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The
Paralegal Profession
The paralegal profession has grown tremendously since
its introduction in the 1960s. Now there are more than 224,000
paralegals working in the United States.¹ Additionally,
paralegal jobs are projected to ‘grow much faster than the
average for all occupations through 2014’, equating to a growth
rate of 27% or more.
There are
probably as many definitions of the paralegal profession as
there are attorneys, corporations, government agencies, and
other entities that employ them. Perhaps this is a testament to
their value and versatility. However, legal organizations and
associations have established concise definitions to help
clarify and standardize the paralegal profession and the
paralegal’s role.
The
National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc definition:
“A
Paralegal is a person, qualified through education, training or
work experience to perform substantive legal work that requires
knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not
exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained
or employed by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency or
other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory
or court authority to perform this work. Substantive shall mean
work requiring recognition, evaluation, organization, analysis,
and communication of relevant facts and legal concepts.”²
And according to the American Bar Association: |
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“A legal assistant or paralegal is a person, qualified by
education, training or work experience who is employed or
retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental
agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated
substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.”³
As is
evident from the above definitions, education is an important,
if not the most important, component determining the
qualifications of a paralegal. The Rio Verde University’s
Miriam Rubenstein Rogers College of Legal Studies designs its
paralegal programs and its curricula to ensure its graduates not
only to meet, but exceed, the educational requirements necessary
for a successful and rewarding paralegal career.
Essentially, with education and experience, paralegals are
qualified to perform legal work that is customarily done by a
lawyer, and for which a lawyer is ultimately accountable.
Paralegals do, however, hold the responsibility of providing
accurate, concise, ethical and timely work to their supervising
lawyer and their clients. National surveys indicate the
following duties are most common among the responsibilities of a
paralegal:
* Conduct Client Interviews
* Perform Legal Research
* Investigate Facts of a Case
* Locate and Interview Witnesses
* Participate in Court
Appearances
* Write and File Petitions
* Manage Trial Dockets and
Court
Correspondence
*Draft Correspondence and
Pleadings
*Attend and Summarize
Depositions |
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Attend Execution of Wills, Real Estate Closings, Court or
Administrative Hearings and Trials
Students at the RVU campus in Juarez, Mexico study a variety of
preparatory courses in conjunction with legal studies.
"Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the
public, except as permitted by law."
The following organizations are excellent resources for
learning more about the paralegal profession and its history.
National Federation
of Paralegal Associations, Inc.
American Association for Paralegal Education
American Bar Association, Standing Committee on
Paralegals
National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc.
International Paralegal Management Association
¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook,
2006-07 Edition, Paralegals and Legal Assistants, on the
Internet at
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114.htm (visited June 21, 2006).
² National Federation of Paralegal Associations, on the
Internet at
http://www.paralegals.org
(visited June 21, 2006).
³ American Bar
Association, Standing Committee on Legal Assistants, on the
Internet at
http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/paralegals
(visited June 21, 2006). |
