Legal Careers. Activity 2 Group Activity Fill in the Blanks INFORMATION EMPOWERS

Transcription

1 Legal Careers Activity 2 Group Activity Fill in the Blanks INFORMATION EMPOWERS

2 LEGAL CAREERS Activity 2 Group Activity: Fill in the Blanks Teacher s Guide Description and Objectives Target Audience Length Materials Required Preparation In this activity students learn more about various legal careers. It provides a more indepth look at the information presented in Activity 1 Who Am I? Students work in teams to complete the career charts. The correct answers are provided at the end of each answer sheet. Objectives: Discover some of the lesser known legal careers. Learn more about some of the better known legal careers. Understand the type of work each career involves. Appreciate the skills and qualities that employers look for in these careers. Learn more about job prospects, necessary schooling and working conditions for each career. Secondary Cycle Two students Secondary 5 students POP classes 75 minutes (15 minutes of preparation / 45 minutes for the activity / 15 minutes for the closing discussion) Student s Guide (printed copy) Pencils Read the documents. Print the documents that students will need for the activity. P. 2 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

3 Running the Activity Explain the activity to students ( 5 minutes). Divide students into five teams ( 5 minutes). Distribute the documents to the teams (documents are divided into groups A, B, C, D and E ( 5 minutes). Allow students about 45 minutes to fill in the blanks ( 45 minutes). After 45 minutes, ask students from each group to present each career ( 15 minutes). Post the tables with the correct answers in the classroom. IMPORTANT NOTICE The legal information in this guide is updated to August 1, None of the information in this guide should be taken as legal advice. These materials are the exclusive property of Éducaloi. Teachers in Quebec schools can use them, but for non-commercial purposes only. The materials must be used in their original form, without modification. Éducaloi, 2015 P. 3 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

4 Answer Key Group Activity: Fill in the Blanks Teacher s Guide Group A Lawyer Police Officer Court Usher (1) University; (2) Listen; (3) Advise; (4) Represent; (5) Write; (6) persuade; (7) others concerns; (8) six months practical training (articling); (9) $200,000 to $300,000. (1) Diploma in police technology and training at the Quebec police academy; (2) Good communicator, ability to be firm and control emotions; (3) tickets; (4) arrest; (5) Raise public awareness; (6) Build ties with the community; (7) make good decisions quickly; (8) be firm; (9) talent for finding and analyzing information. (1) Limited; (2) Ability to adapt, be polite, follow rules; (3) Help judges and accompany them; (4) Greet; (5) know and enforce the rules; (6) clearly; (7) three years of high school. Group B Court Clerk Notary (1) Limited; (2) Good communicator, courteous, detail-oriented; (3) Prepare and organize; (4) Swear in witnesses; (5) Write the minutes; (6) pay close attention; (7) detail-oriented; (8) good with people; (9) paralegal technology ; (10) legal secretary; (11) bilingual. (1) Master s degree in notarial law and training at the professional association of notaries; (2) Excellent communication and analytical skills, ability to listen and stay neutral; (3) Write documents; (4) protected legally and financially; (5) neutral; (6) agree; (7) bachelor s degree in law; (8) master s degree in notarial law. Legal Translator (1) University; (2) Strong writing skills, analytical skills, attention to detail; (3) Analyze; (4) language tools; (5) Accurately translate; (6) Correct texts; (7) from one language to another; (8) write; (9) revise; (10) studying translation; (11) studying law; (12) number of words. P. 4 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

5 Group C Official Stenographer Judge Social Worker (1) Concentration, strong writing skills, attention to detail; (2) Record; (3) Accurately; (4) excellent language skills; (5) able to concentrate for long periods of time; (6) selfemployed; (7) $50,000. (1) University; (2) Limited; (3) Analyze evidence (proof); (4) Make a decision; (5) good analytical skills; (6) listeners; (7) lawyers; (8) 10 years; (9) professional and personal reputations; (10) set by the law and is made public; (11) salary depends on which court. (1) Good; (2) Good communication and analytical skills, good with people; (3) Develop; (4) family mediators; (5) respect their values; (6) bachelor s; (7) professional title; (8) community centres; (9) shelters. Group D Legal Secretary (1) Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS) for legal secretarial work; (2) Good; (3) write; (4) organize; (5) legal work; (6) prepare and format; (7) Good language skills; (8) Organized; (9) Detailed-oriented; (10) big law firms. Correctional Officer Legal Interpreter (1) High school diploma and additional training; (2) Good; (3) Make sure rules are followed; (4) Evaluate; (5) good judgment; (6) control their emotions; (7) after high school; (8) standard first aid; (9) class 4A driver s licence (emergency vehicles); (10) $48,782; (11) $61,859. (1) CEGEP or University; (2) No specific diploma; (3) Listen; (4) State; (5) out loud; (6) pay close attention; (7) as accurately as possible; (8) concentrate; (9) no specific training; (10) University of Ottawa; (11) self-employed; (12) written translation. P. 5 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

