What does a paralegal do? The term paralegal is deceiving. To the novice, a paralegal sounds as though it is a cross between a fruit farmer and writer of the law. That is similar to thinking a cosmetologist is someone who studies the stars. A closer examination of the paralegal profession suggests the critical role these legal professionals play in the field of law.
Many people ask a very basic question: What does a paralegal do? The short answer is that a paralegal does everything. A paralegal is involved in almost every aspect of the legal profession. As vast as an area the legal profession covers, it appears that paralegals perform functions in the highest courts, to the smallest legal offices.
A closer examination of the paralegal profession however, shows the intricate involvement in the day to day operations in today’s legal environment. Take the role of Lisa who works in a small law firm for instance. Lisa was trained in an online classroom. She received a superior ranking among her classmates, and her drive and ambition has earned a good job in a wonderful law firm.
When attempting to answer what does a paralegal do Lisa explained her role as follows: “While the attorneys I work for are great guys, and extremely knowledgeable, they are so busy building business relationships and selling business, it is people like me that actually get much of our firm’s work done.”
When asked about day to day operations Lisa explained “One day we have someone in the office asking about a will. I give this client a form that explains item by item what the client should consider in a will. I speak with the client, explain the goal of the will, and help him consider some of the options he should evaluate before we put anything in writing. The attorney looks over all of the paperwork, and suggests strategies that will save problems from probate… some ideas include forming a trust. Once all the ideas are formed, I am the one who writes this will. Funny enough most of the will is found in template form. I just make a few adjustments and it’s revenue for the firm.”
While Lisa’s anecdote explains one aspect of the paralegal profession, she seems to catch the spirit of the paralegal profession. If the paralegal is performing the all important support role, then he/she understands that they function as the central nervous system of the firm. Whether it is in a research role, a patent search for a new idea, or something more involved like a phone call to a client explaining the steps in going through probate court, a paralegal can do it all. The question then becomes whether a paralegal is limited from doing almost any job at the firm.
A legal assistant cannot give legal advice. That role directly relates to the often misunderstood role of a paralegal. However, without paralegals most firms would be lacking the labor intensive backbone that is mission critical if this fun and lucrative. As you can see when answering what does a paralegal do there are many different responses which all contribute to the professions popularity and appeal.