When you watch crime shows such as Law & Order, do you love watching the drama in the courtroom unfold? Do you like following cases on the news and trying to anticipate what prosecutors might charge felons with? If so, then you might be just what the legal services industry is looking for in an assistant paralegal or legal assistant or secretary.
The legal services industry works with lawyers to ensure that the wheels of justice spin smoothly. There is a lot more that goes into a single case than what is depicted on television, and a lot of it is done by paralegals and assistant paralegals, who do much of the behind-the-scenes work by researching and ensuring that documents are filed accordingly.
If you’re considering a career in legal services, consider no more. Here are three great reasons why you should work in legal services right now and what great legal service career opportunities will await you.
Diversity and Drive
Shows like Law & Order offer a glimpse at the criminal prosecution side of the law, but there’s much more to law than just criminal prosecution. As an assistant paralegal or legal secretary, you can go to work for all different types of law firms that handle a large variety of cases.
Your work can take you to all corners of Australia as you work with cases at certain firms. You can go to work for a law firm that handles bankruptcy and real estate law or you might provide legal services to a firm that specialises in will and estate planning.
Because there is such diversity in this profession, legal services professionals are rarely ever bored. In a personal injury firm, for example, your cases can range from slip-and-fall accidents to car accidents and even medical negligence incidents. As old cases finish up, new ones will come through, meaning you’ll always have a change of pace from week to week.
Lawyers are known for their long work weeks and their drives to succeed, and those in legal services share the same drive. Though the hours may be long, the rewards and benefits for good work can be great. You may be able to ask for more pay down the line or you may be promoted.
Make a Difference in People’s Lives
The legal services industry is all about helping other people get the justice they deserve. If you care about others and want to help them get compensation for injuries or settle a dispute, then legal services is the perfect place for you to reach out to others and help them along through the litigations process.
If you love working with children, then you might enjoy working with a firm that specialises in child custody and adoption cases. It will be up to you to plan out cases to make sure that children are placed in healthy, happy home environments, and you will be an integral part of the research and discovery phases of a court case. You may even be tasked with tracking down and interviewing witnesses in cases to make sure that the whole story is presented at trial.
Other people like helping to right wrongs that have been done to others. They thrive in personal injury firms that help the victims of car crashes and other injury cases get compensation and justice against negligent drivers and other persons who have injured them. Listening to their stories and helping them with their cases is what the legal services industry is all about, and when you’re working for one of these firms, you can be a part of the solution.
Economic Demand
In the past, the legal services industry was much smaller and hardly the necessity it is today. Most work was handled strictly by lawyers, and if you didn’t have a law degree, then you wouldn’t be able to complete certain tasks. Much of that has now changed since paralegals and legal assistants have contributed such a vital amount of help to the legal industry as a whole.
Paralegals take a lot of the difficult but necessary paperwork off the hands of lawyers and allows them to handle more. They can now assist lawyers at trial and file paperwork and court documents on their own. As such, the legal system in Australia moves quickly and more smoothly, allowing for justice to be served at a quicker rate.
Because of the necessity paralegals have shown themselves to be, the industry is thriving right now, and there is plenty of room for growth. According to Payscale, the average salary for a paralegal in Australia is $50,613, and it can go up to $70,000 after several years and plenty of hard work.
Think you might want to start a rewarding career in the legal services industry? To get started, the best place to obtain a Certificate IV in Legal Services from Kangan Institute. With a Certificate IV in Legal Services, you’ll feel confident in your skills to work as an assistant paralegal or as a legal assistant or secretary for a law firm.
The legal services industry is vital to the Australian economy and an engaging industry to work in. Begin your career with a sound education and start working in a thriving industry.