6 Group E Probation Officer (1) Fair; (2) Ability to be firm, open-minded, good with people; (3) Interview; (4) meet the conditions; (5) Write evaluation reports; (6) very good with people; (7) must be firm; (8) social work; (9) $74,416. Paralegal (1) CEGEP; (2) Strong writing skills, analytical skills, detail-oriented; (3) Write drafts; (4) detail-oriented; (5) write well; (6) identify the important information; (7) three-year; (8) government; (9) $30,000; (10) $85,000. Bailiff (1) CEGEP or University; (2) Diplomatic, ability to be firm, respect for rules; (3) court orders; (4) Prepare official reports; (5) Collect money; (6) diplomatic; (7) firm; (8) nerves of steel; (9) fixed salary. P. 6 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

7 Group A (Lawyer, Police Officer, Court Usher) Lawyer University Bachelor s degree from a law faculty and training at the Quebec bar school Excellent communicator, energetic, detail-oriented Listen: Lawyers must earn their clients trust, understand their problems and ask the right questions. Advise: Lawyers must know the law and help their clients understand it. Negotiate: Lawyers spend a lot of time trying to settle disagreements. Analyze: They must analyze complex documents and situations and know how to apply the law. Represent: Lawyers act on behalf of their clients in court and in other situations. Write: Lawyers write many legal documents. Lawyers must be careful, accurate and thorough, especially when giving advice. They must persuade others and think on their feet, especially in court. They must understand others concerns, especially when looking for common ground during negotiations or mediation. To become a lawyer in Quebec you must have a bachelor s degree from a law school. You then have to pass exams given by the École du Barreau du Québec (Quebec bar school). Finally, you have to complete six months practical training (articling). Lawyers must keep their knowledge up-to-date throughout their career by attending continuing education classes. Lawyers salaries depend on where they work. Lawyers who work on their own earn, on average, $30,000 to $50,000. Salaried lawyers earn, on average, $90,000 to $110,000. Partners in big law firms earn, on average, $200,000 to $300,000. P. 7 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

8 Group A (Lawyer, Police Officer, Court Usher) Police Officer CEGEP Diploma in police technology and training at the Quebec police academy Good Good communicator, ability to be firm and control emotions Respond to emergencies, such as when people call the police or 911 to report a crime or when they re in danger. Write tickets and arrest suspects. Write reports, for example, after giving someone a ticket or arresting a suspect. Be visible to the community, for example, patrolling by car. Raise public awareness of why it s important to obey the law. Build ties with the community, in schools, with seniors and in cultural communities. Patrol officers are often involved in dangerous situations. They must be able to handle stress and make good decisions quickly. They must also be firm so that people will obey the law. Investigators have a talent for finding and analyzing information. They must also be perseverant, that is, be patient and not give up easily. An investigation in real life takes a lot longer than in a 60-minute television show! To become a police officer in Quebec, you need a CEGEP diploma in police technology. You can also become a police officer with a university degree or a vocational CEGEP diploma in another field if you obtain an Attestation of College Studies (ACS) in police technology. You must also train at the École nationale de police (Quebec police academy). To work for the RCMP, you need a high school diploma and you must be accepted into a sixmonth training program at the RCMP Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan. Police officers salaries are usually set in their union contract. Their starting salaries range from $38,625 to $50,674, depending on the police force they work for. P. 8 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

9 Group A (Lawyer, Police Officer, Court Usher) Court Usher High School No specific diploma needed Limited Ability to adapt, be polite, follow rules Environment Prepare and open courtrooms. Help judges and accompany them between their offices and the courtroom. Greet and show witnesses where to stand during the hearing. Make sure people in the courtroom behave properly. Help judges during the trial, for example, by making photocopies. Court ushers must know and enforce the rules of correct behaviour in court. They must work well in a team. Court ushers must express themselves clearly. They must use discretion at all times. There is no specific training program for court ushers. The ministère de la Justice du Québec (Quebec s department of justice) requires three years of high school. People who have less than three years of high school can still qualify if they have two years work experience for each year of schooling they don t have. Court ushers work part-time and must be on call. Their work schedule might change from week to week depending on how busy the court is. P. 9 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

