What is a paralegal? A paralegal is someone who assistants lawyers in performing their job. They do this in many ways. A paralegal may perform legal research under the direction of a lawyer. They also may be assigned the task of doing legal writing. Writing a summary of a case or writing a legal memo is sometimes part of their duties. They may also be asked to write basic legal documents, which are then reviewed by a lawyer before being filed with the court.
Paralegals are often the people in the law office who have extensive contact with the clients. A paralegal may assist the lawyer in the initial client visit. Depending on the experience and education of the paralegal, they may do the initial consultation with the clients them self. Paralegals are often asked by the lawyer they work for to contact the client. This could be to remind the client of a court date, to ask the client to bring certain documents or other items to the law office, or to ask the client a question.
Because they are not required to be licensed and do not have as much education as a lawyer, they are not allowed to do certain things. Paralegals are not permitted to give clients legal advice. Because of this fact, many paralegals work under the direction of lawyers. However, paralegals with extensive amount of experience may have different working arrangements. Some paralegals are freelancers, who work with a number of lawyers and law offices. They are often hired for special projects or cases, which may last several months or years. Although they can’t represent clients in court, exceptions have been made so that they can represent clients before certain administrative agencies. This could include representing a client before the Social Security Administration or the Department of Labor.
There is no educational requirements in terms of being a paralegal. Some paralegals have worked for law offices for many years, and have been promoted from being receptionists or legal secretaries. However, for people entering the field, law firms often require that they have a certificate or an associates degree before they are hired.