Part-time legal jobs can be a good way to turn legal experience into extra income. There are many different types of part-time legal jobs that require different levels of expertise and education. Some excellent choices for part-time legal work include being a legal assistant, secretary, or part-time attorney. Some part-time legal jobs, such as transcription, can even be done from home through telecommuting.
Legal assistants work in law firms, legal aid societies, and non-profit organizations in a variety of capacities. Many legal assistants are students who have completed their first year of law school, but are not fully qualified to practice law. Legal assistants may interview prospective clients, prepare case briefs, research case law and history, and perform some secretarial work. A part-time legal assistant job may require either current pursuit of a law degree, or experience working in a legal office.
Part-time legal jobs in secretarial work often requires some history of work in a legal setting. Legal secretaries may answer phones, greet clients, help prepare documents, and handle scheduling for a law firm. Secretaries may also need to be well-versed in the proper filing and handling of legal documents. Often, part-time jobs in secretarial work are available to those new to the legal field, but with prior secretarial experience. In a part-time capacity, a new legal secretary can be trained to handle the needs and complex details that come with the job, and may be able to advance to a full-time position.
One type of part-time legal job that can be excellent for those who need to stay at home can be legal transcription. Transcriptionists listen to audio files and watch videos of a deposition, testimony, or court proceeding, turning the spoken information into a written transcript. Transcriptionists may work through an online firm, or may operate as freelance contractors. Since the audio files can be downloaded, turned into documents, then uploaded over the Internet, part-time transcription work can often be done entirely from home.
Fully-qualified attorneys may decide to work part-time for a variety of reasons. Some have family responsibilities, or run a separate business that takes up most of their time. Part-time legal jobs for attorneys can include consulting, in which a lawyer is contacted for advice on special cases in his area of expertise. Tax attorneys may find extra part-time jobs during the weeks just prior to and following the filing date for income taxes. Attorneys may also choose to decrease their case load when they are near retirement, choosing to work less as a means of transition.