The Duties of a Paralegal

In the simplest of terminologies, you’ll be able to understand what the duties of a paralegal are if you look at them as legal assistants. With so much work a lawyer has to handle that has to do with various cases, they need a helper to delegate some of the tasks, to ensure that everything is being done correctly. In many cases, you can see that the responsibilities of a paralegal in any of the legal offices is what lawyers do basically, although, these duties have to be done within a certain scope of the law and so they’re strictly prohibited from giving legal advice, setting legal fees as well as presenting cases in court.

Out of the many tasks that a paralegal has in a regular day, the most significant duty perhaps is related to helping lawyers to prep up for trials, hearings, closings and corporate meetings. A typical job description for legal assistants includes investigation of facts around specific cases and make sure that every piece of information that is relevant taken to a particular case is taken into consideration. Also, they have to sort out and organize the information in a manner in which the lawyer could easily follow. A lot of times, the duties of a paralegal include having to prepare reports and documents for an attorney. Drafting pleadings, motions and legal arguments is a normal task and all these also have to be filed with the court.

Aside from the preparatory work they do, another common duty of paralegals is clerical work. With so many tasks, it’s imperative that a legal assistant concentrates on an area of law that they’re interested in. While responsibilities can be a bit similar across the board, you’re going to need extensive knowledge about the areas of law your lawyer employer practices.

You can easily get all the knowledge you need by attending paralegal courses and programs.These would be included in the duties of a paralegal in so much as advancing your knowledge in your chosen field. The Duties of a Paralegal.

Criminal Law Paralegal:

A criminal law paralegal routinely will organize and prepare a solicitors notes and briefs within a court of law.More so, a criminal law paralegal will carry out all forms of research, evidence and data compilation relating to a case and prepare, set out these findings then present them to a solicitor for action etc. In addition to these tasks, the criminal law paralegal may carry out interviews, collate information, and obtain all the relevant court records, gathering all materials including exhibits for the solicitor upon the trial commencing.

A criminal law paralegal may also work freelance for other private organizations including but not limited to charities, legal aid organizations and governments being paid a fee in the region of £100 per day.

Debt Recovery Paralegal:

This work is routinely carried out in the field of bankruptcy. This is highly skilled work again the collation of records of the bankrupt company, investigation (as required) of financial affairs, assisting an official receiver for the purpose of bankruptcy declaration and preparation of notices for the newspapers and other official media outputs. This role can attract a rewarding salary.

HR Paralegal

This role covers the area of human resources in companies throughout the UK. It involves any and all legal points raised against a company and the paralegal would prepare all notes, data on the case in question and ultimately prepare the case for a solicitor to then take appropriate action.

Property Paralegal:

Working in the area of property in the UK and either working as a freelancer or via a law company. Assisting a solicitor to form a case regarding property disputes and related property matters. It’s notable that potential earnings are high for this type of work.

Personal injury Paralegal

With the growing culture in the UK of compensation claims and claiming for accidents etc this is a booming industry. This paralegals role deals with legal claims against companies using initiated from the general public, to prepare a case in accordance with the law and forward all the relevant data including witness statements, photographs and all related notes to the solicitor for action. This is very much a hands on job but can be extremely rewarding.

The Role of a Paralegal is varied and below are other jobs available in the field of law.

Engineering Paralegal:

In this sector, one would have considerable experience in the field of engineering. This is more of a specialized role but there is plenty of work to be found here.

Industrial Law Paralegal:

This role of the paralegal covers the area of unions, manpower laws and related areas. It involves representation of workers of workforce with regards to grievances warranting legal action.

Paralegal Consultant:

On the basis you have graduated strongly and reached a high level of competency, you can take on the role of a paralegal consultant which can reap big financial rewards. This are of work requires particular research and association of a law company for it to be truly workable so one can refer cases to a solicitor for action accordingly. Consultancy services can attract a big salary.

There are other roles for paralegals and on this post we have covered what would be deemed to be some of the most popular areas of work. Do your research in the area you feel comfortable in and reap the rewards of being an expert paralegal.

Legal Assistants

Making the jump from Legal Assistant to Paralegal is quite a step and requires a considerable amount of study as we know. However, there are lots of companies offering Paralegal Courses in the United Kingdom and all at various prices.There are a considerable amount of companies from the Open University to the NALP and off course companies offering Legal Assistant jobs directly, the question we often get asked by the legal assistant is which Institute runs the best course ?

One we would recommend is the NALP, the reason for this is they are known as a leading body for Paralegals, established since 1986 and off course recognized in paralegal law ideal for those looking for a career in law. There are many paralegal courses to choose from, it all starts with an inquiry.

NALP provides truly affordable accredited qualification for school leavers plus also legal support staff and graduates. There is no VAT on Law courses at this time.

Whatever your status from graduate to licensed Paralegal, NALP has a choice of memberships to suit all budgets. In addition they also feature paralegal courses and assistant jobs sections throughout the UK. Legal Assistants deal with various clients, some seeking legal aid to progress there case others looking for legal assistance on a matter or just legal services which are varied, the legal assistant may deal with these type of inquiries depending on the law firm you work with.

When we talk about a paralegal, we are referring to a person who covers many and varied legal tasks. To look at a career in law, one starts out training to become a paralegal. There is no rule of thumb regarding educational qualifications, the information below is a guideline to paralegal courses.Generally speaking, to embark in this career, one would require at least 3 GCSes or A levels as a minimum. I say minimum as a guide, this can vary for example if you have been a legal secretary in your present employ or in a previous employment.

Legal Assistant

As you start your path on a career in Law, there are many obstacles that may fall in your way. Certainly money is a factor but in addition finding the right paralegal course for you. There is a considerable choice of courses depending on the area you wish to specialise in. Choices include : Law, Matrimonial, Personal injury and criminal law. Its an ideal ladder for those seeking a job in law, one which is varied and needed by law firms across the UK.