10 Group B (Court Clerk, Notary, Legal Translator) Court Clerk CEGEP Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in paralegal technology Limited Good communicator, courteous, detail-oriented Prepare and organize the court record and file it in the right place. Make sure lawyers and witnesses are in the courtroom at the beginning of the hearing. Swear in witnesses, that is, ask them to promise to tell the truth. Write the minutes, which is a document detailing everything that happens during a hearing. Schedule hearing dates according to when the lawyers are available. Court clerks must pay close attention to what goes on around them. They have to be detail-oriented and very organized. They need excellent communication skills because they do a lot of writing. Court clerks work with the public. They must be good with people and create a good impression. There is no specific training for court clerks. The government sometimes requires them to have a Diploma of College Studies in paralegal technology or three years of experience as a legal secretary. Court clerks who work in the judicial district of Montreal should be bilingual. Court clerks often work on call, which means they work only when the court needs them. If they work full time (35 hours a week), they can earn, on average, $31,266 to $43,667 a year. P. 10 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

11 Group B (Court Clerk, Notary, Legal Translator) Notary University Master s degree in notarial law and training at the professional association of notaries Good Excellent communication and analytical skills, ability to listen and stay neutral Give legal advice to clients at important times in their lives in order to prevent or solve problems. Write documents that follow special legal rules, after doing research and checking necessary information. Make sure their clients are protected legally and financially, for example, when selling a house or a business, or when paying off a mortgage. Represent clients in court in cases where people are not opposing one another, for example, when adopting a child. Notaries must be neutral and consider the rights of all people involved in a situation. They re specialists in getting people to agree. They must have good listening skills. Notaries sometimes act as mediators to help solve problems so people don t end up in court. To become a notary, you first need a bachelor s degree in law and then a master s degree in notarial law. Before they can practise in Quebec, notaries must complete professional training and be admitted to the Chambre des notaires. This is the professional association of notaries. Notaries earn from $30,000 to over $100,000 a year. P. 11 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

12 Group B (Court Clerk, Notary, Legal Translator) Legal Translator University in law or translation Good Strong writing skills, analytical skills, attention to detail Analyze documents to understand exactly what they mean. Do research in specialized fields and use language tools. Accurately translate legal documents from one language to another while making sure their legal meaning stays the same. Revise translations done by other translators. Correct texts to make sure they are well written. Legal translators are communication experts. They translate legal documents, making sure the legal meaning stays the same. Legal translators translate legal documents, such as contracts, laws and court decisions, from one language to another. With their language skills, they can also write, revise and correct documents. They must pay attention to detail, be interested in learning new things and have good general knowledge. There are different ways to become a legal translator. These are the two most common: Some begin by studying translation or languages, usually in university. Then they specialize in law. Others begin by studying law and then study translation. Sometimes lawyers develop translation skills on the job and later specialize in legal translation. Translators usually charge a fee based on the number of words in the document. Since legal translation is very specialized, the price per word is higher than it is for general translation. P. 12 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

13 Group C (Official Stenographer, Judge, Social Worker) Official Stenographer CEGEP Attestation of College Studies in legal stenography Good Concentration, strong writing skills, attention to detail Record what people say and do as they speak (ask questions, answer questions, hesitate, cry). Accurately transcribe exactly what was recorded. Make sure the rules are followed when people are questioned outside the courtroom. Official stenographers must have excellent language skills. They must be able to concentrate for long periods of time and have good typing skills. Official stenographers must maintain a professional attitude (on time, detail-oriented, manage stress, work well on their own, etc.). To become an official stenographer you must obtain an Attestation of College Studies in legal stenography or equivalent. The École de sténographie judiciaire du Québec offers a twoyear program in French. You can do equivalent studies in English at the Canadian Centre for Verbatim Studies in Toronto or at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). You must also pass the exam of the Comité sur la sténographie (stenography committee of the Quebec bar association). The exam is difficult. You need 90% to pass the spelling and grammar part and 80% for stenography techniques. Stenographers are self-employed. The law decides how much a stenographer can charge. The starting salary is about $50,000 a year. An experienced stenographer can earn over $100,000 a year.. P. 13 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

