What is a Paralegal or Legal Assistant?

The fact that paralegals or legal assistants perform an incredible variety of tasks, and are trained in advanced skills such as legal research and writing, may surprise you. However, it's not a surprise to most lawyers.

What do paralegals/legal assistants do?

The legal assistant concept began to develop in the late 1960's when law firms and individual practitioners sought ways to improve the efficient and cost effective delivery of legal services. Other factors, such as the growing volume of legal actions, also entered into the development of the legal assistant field. Currently the terms paralegal and legal assistant are often used interchangeably, although the term paralegal has been gaining popularity.

The practice of law by an attorney is regulated by each of the 50 states, in which legal assistants/paralegals are prohibited from practicing law without a license. Professionally, a paralegal's time doing legal work is tracked, approved by an attorney, and billed to clients (usually at a lower hourly rate than an attorney).

A legal assistant or paralegal may perform any function delegated by an attorney, including but not limited to the following:

• Conduct client interviews and maintain general contact with the client, so long as the client is aware of the status and function of the paralegal, and the paralegal works under the supervision of an attorney
• Locate and interview witnesses
• Conduct investigations and statistical and documentary research
• Conduct legal research
• Draft legal documents, correspondence and pleadings
• Summarize depositions, interrogatories and testimony
• Attend executions of wills, real estate closings, depositions, court or administrative hearings and trials with the attorney
• Author and sign correspondence, provided the legal assistant status is clearly indicated and the correspondence does not contain independent legal opinions or legal advice

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Visit our Paralegal resources page to access articles, associations, and useful links to information on the industry!