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Abstract on paralegal
Paralegal in the legal system
Licencing Of Paralegals In Usa
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Paralegals have become an essential part of today's legal system, and as the profession becomes one of the leading and fastest growing occupations in the U.S. economy; these individuals perform delegated tasks under the supervision of attorneys. Education has played an important part on this matter; it has facilitated this development by allowing lawyers to use these skills professionals as agents to delegate specific tasks such as legal research, gathering of information and the drafting of specific legal documents under the supervision and final approval of their principals. This has been very significant because now; we can enjoy a speedy process in a cumbersome legal system. From en economic standpoint, it has also been beneficial by decreasing the substantial amount of the legal cost a firm could incur if only lawyers were allowed to perform this kind work.
This field has transformed over the years from being just a clerical task related secretarial or filing clerk job to becoming a specialized profession which requires procedural knowledge of the legal field. In the late seventies, due to the increase of professionals in this growing area, organizations were enacted to represent the ideas and self-determinations. One of the pioneers was a Florida based group named SFPA, whish promoted the concerns of the legal assistants.
The main idea was to regulate the career and set the standards to which a person who recognized him or herself as a paralegal had to satisfy. It then became apparent, that the members of this association were adamant to define a line from those who were clerks, assistants or secretaries to those who had the proper training and experience in the field. That movement prompted other organizations to be fo...
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...ges that will arise if a legal assistant or paralegal inadvertently commits an error. Some will even say that if the attorney client relationship lies with the lawyer, why should we waste time and legislative resources to make professionals with substantive legal experience, subject to the pursuit of continuing education? Other members of the legal profession might describe this as, the beginning of an increase to the legal fees.
In conclusion as we strive to stay current in this rapid changing and demanding legal field, we need to maintain focus on what is at stake here, the quality of service we demand from lawyers and their agents. Clients deserve to be assisted by the people who know their profession and so, we must be in favor of the legislative movement of the control of the paralegal profession.
Works Cited
Chapter 20 Florida Registered Paralegal Program
Peter Paralegal is employed by Honest Law Firm and has been instructed by his supervising attorney to prepare and conduct initial interviews with two potential clients to see if a conflict of interest is present. