Paralegal vs. Legal Assistant
The challenges, rewards and
opportunities in environmental law.
By Patrick Vuong
May/June
2006 Issue
The Shakespearean analogy
about a rose still smelling as sweet despite a different name doesn’t
quite work when applied to the paralegal profession. The professional
status of a paralegal would not stay the same if the title changed to
“legal assistant,” according to paralegals who responded to the
March/April issue’s My Opinion Survey. An overwhelming 94 percent of
respondents said “paralegal” denotes a higher professional status than
“legal assistant.”
“Too many administrative
assistants and legal secretaries are using the legal assistant title,”
said Cindy J. Geib, a 14-year paralegal from Mount Joy, Pa. “The time
to salvage the term ‘legal assistant’ by paralegals is long gone in most
parts of the country. I just hope paralegals take a stand against those
who also misuse the title ‘paralegal’ before that becomes synonymous
with ‘secretary.’”
An eight-year paralegal
based in Rochester, N.Y., agreed: “[If you are called a paralegal,] it
sounds like you are your own professional, not someone else’s.” Other
paralegals agreed that the title “legal assistant” encompasses other job
positions. “Loosely construed, ‘legal assistant’ can mean many things,”
said a 26-year paralegal based in Memphis, Tenn. “The person does, in
fact, assist in the delivery of legal services. That person can be a
secretary, a pool typist or even a runner. I have even been told by a
legal administrator that legal secretaries use the term ‘legal
assistant’ because it sounds more glamorous than ‘legal secretary.’ What
a slap in the face to all paralegals.”
Another Memphis
paralegal, Scott W. Wood, said a legal assistant also could be a docket
clerk, a file clerk or litigation support — none of whom, according to
Wood, are paralegals. “I think ‘paralegal’ denotes someone with
specialized training and a certificate … or a degree,” said Wood, who
has eight years of paralegal experience.
Marisa Blewett of Arroyo
Grande, Calif., was the only respondent with “paralegal/legal assistant”
as her job title. She said “paralegal” denotes a higher status, though,
because those with this moniker usually are held to higher educational
and professional standards.
However, 30-year
paralegal Roxanne Reynolds of Spartanburg, S.C., said the two job titles
are synonymous: “At least in my section of the United States, the terms
are interchangeable.” Meanwhile, in Grand Rapids, Mich., an 18-year
legal assistant has yet to decide which job title denotes a higher
status: “I use the term paralegal when talking to clients because most
seem to have a general idea of what that means. However, my official
title assigned by my law firm is ‘legal assistant,’ and I use that on
written documents.”
In other survey results,
91 percent of 33 respondents said the term “paralegal” should become
the universal job title, considering that more associations throughout
the United States have changed their names by replacing “legal
assistant” with “paralegal.”
“I believe the term
[‘paralegal’] should be universal as far as associations [go],” said a
Memphis paralegal with eight years of experience. “But I also know that
some people who classify themselves using this term [don’t] have the
skills … or training associated with this type of profession.” |
