Lawyers don’t have time to do everything their job requires them to do, so they often hire paralegals or legal assistants to help them with their research and preparation for cases.
Paralegals can do nearly everything an attorney can do other than give legal advice, present cases in courts of law, and set legal fees.
What is a Paralegal?
At one point – since becoming a paralegal requires far fewer years of schooling that becoming a full attorney does – the paralegal profession was seen as something of a glorified secretary. Today, however, paralegals often take on work that full-fledged attorneys do.
The major distinction between the two is that paralegals aren't allowed to do anything that could be considered the practice of law, including giving legal advice and arguing cases in court.
A paralegal’s main duty is to assist lawyers with preparing for trials, hearings, meetings, and closing arguments. This includes a lot of research. Paralegals often search legal journals and past cases for precedent, review information related to cases, and write reports or case notes for attorneys.
While no longer simple secretaries, paralegals often perform office work as well, including tasks such as tracking files, typing transcripts of meetings, preparing documents, and keeping client information.
Those with paralegal positions can work in a number of different areas, although most work for law firms or in corporate legal departments. State government agencies are another paralegal career option for legal assistants, although there tends to be fewer opportunities in this area. If you choose this profession, you can enjoy a legal assistant career in every field of law, including criminal, family, immigration, bankruptcy, personal injury, and real estate. Many paralegals specialize in one or more areas of law just like lawyers do. In some firms, a paralegal may work specifically in one area, while in smaller firms, they are often given more general tasks. A paralegal is typically given more duties and responsibilities as they gain experience. Keep reading to discover more useful paralegal information.
In the public arena, your career as a paralegal could involve different work, depending on the agency you work for. Litigation paralegals manage files, do research, and analyze evidence for hearings. They may also research agency policy and regulations. In community service areas, paralegals often help minorities, the elderly, and the poor in legal matters. They do research, prepare and file documents, and may, if the law allows, represent their clients at hearings.
While much of the legal education that a paralegal needs hasn’t changed that much, computer technology has. If you want to become a paralegal, you will be required to know how to use many of the online databases and programs that are often used in the legal world. Knowing how to use tax programs, scanning programs, and client databases is also useful. Additionally, it's important for paralegals to know how to use the internet effectively, especially in relation to finding information about court cases. Good computer skills will make you much more marketable in the field, so if your paralegal training doesn't include a course on computer-related training, it's important to seek out this education through other means.
The work environment for those in the paralegal profession is primarily indoors in their office, although they may need to travel to a nearby law library or court to file papers occasionally. Depending on what kind of cases they’re working on, paralegals may find themselves working in a high-stress environment. All paralegals will be under deadlines, especially in regards to doing case research and drafting documents. Finally, paralegals may be required to put in a good amount of overtime, especially if their firm is working on a very important, high-profile case.
The Kaplan University Legal Studies program gives you a choice of several courses of study. Gain the training you need to become a paralegal from the comfort of your home with one of the Kaplan University online legal studies programs. Learn more about Kaplan University | Request free info
