How to Become a Legal Associate?

Legal associates are known to be the lawyer’s or attorney’s right hand. They keep track of legal documents, update files, conduct research, and prepare the first versions. The demand for Legal associates is growing in parallel with the increase in the number and types of lawyers. In the legal area, there are many options, and anyone with the correct skills and knowledge base can be a successful Legal associate. Are you planning to start a career as a Legal Associate? Then, read the full blog to understand what, how, and where to begin your journey as a Legal Associate.

Who is a Legal Associate?

A legal associate, often known as an associate within a law firm, is an entry-level to mid-level attorney. Associates typically specialize in one field of law and work their way up to partner status at their firm.  The Legal associate’s job is to help a lawyer be more effective by developing evidence, case information, and settlement choices.  Aside from file management, a Legal associate must be computer literate because they are responsible for maintaining digital databases, preparing and delivering affidavits, and accessing law libraries.

Also Read: How to Become a Legal Advisor?

What is the role of a Legal Associate?

Lawyers hire a Legal associate to relieve them of some of their duties. The following are the roles and responsibilities that a Legal associate has.

• On behalf of the lawyer, organize files, keep records, and keep track of deadlines.
• To keep track of actions, validate case status with the attorney, and enter data into case management software and a database.
• Maintain communication with all parties engaged in the case and prepare complaints.
• To keep the clients and the lawyer informed about the case’s development.
• Maintain and manage the case budget by checking outstanding amounts with clients, lawyers, and service suppliers.
• To produce conference materials, pleadings, and case summaries.
• Participate in educational programs to keep up with current job knowledge.
• Organize the evidence to improve trial procedures
• Witnesses must be scheduled, and evidence must be prepared.
• To ensure that witnesses are available when called upon.
• To take notes in the courtroom.

Eligibility to become a Legal Associate

A candidate must have the necessary qualifications and abilities to work as a Legal associate. A Trial Lawyer can only be effective if he or she has the required legal knowledge and personality attributes. The eligibility conditions that must be met are mentioned below:

Education Qualification

• To work as a Legal Associate, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in law.
• A Legal associate might also be a candidate with a diploma or certificate.

Work Experience

There is no requirement for prior work experience. Lawyers can even hire and train college graduates on the job.

Skills Required 

Communication Skills	Research Skills	Eye for Details
Logical Skills	Analytical Skills	Legal Reasoning
Organizational Skills	Good Legal Knowledge	Computer Skills

Courses Required

The list below offers all of the required information about the courses and the fees that a person interested in pursuing this career should consider.

Course Name	Course Duration	Total Fee (Approx.)
BA LLB	5 Years	INR 1.5 lakhs to INR 11 lakhs
B.Sc LLB	5 Years	INR 2 lakhs to INR 11 lakhs
BBA LLB	5 Years	INR 2 lakhs to INR 16 lakhs
B.Com LLB	5 Years	INR 2 lakhs to INR 11 lakhs
B.Tech LLB	6 Years	INR 2 lakhs to INR 16 lakhs
LLB	3 Years	INR 1.5 lakhs to INR 15 lakhs

Top Global Universities 

If you are Planning to pursue law from a university abroad, here are the eminent universities you should be aiming for.

Name of University	QS World University Ranking 2023
Harvard University	5
University of Oxford	4
University of Cambridge	2
Yale University	18
Stanford University	3
London School of Economics and Political Science	56
Columbia University	22
New York University	39
University of California, Berkeley	27
National University of Singapore	11

Indian Colleges to Consider

University of Technology, Sanganer, Jaipur	Uttaranchal University, Dehradun
Sigma Group Of Institutes, Vadodara	CT Group of Institutions, Jalandhar
JECRC University, Jaipur	CT University, Ludhiana
Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam	People’s University, Bhopal
Shobhit University, Meerut	Rai University, Ahmedabad

Job Roles and Career Opportunities 

The following are the various job profiles that a Legal associate can pursue, such as:

• Associate to the Attorney General
• Paralegal
• Commissioner of Oaths
• Lawyer
• Public Notary
• Legal Officer
• Law Inspector
• Legal Counsel, and many more.

A legal associate serves as a lawyer’s right hand. They are given job opportunities in the fields such as: 

• Information Technology Companies
• Corporate Businesses
• Consulting Firms
• MNCs
• Law Firms
• Media and Entertainment Houses
• Engineering Firms
• Political Parties
• Finance Companies
• Universities and Colleges, and many more.

Average Salary

The average income for a Legal associate is roughly INR 4,05,016 per year; while the entry-level salary could be around INR 1.7 lakhs, median-sized salary around INR 4.5 lakhs, and a senior-level legal associate can earn up to INR 9 lakhs per year.

FAQs

In this blog, we discussed the roles and responsibilities of a legal associate, the skills required, and the salary trend one can expect after becoming an associate. We hope the information provided was helpful. For more educational blogs, connect with us at Leverage Edu.