Paralegal Worker

A Paralegal Worker is a legal professional that performs substantive legal work under the supervision of licensed attorneys to support legal services and legal processes.

AKA: Legal Assistant, Paralegal Assistant, Legal Paraprofessional, Paralegal Specialist.
Context:
- It can typically perform Legal Research using legal databases, legal library resources, and legal research methods.
- It can typically draft Legal Documents including pleadings, motions, briefs, memos, and discovery requests.
- It can typically prepare Case Files with evidence, documents, and correspondence for attorney review.
- It can typically conduct Legal Investigation through witness interviews, document collection, and evidence gathering.
- It can typically support Legal Discovery by organizing document production, preparing interrogatory responses, and coordinating depositions.
- It can typically assist with Pretrial Preparation through exhibit organization, witness coordination, and trial material assembly.
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- It can often analyze Case Materials to develop case theorys and litigation strategies.
- It can often maintain Calendar Systems for tracking court deadlines, filing dates, and statute of limitations.
- It can often draft Settlement Agreements based on negotiation terms and dispute resolution parameters.
- It can often communicate with Clients regarding case status, document requirements, and procedural questions.
- It can often coordinate with Expert Witnesses regarding testimony preparation and evidence documentation.
- It can often prepare Billing Records documenting billable hours and legal expenses.
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- It can range from being a Entry-Level Paralegal to being a Senior Paralegal, depending on its experience level and responsibility scope.
- It can range from being a Generalist Paralegal to being a Specialist Paralegal, depending on its legal specialty and practice area focus.
- It can range from being a Law Firm Paralegal to being a Corporate Legal Department Paralegal to being a Government Agency Paralegal, depending on its employment setting.
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- It can have Educational Qualifications including paralegal certificates, associate degrees, or bachelor degrees in paralegal studies or related fields.
- It can have Professional Certification through organizations like NALA (Certified Paralegal) or NFPA (Registered Paralegal).
- It can have Specialized Knowledge in paralegal specialty areas such as litigation paralegal specialty, corporate paralegal specialty, or immigration paralegal specialty.
- It can have Professional Limitations including inability to provide legal advice, appear as counsel of record, or practice law independently.
- It can have Career Advancement Paths including senior paralegal positions, paralegal manager roles, or specialized paralegal practice.
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Examples:
- Paralegal Specialties, such as:
  - Litigation Paralegals, such as:
    - Civil Litigation Paralegal for civil court case support and civil lawsuit preparation.
    - Criminal Litigation Paralegal for criminal defense or prosecution support.
    - Family Law Paralegal for divorce petitions, child custody agreements, and adoption papers.
    - Personal Injury Paralegal for medical record gathering, insurance communication, and demand letter drafting.
  - Transactional Paralegals, such as:
    - Corporate Paralegal for corporate transactions, corporate record maintenance, and corporate law compliance.
    - Real Estate Paralegal for property transactions, title searches, and property closings.
    - Intellectual Property Paralegal for patent applications, trademark registrations, and copyright filings.
    - Contract Paralegal for contract drafting, contract review, and contract management.
  - Government Paralegals, such as:
    - Prosecution Paralegal for district attorney office support and criminal case preparation.
    - Public Defender Paralegal for indigent defense support and criminal defense assistance.
    - Regulatory Paralegal for government agency compliance and administrative proceedings.
  - Specialty Practice Paralegals, such as:
    - Immigration Paralegal for visa applications, asylum petitions, and green card paperwork.
    - Bankruptcy Paralegal for bankruptcy filings, creditor negotiations, and bankruptcy proceedings.
    - Environmental Law Paralegal for regulatory compliance and environmental litigation support.
    - Healthcare Paralegal for medical compliance and healthcare regulation documentation.
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Counter-Examples:
- Licensed Lawyer, which can provide legal advice, represent clients in court proceedings, and practice law independently.
- Legal Secretary, which performs primarily administrative tasks and clerical functions rather than substantive legal work.
- Notary Public, which witnesses document signatures and administers oaths but cannot perform substantive legal work.
- Contract Manager, which oversees contracting processes but typically lacks paralegal training and legal analysis skills.
- Compliance Officer, which ensures organizational compliance with laws and regulations but is not directly involved in legal casework.
- Law Librarian, which manages legal resources and assists with legal research but does not draft legal documents or assist with case preparation.
- Legal Translator, which translates legal documents between languages but does not engage in legal analysis or casework.
- Mediator, which facilitates dispute resolution but does not represent parties or prepare legal filings.
- Court Reporter, which transcribes legal proceedings but does not assist attorneys with case preparation or legal research.
See: Legal Profession, Law Firm, Legal Department, American Bar Association, Legal Ethics, Legal Education, Unauthorized Practice of Law, Bar Exam, Officer of the Court, Legal Research, Legislative Assistant.

References

2023

(Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/paralegal Retrieved:2023-8-1.
- A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals is broad, including consultancies, companies that have legal departments or that perform legislative and regulatory compliance activities in areas such as environment, labor, intellectual property, zoning, and tax. Legal offices and public bodies also have many paralegals in support activities using other titles outside of the standard titles used in the profession . There is a diverse array of work experiences attainable within the paralegal (legal assistance) field, ranging between internship, entry-level, associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level positions.
  In the United States in 1967, the American Bar Association (ABA) endorsed the concept of the paralegal and, in 1968, established its first committee on legal assistants.
  The exact nature of their work and limitations that the law places on the tasks they are allowed to undertake vary between nations and jurisdictions. Paralegals generally are not allowed to offer legal services independently in most jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, paralegals can conduct their own business and provide services such as settlements, court filings, legal research and other auxiliary legal services; these tasks often have instructions from a solicitor attached.
  In the United States, a paralegal is protected from some forms of professional liability under the theory that paralegals are working as an enhancement of an attorney, who takes ultimate responsibility for the supervision of the paralegal's work and work product. Paralegals often have taken a prescribed series of courses in law and legal processes. Paralegals may analyze and summarize depositions, prepare and answer interrogatories, draft procedural motions and other routine briefs, perform legal research and analysis, legislative assistance (legislative research), draft research memos, and perform some quasi-secretarial or legal secretarial duties, as well as perform case and project management. Paralegals often handle drafting much of the paperwork in probate cases, divorce actions, bankruptcies, and investigations. Consumers of legal services are typically billed for the time paralegals spend on their cases. In the United States, they are not authorized by the government or other agency to offer legal services (including legal advice) except in Washington State in the same way as lawyers, nor are they officers of the court, nor are they usually subject to government-sanctioned or court-sanctioned rules of conduct. In some jurisdictions (Ontario, Canada, for example) paralegals are licensed and regulated the same way that lawyers are and these licensed professionals may be permitted to provide legal services to the public and appear before certain lower courts and administrative tribunals.