The world of law is a broad and an ever expanding one. A career in the legal sector is usually an exciting and fast paced one. There is a myriad of opportunities to explore and to continually challenge yourself intellectually and advance in the legal sector. One of the great ways to get your foot in the door is to become a law clerk (also called paralegal).
Law clerks play a vital role in the legal sector because their job is to keep things running smoothly. The role of a law clerk is to do legal research, to help provide assistance to a judge and to do various administrative tasks to ensure that everything is in order at the office. Being a law clerk requires dealing well under pressure and tight deadlines, as well as being skilled in multitasking.
Law clerks are invaluable to law firms, for a multitude of reasons.
- They are the first point of contact.
Law clerks are the first point of contact for the attorney with any issues and/or requests for the judge that the clerk is working under. They are also the first point of contact for those who are looking for legal services. By being the first point of contact, the law clerk will meet various people in their field and save the time of the judge. Law clerks are an important means of communication between two parties and sometimes can help recruit more clients to the firm that they work at – because they are the ones that set up a client with legal services.
- Drafting files and materials.
Law clerks are valued for their organizational and research skills. They can draft enforcement documents and review file materials to prepare for a “sitting” (a panel of judges that will hear the next series of cases). This will benefit the client and the lawyer that the clerk is working under because doing this research and documenting it saves time. Doing the research and preparing the preliminary documents allows the lawyer to focus on being a great one without any distractions or mistakes while delivering their points of argument in a case.
- Making decisions on the judge’s behalf.
Law clerks do a lot of research and writing, especially on the case(s) that the judge that they are working with under is dealing with. This is valuable because it allows you to experience the scope of different law cases and procedures. A judge will go over the points of a case with the law clerk, and help analyze which is the best way to handle it. This is important because the law clerk can help provide differing point of views on a case, and help the judge make a well-rounded and informed decision based on the evidence provided.
Becoming a law clerk and being under someone can provide a wide networking base through the opportunity of meeting other individuals in the legal sector. This will allow you to reach out to these people for advice and learn new skills and procedures to apply to your career in the future. By becoming a law clerk, and doing tasks and making decisions, you can gain a reputation and a professional disposition which is invaluable as you continue working in this fast paced and exciting industry.
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