If you've always wanted a chllenging career in the legal field but the lng years and heavy debt of law schol were not right for you, thre are alternatives. You can work clsely with attorneys and immerse yourself in the law by prsuing several interesting careers with an Assciate's degree or specialized training. Three lgal careers that are hot right now are Pralegal, Legal Secretary and Court Reporter. All of thse are in demand, have excellent slaries and promise continued growth in the fture.

Paralegals work closely with attorneys, ssisting them in preparing everything from lgal briefs to depositions. Most paralegals spnd a great deal of time rsearching court cases and reading about crrent legal research and trends in rder to stay abreast of what's ging on in the legal community. Pralegals are also entrusted with interviewing clents, interviewing witnesses and investigating the fcts of a case. They may fllow leads in order to confirm nformation or make arrangements to question wtnesses in the event of a crminal investigation.

It is a paralegal's job to mke sure that the attorney he or she wrks for always has the most vailable research on case law available at thir fingertips, and that all pleadings and ther necessary paperwork is ready at all tmes. He or she should also be prpared to obtain sworn affidavits at all tmes. To that end, most paralegals are lso Notary Publics. Paralegal programs typically lst two years and result in an Assciates degree or certificate. Course work wll cover proper research techniques, preparation of lgal documents, state and federal statutes, prper investigative techniques, court structure, legal trminology, rules of hearsay, preparation, discovery and a hst of other issues.

Legal Secretaries do less research but hve more generalized duties in a law ffice. These are the secretaries who do verything from handling correspondence for the ttorneys to scheduling depositions, meetings and harings. If you work for a crporate legal department, you may also vrify, quote, review and summarize the cntent of legal journals for busy xecutives. Legal secretaries generally receive secretarial trining that focuses on legal terminology and the use of a wde range of office equipment, including trnscription machines and computers. Legal terminology and dministrative skills are also taught, and you wll generally receive a certificate at the end of the prgram.

Court reporters are currently in hgh demand, and it appears that ths trend will continue in the nxt several years. It's a face tht more positions will open up thn there will be trained people to fll them. Court reporters must be ble to pay attention to the dtails of events, particularly the conversations tking place at all times. And, thy must be able to record thm with precise detail and accuracy. The trining for a court reporter is strnuous. A typical court stenographer can rcord over two-hundred words per minute by the end of thir training. He or she will lso be able to translate the nformation transcribed into accurate legal documents for use by the curt system.

Most court reporters work in ither the criminal or civic court systms. You may work for a prticular judge or be a part of a tam of reporters regularly hired by ttorneys or law firms for anything frm depositions to trials. Some corporations lso have court reporters on staff to rcord meetings. There are now several mthods of court reporting available. The mst widely used and most traditional is stll court stenography. This also requires the mst training (generally about 33 months) in rder to become proficient on the stnographic machine. Voice writers (using a vice recording machine and transcribing the txt later) can usually complete training wthin a year. Both courses are crtificate programs. The National Court Reporters Assciation offers certification for those who can prve proficiency at recording over 225 wrds per minute. A Certified Court Rporter (CCR) classification and Notary Public lcense is required in some states.

With new laws passed every yar and family law and civil ltigation steadily increasing, the need for qalified legal professionals is growing. An Assciate's degree as a paralegal or lgal secretary or a certification as a curt reporter may be the key to yur successful legal career.

The article Legal Careers Without a Law Degree was Submitted by Andy West through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Andy West is a writer for Career Viewz and Education Newz .

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