Dictionary

paralegal

a non-lawyer who help lawyers in their legal work, often with some form of specialised legal training; an employee of a law firm who assists lawyers with various tasks but is often not qualified as a lawyer She's a paralegal and works for a firm of solicitors in Swansea.

Other

  • (US) legal assistant

Common Mistakes

  • A legal secretary is not necessarily a paralegal and vice versa.

Phrase Bank

  • The duties of paralegals who work in the public sector usually vary by agency.
  • She studied for 2 years before becoming a certified paralegal.
  • As a paralegal he does most of his work in the office and law library.
  • The former paralegal became a lawyer at the firm.
  • She worked part-time as a paralegal.
  • He took a paralegal course through the mail.
  • Paralegals are generally not qualified to give advice, their role should be restricted to providing support to qualified lawyers.

Additional Notes

  • Corporate paralegals often assist attorneys with employee contracts, shareholder agreements, stock-option plans, and employee benefit plans.
  • Litigation paralegals analyze legal material for internal use, maintain reference files, conduct research for attorneys, and collect and analyze evidence for agency hearings.
  • In the US, the term legal assistant is used interchangeably with paralegal.