Essential Skills for Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Essential Skills for Paralegals and Legal Assistants is designed to provide a solid skills foundation for both paralegals and other lay advocates representing clients on behalf of a legal services program and those serving as members of litigation teams in partnership with lawyers. It will combine aspects of CLAE's administrative hearings, basic advocacy skills and case planning trainings with components unique to this event. 

The ability of legal aid programs to serve clients efficiently and effectively is largely because of our unique cadre of paralegals and legal assistants who provide direct assistance to clients in a wide range of proceedings and forums and carry out essential tasks as part of litigation teams within our organizations. This training is designed to provide opportunities to learn, refresh and practice the critical skills central to the non-attorney advocate’s work in both contexts.

Who should enroll

Any paralegal or legal assistant who provides direct assistance to clients in any form - whether through administrative hearing representation, lay assistance in courts, community based advocacy or limited assistance projects - and those who work in the capacity of a legal assistant to a lawyer, performing high level tasks in support of the lawyer's representation. We think this training will be relevant whether you are relatively new or have been in practice for a number of years. The course will include both knowledge and skills associated with the performance of advocacy responsibilities and supporting skills designed to make the experience of working in a hectic legal service environment, and in teams with lawyers, more rewarding and successful.     

What you will learn

• Client interviewing and counseling
  
• The fundamentals of legal reasoning and analysis
  
• Case planning and preparation
  
• Administrative hearing skills
  
• Fact development and investigation
  
• Document and information management
  
• Time management
  
• Tools for enhancing teamwork and managing relationships with lawyer colleagues