Paralegal Career

A career as a paralegal requires the knowledge of legal concepts that have been gained through education, training or on the job career experience. A paralegal assists the lawyer in many aspects of law including researching documents, preparing legal forms, draft pleadings, contacting witnesses, communicating with complainant or defendants and other tasks related to this profession. In fact, many tasks performed by a lawyer can be delegated to a paralegal. A paralegal however may not practice law, set fees or give legal counsel.

In many states, a paralegal is someone who has gained experience in the legal profession and is knowledgeable in matters pertaining to their specialization or state that they work in. A legal assistant on the other hand is a person who has just started in the profession in an entry-level position. In 2002, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations helped redefined these career tracks to reduce the confusion to the public and legal community. This redefinition has had the added benefit of helping student’s research career opportunities. Note that the words paralegal and legal assistant are still interchangeable in some places within the legal community.

Companies that hire paralegal's include title companies, legal aid offices, the government and court system, legal clinics, insurance agencies and private law firms among others. Corporations may also hire paralegals if there is a legal department or need to have documents or legal related work processed in-house. In some situations, a paralegal may not work directly for a lawyer but will be in contact with lawyers as matters are processed or dispensed.

Paralegals may sometimes act as advocates for clients seeking state, government or business reimbursement or benefits. In this position, the paralegal will help decipher and interpret documents and forms and then process these papers on the client’s behalf. Many times a client will find legal reading difficult to understand and follow. A paralegal will help smooth the process and explain in simple terms what actions are needed and what forms should be filled out.

A paralegal must learn how to communicate legal terms to a client effectively to ensure that they fully understand what is required of them, what may be required of third parties and to ensure customer satisfied. Through career experience, the paralegal can communicate legal matter more efficiently but what they are capable of communicating in their profession will come from education.

If you would like to learn more about an associate’s paralegal law degree, your career options, admissions process, financial aid and more, please contact our career school admissions representative.