Lesson 2: Careers in Family Law
Have you ever thought about a career in the area of family law? The fact that you're taking this course likely means that you have some interest in family law, though, of course, that interest may not necessarily extend as far as thinking of a career in the area. In case you are considering career possibilities, however, this short lesson will give you a starting point from which to investigate or at least think about-employment opportunities.
Lawyers and Judges
When you think about careers in law, you probably think right away of lawyers and judges. Certainly, many lawyers today do specialize in family law, and some of them will eventually become judges in Alberta's Provincial Court, Family Division (or Family Court, as it is often called) or a higher court.
Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Notaries Public
Lawyers and judges have a high profile in our society, though that profile is often badly distorted by television and movie portrayals. But, of course, lawyers and judges do not work in isolation; they are supported by a variety of people in their offices and the courts. One such supporting job profiled in your textbook is that of the legal secretary.
Legal secretaries are administrative assistants who specialize in legal matters. They work in lawyers' offices (and sometimes legal departments of other businesses like banks and real estate companies) running the day-to-day operations. Legal secretaries are often responsible for things like scheduling appointments, organizing meetings, preparing and proofreading correspondence and legal documents, and maintaining records. Long time legal secretaries generally require an excellent first-hand knowledge of the legal business even though they lack most formal training in the law.
Today, colleges offer diploma programs for people wanting to become legal secretaries. Good legal secretaries often end up running just about everything that goes on in a law office that does not absolutely require the attention of the lawyers themselves, so they must be efficient, capable people with excellent organizational skills and a willingness to learn. They must be excellent communicators, flexible, and adaptable-though they must also be organized and able to maintain a routine that can become repetitive.
Other people employed in law offices include paralegals and notaries public. Paralegals, like legal secretaries, assist lawyers in doing such things as preparing documents, keeping records, researching records and files, and interviewing clients. Notaries public do things like drafting contracts, wills, and other documents, administering oaths and taking affidavits, witnessing signatures, and administering the estates of deceased persons.
Family-Law Specialists
In Alberta, many people are employed by the provincial government to help see that things function smoothly and efficiently in the court system and that people involved in disputes over custody, access, and support payment get the help and advice they need. Others work directly with troubled families. Social workers, counselors, and mediators provide a variety of services to help people with the often complex procedures and stressful negotiations involved in legal disputes in the area of family law.
To give you an idea of the sorts of jobs available in this area, here are two brief profiles: To give you an idea of the sorts of jobs available in this area, here are two brief profiles:
-
Family court counselors are counselors to whom judges can refer people, but individuals needing advice or assistance can approach them on their own as well. You do not have to be involved in the court process to make use of the services of a family court counselor. Counselors must be able to help people by explaining their rights and the alternatives open to them. Specifically, they have to be able to provide information on support payments, custody, and access, and they are often called upon to help people filling in applications to the court, to accompany people to court, and to take "informations" (forms that start the investigation process) for incidents involving mental health commitment issues, assaults, threats, or non-support.
- Mediators and conciliators provide family counseling and divorce mediation. These people provide personal counseling for people whose marital disputes have developed to the stage where a lawyer or court has become involved. To use their services, a person must be referred by a lawyer, a family court counselor, or a judge.
