Paralegal Education and Paralegal Training - What is a Paralegal?

Paralegals have become an essential force in the legal community. The definition of a paralegal will vary from region to region. It will also depend heavily on the type of law practice and law firm in which a paralegal is pursuing. The reasons for the varied definitions equate to the lack of limitations in which a paralegal may act.

A paralegal’s duties may consist of any and all duties practiced by an attorney. There are only two exceptions. Those exceptions are:

1. A paralegal may not do an initial interview with a new client
2. A paralegal may not represent a client in a court of law

The reasons for these exceptions are simple. A paralegal does not possess a law degree (i.e. Juris Doctorate) and therefore is not allowed to give legal advice. The offering of advice without proper credentials is considered ‘practicing law without a license’ and is a criminal offense.

If there is a question as to why a paralegal may be allowed to perform all other duties without a Juris Doctorate, the reason is that all work done by a paralegal bears the name of the attorney in which he/she is employed. At no time is a paralegal allowed to sign her/his name to a document to be filed with the court. For this reason, the duties of a paralegal depend upon the knowledge, ability and experience of the paralegal and the trust earned between that paralegal and the attorney. The salary potential for a paralegal also depends upon the benefit the paralegal can offer her/his attorney.

This is merely a wide overview of what a paralegal does. Detail as to the opportunities and challenges of a paralegal will be presented in further pages.