The Law office structure

Question 1

What is a receptionist?

Answer 1

Very often the receptionist is the first person a prospective client speaks to and sees at a law firm

Question 2

What are the receptionist’s responsibilities?

Answer 2

• Greeting clients either in person or on the telephone.
• Answering the telephone and directing calls to the correct individuals.
• The receptionist may also be the legal secretary in the office—particularly in small law firms.
• Making all prospective clients feel welcome.

Question 3

Are the terms attorney and lawyer equivalent?

Answer 3

Yes they mean the same thing.

Question 4

To become an attorney (lawyer) a person must complete how many years of studies?

Answer 4

They must complete four years of undergraduate studies and three years of law school.

Question 5

After an attorney completes all of their training what degree do they earn?

Answer 5

A juris doctorate

Question 6

After an attorney earns their juris doctorate degree they must do what next?

Answer 6

They must pass the bar examination of the state in which they intend to practice law

Question 7

Many attorneys continue their education during their career in what ways?

Answer 7

• By attending legal education seminars, professional meetings, and conferences
• By subscribing to legal newspapers and journals
• By keeping their law libraries current regarding changes in the law.

Question 8

In some states every attorney licensed to practice law in that state must attend what?

Answer 8

A designated minimum number of hours of continuing legal education.

Question 9

What is a sole practitioner?

Answer 9

An attorney who operates a law office alone—that is, there’s only one attorney in the office.

Question 10

In a larger law firm, an attorney falls into what three categories?

Answer 10

An attorney may be a partner, shareholder, or associate of the firm.

Question 11

Who is a partner?

Answer 11

A partner in a law firm is the same as a partner in any business partnership. That is, two or more attorneys combine their resources—capital and labor—to provide a service.

Question 12

What is a law firm organized via partners called?

Answer 12

A partnership.

Question 13

Who owns a law firm organized by a partnership.

Answer 13

The partners of said firm.

Question 14

If a law firm is incorporated as a professional corporation what are the attorneys called?

Answer 14

They are called shareholders.

Question 15

What do partners and shareholders have in common?

Answer 15

Both partners and shareholders invest capital in the law firm and share in the expenses and the profits and losses of the law firm.

Question 16

In a large law firm, several partners may comprise what?

Answer 16

An executive committee with one partner designated as the managing partner.

Question 17

What responsibilities does the managing partner handle?

Answer 17

Office administration with the office administrator.

Question 18

Senior partners devote much of their time to what?

Answer 18

Speaking, teaching, or cultivating new clients.

Question 19

What do senior partners actual legal practice consists of?

Answer 19

They handle only the most important cases of the law firm.

Question 20

Some law firms have attorneys who are designated as of counsel, they usually are what?

Answer 20

They are normally semiretired partners or shareholders who maintain their contacts with the firm, but work on only a part-time basis.

Question 21

An associate is what?

Answer 21

An attorney employed by a law firm, who normally doesn’t share in the expenses, profits, or losses of the firm. Associates are hired with the expectation that they’ll become partners.

Question 22

What are the responsibilities of an associate?

Answer 22

Maintain the daily work of the client files and report to the partner responsible for each client.

Question 23

Who are law clerks?

Answer 23

Law students who perform a variety of duties in a law firm. They can’t, however, give legal advice.

Question 24

What are law clerks responsibilities?

Answer 24

Law clerks can research legal issues. Law clerks may perform the daily updates of the office’s law library, catalogue, and maintain documents.

Question 25

When are law clerks often hired?

Answer 25

They hired for summer or part-time work or to work on a specific case.

Question 26

What are law office administrator (aka law office manager) responsible for?

Answer 26

Duties such as personnel matters, marketing, and budgeting.

Question 27

The staff of a law office usually looks to the law office administrator for direction regarding what?

Answer 27

Office policy and the day-to-day operation of the law office.

Question 28

Who does the law office administrator report to?

Answer 28

The managing partner or directly to the partnership.

Question 29

Legal assistants are also known as what?

Answer 29

Paralegals.

Question 30

What are office administrators also known as?

Answer 30

Law office managers.

Question 31

Legal assistant (paralegals) usually attend what and hold what sort of degree?

Answer 31

Special classes and hold either a two- or four-year degree.

Question 32

Many law firms require legal assistants to have what?

Answer 32

To have a college degree, preferably with a major in paralegal studies.

Question 33

Sometimes, but not often, experienced legal secretaries who have been trained in a specialized area of the law can perform what?

Answer 33

The functions of paralegals.

Question 34

All legal assistants must be under the supervision of who?

Answer 34

Of an attorney

Question 35

Legal assistants generally assist the attorney in what?

Answer 35

In research, case preparation, office management, and discovery (gaining information from another party in a case).

Question 36

Legal assistants are not permitted to do what?

Answer 36

To provide legal advice.

Question 37

What does a law librarian do?

Answer 37

They maintain the office law library. They also direct people to the correct books and volumes where specific information can be found.

Question 38

In small to midsize firms, the librarian’s function is typically handled by who?

Answer 38

A legal assistant or occasionally by a legal secretary.

Question 39

Word processors are a position that does what?

Answer 39

They type and revise legal documents.

Question 40

What are the responsibilities of a word processor?

Answer 40

-typing or merging large documents, formatting documents, making revisions, producing charts, and blacklining.

Question 41

What are the responsibilities of legal secretary? (You)

Answer 41

• Must be thoroughly familiar with the word processing software and with spelling and grammar rules
• Answering the telephone
• Acting as a liaison between the client and attorney
• Accurately typing or keyboarding legal documents
• Maintaining office records and files
• Transcribing dictation
• Preparing client billing statements
• Maintaining office calendars

Question 42

What books should be kept at your desk as a legal secretary?

Answer 42

• Dictionary
• Thesaurus (a book that gives synonyms and antonyms)
• The Irwin Law Office Reference Manual or The Gregg Reference Manual
• Uniform System of Citation (The Blue Book)
• Law dictionary

Question 43

Legal secretaries must work with the attorney handling issues and situations within what?

Answer 43

The limits of the American Bar Association (ABA) Rules of Professional Conduct and ABA Canons of Professional Responsibility

Question 44

What is discovery?

Answer 44

Gaining information from another party in a case

Question 45

What is a blacklining?

Answer 45

A capability in many word processing software programs that allows the user to show all additions and revisions to a document