Can you tell me what the difference btwn Paralegal, Legal Assistant, and LNC is?

Question

LNC is Legal Nurse Consultant.

What is the difference btwn these three similar professions?

I'd like to know your take on it.

Thanks

Answer 1

An LNC will usually have a medical/nursing background. He or she may have legal training, but very likely will not be trained in the way a paralegal is. An LNC's duties may be limited to obtaining and evaluating medical evidence and expert testimony.

According to the American Bar Association and other organizations, the terms "legal assistant" and "paralegal" have the same meaning. However, the term paralegal is slowly becoming the preferred term, since the term "legal assistant" is sometimes used to refer to an "assistant" [secretary] to a lawyer, much in the same way the term "assistant" has become preferable to "secretary" in the corporate world.

Customs vary around the U.S., so it would benefit you to ask someone in the legal field in your area.

Answer 2

A Legal Nurse Consultant is typically a nurse who reviews personal injury cases for their "worth." The nurse understands all of the medical jargon and terminology in the medical records and is able to give the lawyer in laymen's terms what the injuries etc. are and what it might mean for the client's future. Sometimes a LNC gets a paralegal certificate and can do other things as well.

A paralegal n the strictest sense of the word is someone who has earned either a paralegal certificate or an Associate's or Bachelor's degree as a paralegal. However, there are many people out there who do not have those credentials but have been doing legal work for so long that they know a LOT more than someone fresh out of school with no experience.

A legal assistant is someone who is a little more than a secretary (who does mostly transcription and phones and calendaring etc) by drafting things, but doesn't do legal research or things that a paralegal would do.

The key difference between a legal assistant and a paralegal is that a lawyer cannot bill his client for work a legal assistant does, but if the paralegal is doing research, investigation, etc., he can bill for the paralegal at a rate reduced from his own.