14 Group C (Official Stenographer, Judge, Social Worker) Judge University Law degree Limited Analytical, good listener, ability to stay neutral Manage cases from beginning to end. Direct court hearings to make sure everyone follows the rules. Listen to what is said in court by lawyers, experts and other witnesses. Analyze evidence (proof), which is the information presented during the trial, and research the law that applies to the case. Make a decision and explain how it was made. Judges need good analytical skills. They must be excellent listeners. They must always be neutral. There is no judge school in Canada. Judges are chosen from lawyers who have been members of a bar association (official association of lawyers) for at least 10 years. Lawyers who become judges have usually spent their careers representing people in court. Potential judges are carefully chosen. They need to know the law inside out and have spotless professional and personal reputations. Judges make a very good living. Their salary is set by the law and is made public. They receive a fixed yearly salary no matter how many hours they work. Their salary depends on which court they work at. For example, municipal court judges don t make as much as judges of the Supreme Court of Canada. P. 14 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

15 Group C (Official Stenographer, Judge, Social Worker) Social Worker University Bachelor s or master s degree in social work or social services Good Good communication and analytical skills, good with people Work Environment Meet with people, alone or in groups, to learn about their problems and to decide what services they need. Give advice and help people learn skills to solve their problems. Develop programs to give people the help they need. Act as family mediators. Social workers must have the ability to listen and really understand people s problems, suggest ways to solve the problem, and communicate well with people. They must be open to others, respect their values and analyze their situation without judging. Social workers must have the ability to defend the rights of others. Social workers need a bachelor s or master s degree in social work or social services. Social worker is a professional title reserved only for members of the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ or association of social workers and marriage/family therapists). A CEGEP diploma in social service lets people do work similar to what social workers do, but they can t call themselves social workers. Social workers work in community centres, hospitals, shelters, youth centres, prisons and schools. They often work with other specialists, including doctors, teachers, lawyers and psychologists. P. 15 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

16 Group D (Legal Secretary, Correctional Officer, Legal Interpreter) Legal Secretary High school Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS) for legal secretarial work Good Discrete, good language skills, organized Legal secretaries perform secretarial tasks like these: answer the phone and meet clients write letters organize agendas help lawyers and notaries with their legal work These are some of their other responsibilities: prepare and format legal documents manage files and make sure deadlines are met collect amounts billed to clients Good language skills: Legal secretaries must write well and enjoy reading. Being bilingual is also important. Discretion: Legal secretaries must make sure client information is kept confidential. Organized: Legal secretaries must be able to deal with many clients at the same time, meet tight deadlines and keep track of what goes on. Detail-oriented: Accuracy is very important in law. Legal secretaries must pay careful attention to detail. To become a legal secretary, you usually need an Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS) for legal secretarial work. To apply to the program, you need a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) for secretarial work or relevant work experience. Salaries for legal secretaries depend on the years of experience they have and where they work. The average yearly salary of a recent graduate is between $30,000 and $35,000. In big law firms, experienced legal secretaries can earn more than $60,000 a year. P. 16 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

17 Group D (Legal Secretary, Correctional Officer, Legal Interpreter) Correctional Officer High school or CEGEP High school diploma and additional training Good Good with people, ability to be firm, and control your emotions Maintain order and watch over places where prisoners are kept. Make sure rules are followed and use physical or verbal force when necessary. Accompany prisoners to the hospital or to court. Evaluate prisoners records and help them return to the community. Correctional officers must have good judgment and be good with people. They must be able to control their emotions and be firm. Quebec Government Requirements: You must have a high school diploma and at least two years of studies after high school in a related field. Some CEGEPs offer programs in correctional intervention. Federal Government Requirements: You must have the following: high school diploma certificate in standard first aid and CPR class 4A driver s licence (emergency vehicles) You must pass written tests, go for an interview and have your fingerprints taken. You must also complete a medical questionnaire and give your written consent to a background check. Correctional officers are employed by the government. Their salaries are set in their union contract. Correctional officers working for the Quebec government earn between $48,782 and $61,859 a year. Correctional officers working for the federal government earn between $55,970 and $74,985 a year. P. 17 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

