobs will require a paralegal certificate and experience . An associate degree in paralegal studies may be sufficient for some law firms. Required competencies and skills vary with the level of authority. Firms expect you to have a working knowledge of the following:
The responsibilities of the legal assistant can vary based on the size and specific needs of the law firm. Senior legal assistants may manage the operations of the firm, whereas those who are selected to work with a specific lawyer may be responsible for the cases of their employer. Senior-level legal assistants assist with the leadership and management of the overall practice of the law firm. Senior legal assistants will generally possess an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies along with three or more years of related work experience. Given the complex nature of the job, and the need to work with a variety of outside third parties, including accountants, insurance representatives, lawyers, owners, personnel and employees, senior legal assistants are expected to possess outstanding communication skills. The legal assistant will deal with a variety of legal issues that arise and he or she can be expected to provide a level of expertise that will be valued by lawyers and law firms.
The Cincinnati Legal Profession
Demand for legal professionals in the city has also increased. Law firms are in need of skilled legal assistants to keep up with the demand of legal services being provided to the Cincinnati community, as well as other markets where firms are doing business such as in Kentucky or Indiana. Legal assistants continue to be a strong support system for law firms and cannot be replaced with foreign-trained lawyers that may be looking to come to the states to practice law as using foreign-trained lawyers is an option that law firms have considered.
Legal assistants can join a number of local and professional organizations including the Cincinnati Bar Association and the Greater Cincinnati Association of Legal Assistants. Local associations often provide monthly educational opportunities for members that include lunch and learn events and the opportunity to listen to speakers from the legal field and beyond. Members of these organizations also have access to job opportunities through their associations and newsletters. In addition to local professional organizations, legal research and publishing companies such as LexisNexis and Westlaw, offer education and training seminars throughout the year to assist legal assistants with their professional development.
As the job market continues to recover a high concentration of legal assistant jobs continue to be found in downtown Cincinnati. The general breakdown includes opportunities in banking and finance (mostly found with national firms) as well as corporate and intellectual property. Legal assistant jobs can be found with large national law firms, medium sized firms, and small to boutique firms.
Education and Training Requirements for Legal Assistants
Legal assistants in Cincinnati typically need at least an associate’s degree or a post-secondary certificate in paralegal studies. Many employers prefer to hire those with a bachelor’s degree. Legal assisting academic programs must be approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) for graduates to be allowed to call themselves paralegals; however, certification is not a requirement to work as a paralegal or legal assistant.
Two certification designations are available for legal assistants. The National Federation of Paralegal Associations offers the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam for experienced paralegals to demonstrate their expertise in particular practice areas. Candidates need to have completed at least one year of full-time work in the field. Several private certification organizations also offer examinations through the NALA certifying board, including NNA Certification II and NALS Professional Paralegal Exam. To sit for these exams, legal assistants must first have completed an approved two- or four-year degree program. Candidates for the PAR Exam must be graduates of ABA-approved programs.
Employers That Hire Legal Assistants
The landscape of legal assistant jobs in Cincinnati is as diverse as the city itself, with opportunities at a variety of major law firms, corporate employers and government agencies. Larger law firms such as Frost Brown Todd, Dinsmore & Shohl, Taft and Keating Muething & Klekamp employ hundreds of employees in their Cincinnati locations. All of these firms have robust litigation practices and are among the 200 largest law firms in the United States.
Employers such as Hui, Ward & Smith, Ruder Ware L.L.S.C., and Wright & Moore Law Co. L.P.A. are among the many smaller firms in the Cincinnati area that hire legal assistants and paralegals.
Outside of private law firms, legal professionals might find work as business development coordinators, marketers and managers. Corporate employers in the area include HSBC, Fifth Third Bank and Duke Energy, which may require legal assistants for their in-house law teams. Legal staffing agencies, such as Regency Legal Solutions, and legal recruiting firms, such as JurisTemps, refer legal assistant jobs to area employers.
Legal assistant jobs are available for all levels of experience, and opportunities are improving.
Compensation and Benefits
In 2023, the salary range for new legal assistants in Cincinnati typically falls between $45,000 and $65,000 annually. Of course, this estimate can increase dramatically based on the size of the law firm, your experience and specialization, the area of law practiced by the firm and more. Respondents have reported that 1-3 years of experience earns a salary of around $53,000 , while those with 10 or more years of experience make upwards of $79,000 annually. As with many jobs in the legal sector, the range of skills, areas of expertise and educational requirements is constantly fluctuating. Legal assistants in Cincinnati are typically offered health insurance, retirement plans, paid leave, pet insurance, bonus potential and flexible working schedules.
Essential Advice for Legal Assistant Job Seekers
The journey to finding your next legal assistant position in Cincinnati begins with a proactive search. In addition to scouting out available positions on job boards, reaching out to your network is a useful strategy to consider. Your family and friends might have leads on companies that are looking for legal assistants or can help spread the word about your job search with others who may know someone hiring. These days, social media is a great way to amplify your network and share posts that broadcast your status to a wider audience. Consider posting a general or specific request for leads on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, where detecting employment opportunities is easier than ever.
A strong, tailored resume is your ticket to making a compelling first impression, so take time to update and polish it before sending it off with your application. Resumes that effectively highlight your accomplishments typically get the most attention, so think of winning ways to describe how you provided support in previous positions. You should also be prepared to discuss your career accomplishments in an interview, as it shows genuine enthusiasm for the position while also demonstrating the value you’d add to the company.
When you’re invited for an interview, consider preparing for the most common interview questions so that you’ll be ready with answers when it’s time to meet with a hiring manager. While every employer puts their own spin on interviews, you can typically expect to be asked about your skills, previous positions, strengths and weaknesses, and why you want to work with the company. At the end of a legal assistant interview, the hiring manager will likely ask if you have any questions for him or her, or they might ask you just that and pause for a response. Be prepared to respond so that you don’t come off seeming uninterested or unprepared for the interview.
In addition to asking questions at the end of the interview about the company and the role, it’s a good idea to compile a list of questions to have on hand to ask during the interview if there is a lull in the conversation. Examples include:
Cincinnati Legal Assistant Careers Outlook
Looking ahead, the future for legal assistants in Cincinnati appears promising. As attorneys continue to face mounting demands in a modern, fast-paced legal environment, support staff will be more important than ever. With this growing trend, legal assistant jobs in Cincinnati are expected to continue expanding.
One of the most notable areas of potential growth is in technology. Legal assistants have historically used a variety of software and programs to deliver administrative support. However, "legal tech" has reached new levels in recent years . High-level work such as document automation, e-discovery (a critical part of investigations), practice management, and knowledge management are the latest evolution in the field. As a result, legal assistants will need to get comfortable with data privacy laws, AI applications, and unique electronic data collections in order to capitalize on this growth area.
Another anticipated opportunity for the legal profession in Cincinnati lies in the healthcare sector, which is under increasing stress from changing regulations. Due to the complexity of the patient/attorney relationship, there will be considerable room for legal professionals who can assist with the mounting issues therein.