A legal assistant, otherwise known as a paralegal, is a person with specialized training who assists lawyers. Legal assistants generally bill for all work except administrative tasks, and clients receive the benefit of lower legal bills. Some legal assistants work at levels that match a lawyer’s in amount and substance, i.e. client contact, drafting legal documents, maintaining the firm’s knowledge about rules changes and updates in law. Others hold dual legal assistant/secretary roles and assist more directly with typing, file updating, and performing some legal assistant duties such as summarizing depositions and preparing client correspondence. The more substantive the work, the more training necessary, which can be acquired through a variety of legal assistant courses, programs, or schools, both online and at a physical campus.