18 Group D (Legal Secretary, Correctional Officer, Legal Interpreter) Legal Interpreter CEGEP or University No specific diploma Limited Good communication, ability to concentrate, accuracy Prepare well before going to court by learning vocabulary that might be used during the trial. Listen very carefully to what witnesses, experts, lawyers and the judge say. State in another language exactly what was said. Judges and lawyers can also ask legal interpreters to translate written documents out loud. Legal interpreters must pay close attention to what a person says and translate it as accurately as possible. They must concentrate for hours at a time, and they must be good communicators. Interpreters are often fluent in several languages. There is no specific training for legal interpreters, but most have studied translation or languages. The University of Ottawa offers a master s degree in conference interpreting. To be a certified legal interpreter, you must become a member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ the association of certified translators, terminologists and interpreters). It s a good idea for legal interpreters to register with the legal interpretation and translation department of their local courthouse. Legal interpreters are usually self-employed. What they earn depends on how much work they get. Legal interpretation and translation departments in courthouses often hire interpreters for trials. Interpreters can also get work from the private sector. Few legal interpreters earn their living by doing only interpretation. It s a difficult job to do on a daily basis. So they often do written translation as well. P. 18 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

19 Group E (Probation Officer, Paralegal, Bailiff) Probation Officer University Bachelor s degree in a related field Fair Ability to be firm, open-minded, good with people Interview people released on probation or parole, and decide what they need to return safely to the community. Prepare intervention plans to help them take responsibility for themselves. Make sure that they meet the conditions of their probation or parole. Write evaluation reports on their behaviour. Probation officers must be very good with people so as to earn the trust and respect of people released on probation or parole. They must be firm and stay calm when someone bullies them or challenges their authority. To become a probation officer, you must have a bachelor s degree in one of the following fields: criminology psychology psychoeducation social work or social services sexuality studies another related field When you apply for a job as a probation officer, you must go through a selection process. If you are selected, you must follow a training program given by Quebec s correctional services department. Probation officers work for the Quebec government. Their salary is fixed in their union contract. They earn from $40,419 to $74,416 a year. P. 19 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

20 Group E (Probation Officer, Paralegal, Bailiff) Paralegal CEGEP Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in paralegal technology (usually) Good Strong writing skills, analytical skills, detail-oriented Write drafts of legal documents. Research laws, judges decisions, legal textbooks and other sources (for example, to find arguments that will convince a judge). Do some work that legal secretaries do, especially if they work in a small firm. Good paralegals must be detail-oriented to find precise information that lawyers and notaries can rely on. They must write well so they can prepare legal documents for lawyers and notaries. They must be able to analyze and summarize laws and judges decisions, and identify the important information. To become a paralegal, you usually need a Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in paralegal technology. This is a three-year program offered in English and in French. Some employers don t require a DEC in paralegal technology and prefer to train their paralegals themselves. The salary of paralegals is based on their experience, responsibilities and where they work, for example, in a company, the government, a law firm, etc. Recent graduates can earn over $30,000 a year. Some very experienced paralegals who work in big Montreal law firms can earn up to $85,000 a year. P. 20 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide

21 Group E (Probation Officer, Paralegal, Bailiff) Bailiff CEGEP or University Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in paralegal technology or bachelor s degree in law Good Diplomatic, ability to be firm, respect for rules Bailiffs play an important role in society. They have four main duties: Deliver legal documents to people, such as documents ordering people to appear in court. Carry out court orders, such as evicting tenants who haven t paid their rent. Prepare official reports on situations, such as a neighbour making too much noise or an apartment in bad shape. These reports might later be used as proof in court. Collect money that people owe or get them to voluntarily hand over property, for example, taking back a car from someone who stopped making their car payments. Bailiffs must be diplomatic and firm with people in difficult situations who can t pay their debts. Bailiffs must have nerves of steel. They must also be willing to follow strict legal and professional rules. To become a bailiff you need a Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in paralegal technology or a bachelor s degree in law. You also need a permit from the Chambre des huissiers de justice du Québec, which is Quebec s professional association of bailiffs. It s difficult to know how much a bailiff in Quebec earns on average. It depends on whether the bailiff o receives fees, which is usually the case, or o earns a fixed salary from a bailiff s office. For bailiffs who are self-employed and work for themselves, their income depends on how much work they do. If they have signed an agreement with a bailiff s office that gives them work, the office pays them a percentage of the fees they charge. P. 21 Legal Careers Activity 2 Teacher s Guide