Legal Job Descriptions



The various job roles in this sector are as follows:

1. A criminal lawyer
2. The attorney
3. The crime scene investigator
4. The legal advisor
5. The Paralegals
6. The counsels
7. The executives
8. The secretary
9. The clerks
10. The justice


Civil Lawyer Job Description

Law is split into the two broad areas of civil law and criminal law. A lawyer working in the criminal area will defend or prosecute individuals who have broken some law. A civil lawyer will represent clients who may have a dispute with someone else over some matter that that is not covered by criminal law.

The kind of things that a civil lawyer will deal with are disputes between two parties that may include contract disputes, personal injuries or damages to property. A civil lawyer will represent both sides in a dispute. The person who is suing is known as the plaintiff and the person being sued is called as the defendant.

The areas that a civil lawyer will deal with include: Civil law, business law, slander, personal injury claims, negligence and libel. The civil lawyer job description will vary from firm to firm but the basics will remain the same.

The job description will also include mentoring junior and trainee members of staff, this is true for most lawyers whether civil or criminal. The job description may want a lawyer who specializes in a certain branch of civic law.

Here’s an example of a job description:

Civil Lawyer Job Description

  • Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
  • Use knowledge of legal proceedings to analyse potential outcome of cases. Decide whether the case is worth fighting.
  • · Explain and interpret laws and regulations for individuals and businesses.
  • Meet with colleagues who specialise in other areas to establish whether there is a legal basis for a case.
  • · Marshal arguments and develop a strategy on the best way to pursue cases.
  • Advise clients on legal rights concerning business transactions, claims and obligations in a case.
  • Examine all the legal evidence to decide whether it is advisable to defend or pursue a law suit.
  • Oversee legal assistants.
  • Interview clients to gather evidence to build a defence or initiate legal proceedings.
  • Prepare a legal case and file appeals in court.
  • Negotiate settlements in civil disputes between parties.
  • Present cases to judges and juries..
  • Perform the administrative and management duties in the practice..
  • Prepare wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts for clients.
  • Search for and examine public and other legal records establish ownership in property disputes.
  • Administer wills and represent and advise executors and administrators of estates.
  • Help draft and interpret laws and legislation, and establish enforcement procedures.
  • Act as agent, trustee, or executor for businesses or individuals.
  • Work in environmental law, representing public interest groups, waste disposal companies, or construction firms in their dealings with Government bodies.

Paralegal Job Description

The duties and job responsibilities of a paralegal have grown over the years as the legal community has begun to realize the benefits of having paralegals work for them. Depending on the area of law that is being focused on a paralegal job description can include assisting trial attorneys, drafting all different types of contracts including mortgages, marriage separation papers, and wills and trusts. Paralegals work in firms dealing in corporate law, real estate, criminal law, immigration, and all types of litigation.

Depending on the law practice itself the paralegal job description can vary. Lawyers are leaning on their paralegals to do research for legal documents as well as participate in investigating cases. For many paralegals, duties include maintaining all office and records and correspondence. The job of a paralegal is really better described as being the backbone of many a law practice. There are courses that are available for a paralegal to take to become more job specific based on the type of law firm they work for. As time and technology take us into the future the paralegal job description will continue to evolve and grow with the needs of the legal society.

Becoming a Paralegal is an opportunity for anyone who thinks that they are well organized, work well under pressure, are a good fact checker as well as fact finder, and take direction well. The person doing the job needs to be able to work in a specific mindset. This job is not for someone who is disorganized or unreliable. Law practices generally have time lines and the work needs to be completed in an efficient and timely manor. If you are a free spirit and do not follow through on projects well then you will probably look at a paralegal’s job and cringe.

Getting a certificate or advanced degree to become a paralegal is open to anyone but following the paralegal job description and doing the job well is for those who understand what being a paralegal is all about. This is a job that is important and needs to be taken seriously. The paralegal or legal assistant field is expected to continue to grow at a good pace for years to come. Look into various fields of law before deciding the area that interests you the most before becoming a paralegal. Louis Zhang, Accrparalegaltraining dot com