The definition of a paralegal is: Of or relating to or being a person with specialized training who assists an attorney. Paralegals are also called legal assistants.
Specialized training can be attained through education, in-house law or corporate training or work experience. Paralegals may assist attorneys or assist in some legal capacity through a law office, corporate office or governmental agency. They may also specialize in subsets of legal work, such as real estate, mortgages, litigation, tax, environmental, personal injury, immigration or corporate entities.
Some paralegals write briefs or court documents for attorneys, handle real estate closings, aid in probate matters, or prepare drafts for legal documents for review by attorneys. They may also draft mortgages, contracts, trust agreements, separation agreements and tax returns. Freelance paralegals can work by the hour or on projects to supply research data for court cases or class action suits. The law changes frequently and court cases are determined by the latest rulings; paralegals research them usually by computer to substantiate their legal status. Legal assistants rely on legal research which is contained in computer software - I am most familiar with Lexis/Nexis. The information is used to retrieve, organize, and index various materials.
Paralegals are never allowed to present cases in court, or to establish legal fees or offer legal advice.
How do you become a paralegal or legal assistant? You can evolve into the position by working in a legal department solely based on your work experience or in-house training by an employer. Most paralegals have associate degrees in paralegal studies or a bachelor’s degree along with a paralegal certification. Some community colleges offer paralegal courses - they range from 6 months to 1 year. Along with having an interest in legal matters, it is helpful if an aspiring paralegal enjoys computer research, is investigative, articulate and has writing proficiency. It is essential to focus on details.
Having said all the above, I thoroughly recommend taking a paralegal course sometime during your lifetime. Why? I’ll summarize at the end but for starters, I would recommend the 6 month course. It will be at a university and is usually accelerated or concentrated. It requires having a high school diploma. The courses usually consist of 3 nights a week for several hours. It is very diversified and I promise you that you will never be bored. It is taught mainly by several attorneys on many different subjects. Time allotted on each discipline is dependent on content and importance to legal work. The one that I participated in taught the following subjects:
Business Law - encompassing Ethical Responsibilities and Codes and Regulations; Court Rules
Contracts - Binding; Not Binding; Bilateral; Oral and Written, including Notes
The Court System - Court Rules of State and U.S. Supreme Courts
How to Write Briefs; Wills and Probate; Legal Research
Real Estate Transactions including Mortgage Transactions; Zoning and Ordinances
Employment/Corporations - At-Will Termination; Discrimination; Employee Issues
Marriage Laws including Divorce, Annulments and Separations; Custody
Criminal and Negligence Litigation & Pleadings & Liabilities
Why do I think it’s a good idea to take a Paralegal Course? This was the first course I took at university between high school and college. I was interested in legal proceedings and was actually working in a legal environment. The course gives a young adult many representations of life events - from working to marriage to death. In between, you learn about things necessary to know; such as, how minimum wages are determined; how the court system works; binding and invalid contracts; situations at work and what you can or can’t do about them; marriage laws, divorce and custody laws; buying a house, getting a mortgage, what happens if you die without a will or intestate, how to probate a will if someone else dies, your rights if you’re in an accident or someone gets hurt on your property. These are invaluable factoids - forgive the pun - that everyone should have — some knowledge of them or how to get more information. The other reason I recommend it to young adults is that if they don’t know what field or job family they are interested in, this course may whet their appetite to learn more of one of the disciplines - maybe real estate or corporate law or environmental law. There are endless opportunities and spin-offs. As I worked in other job positions, I found that legal information was useful to me not only in legal, but in environmental and human resource disciplines. And you will use this information in other aspects of your life beyond your workplace. It can always be used as a fall-back second job working part-time as a freelance paralegal at a law firm. A law firm environment is entirely different from corporate law departments. Paralegals should experience both atmospheres.
If your college-age child, tells you, "But I’m not sure what I want to be or do," you might consider starting with paralegal training. It’s not that costly, and it can enhance a resume as well as assist in legal applications in whatever they do decide to do. Also, through the discipline and commitment of completing the course, it may be an incentive to a young adult to continue their educational training. Some paralegals continue on in their legal education and go on to law school.
