Common Duties Of A Paralegal

Common Duties Of A Paralegal
The duties of a paralegal will differ depending on where the paralegal works. Paralegals work in places where legal related issues are frequent; this may include law firms of all sizes, federal, state, or local agencies, large corporations, and even non profit organizations.

Other paralegals may specialize in a particular type of law such as family law or litigation. A paralegal who specializes in a type of law will likely have duties that are common to cases and legal issues pertaining to that legal arena.

Common duties of a paralegal may certainly include legal research. Legal research is a frequent duty for most paralegals because new cases will need specific types of research that relate to particular issues. Most paralegal certificate programs include extensive training on legal research.

Legal research includes the ability to effectively use online resources, such as LexisNexis and Westlaw, to find information. Legal research also includes learning how to correctly make citations to a number of different types of resources. Citations are paramount to research because it gives attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals who read the research the ability to quickly locate the resource being noted.

Another common paralegal duty involves legal writing. As a paralegal, you will be drafting a lot of different types of legal documents, and the types of legal documents may be specific to the type of law in which you work.

For instance, a real estate paralegal may need to draft lease agreements, contract negotiations, and sales contracts. A family law paralegal may need to draft prenuptial agreements, divorce agreements, and custodial agreements. A solid grasp of English spelling, grammar, and legal terminology, especially legal terms common in your area of practice, is important for becoming a successful paralegal.

Common duties of a paralegal may also include professional interaction with clients. While a paralegal may do a lot of the same duties as a licensed attorney, they are not licensed attorneys, therefore, there are boundaries and legal guidelines that they must follow. For instance, a paralegal is never allowed to give clients legal advice under any circumstances. Paralegals must understand and respect the ethics and legalities of their position and become skilled at communicating with their clients in a way that does not cross the line.

In addition to the legal guidelines, paralegals must learn how to effectively communicate with clients in situations that may be common to their type of work environment. Litigation paralegals may become quite skilled in interviews and interrogations because that area of law requires a lot of communication of that nature between the law firms and its clients. Family law paralegals will often speak to clients who may be going through very difficult and emotionally charged situations, such as divorce or probate.

While there are some common duties among the various paralegal specialties, there are also many differences based on the different types of law. If you are considering a career as a paralegal and are interested in the types of paralegal duties specific to your interests, then consider doing research into what type of cases and conflicts are common to that type of law. This should give you a clearer idea of the duties you can expect.


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