A guest post from Shelby Crockett
A paralegal is someone whose work revolves around
assisting lawyers in delivering legal services to their clients. They can work in just about every area of the
law and have duties that can range from administrative to heavily legal. To give you a better idea, we have gathered
five of the tasks a paralegal commonly does.
- Client
contact – A paralegal often serves as the primary contact point between
lawyer and clients. This can
include relaying information back and forth, answering questions, and even
helping acquire new clients.
- Conduct
interviews – An initial legal interview is often done by paralegals. This can include meeting with clients to
get the details of the case and getting specific information. Interviews can happen in person, over
the phone, or even over the web.
- Investigations
– Ever see those massive boxes of evidence that are brought to
trials? Chances are the paralegal
has done much of the research involved in it. This can include getting evidence from both
sides, looking up precedents, and even looking up similar cases and laws
regarding the case.
- Draft
documents – Because the legal arena can have loads of communication,
letters are still one of the most common, and paralegals are an important
part. They are often asked to draft
legal documents regarding a specific client, case, or situation. They can even be asked to prepare legal
documents such as contracts, wills, and deeds.
- Go
to court – If the case a paralegal is working on goes to court, chances
are the paralegal goes to court as well.
This is often because paralegals know about all the documents filed
in court, where they are, and what they contain.
Shelby
Crockett has been a Paralegal for 9 years
and owns the site Paralegal Degree.
Her
site helps students find the right paralegal school.
