Legal knowledge
Legal Officers & Paralegals must have legal knowledge to conduct legal research.
Legal Officers & Paralegals
Descriptions & Duties
- Legal Officers & Paralegals carry out a variety of tasks to support lawyers, including investigating facts, conducting legal research, and drafting legal documents. They also perform support functions in courts of law or in law offices, and provide services related to legal matters.
They are responsible for: investigating facts, cases of law, and conducting research on relevant laws, regulations, and legal articles; arranging meeting with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases; preparing and drafting correspondence and legal documents including trial briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills and contracts; gathering evidence and other legal documents for case preparation
obtaining affidavits and other formal statements that may be used as evidence in court
documenting court proceedings and judgements; filing exhibits, briefs, appeals and other legal documents with the court; organising and maintaining documents in a paper or electronic form
supporting lawyers during trials by handling exhibits, taking notes, or reviewing trial documents.
Generic Competencies
Physical Abilities
Physical abilities
- Physical strength
- Eye hand coordination / precision / dexterity
Importance:1 (Max:5)
Skill is rarely required
Technology Skills
Technology skills
- Computer literacy
- Application of technology
Importance:3 (Max:5)
Skill is basically required
Cognitive Abilities
Cognitive abilities
- Creativity
- Visualisation
- Logical thinking
Importance:4 (Max:5)
Skill is frequently required
Comprehension And Expression
Comprehension and expression skills
- Reading comprehension
- Oral / written expression
Importance:5 (Max:5)
Skill is required all the time
Social Skills
Social skills
- Communication
- Negotiation
- Persuasion
Importance:4 (Max:5)
Skill is frequently required
Organisation And Execution Skills
Organisation and execution skills
- Planning
- Organising
- Judgement
- Decision making
Importance:4 (Max:5)
Skill is frequently required
Problem Solving Skills
Problem solving skills
- Ability to solve simple and complex problems effectively and efficiently
Importance:4 (Max:5)
Skill is frequently required
Management Skills
Management skills
- Leadership
- Management of finance / time / people / other resources
Importance:3 (Max:5)
Skill is basically required
Trade Specific Competencies
General Requirements
Academic qualification
- normally have a diploma in legal studies, or professional diploma for legal executives, or a bachelor's degree in law or equivalent
Experience
- usually have at least one year of experience in law firm or in-house legal department in multinational companies
Career Path & Salary
Private Sector
Monthly Salary $15,000-$40,000
Monthly Salary $20,000-$70,000
Monthly Salary $30,000-$90,000
Monthly Salary $70,000-$160,000
Government Sector
Monthly Salary Master Pay Scale Point 8-26
Monthly Salary Master Pay Scale Point 27-33
Monthly Salary Master Pay Scale Point 34-39
*For more details on Civil Service Pay Scales, please visit website of the Civil Service Bureau.
http://www.csb.gov.hk/english/admin/pay/952.html
Work Environment
- Legal Officers & Paralegals usually work regular office hours. They usually work in offices. They must be able to work on multiple projects under tight deadlines.
Tools
- Optical character recognition systems - Optical character recognition equipment
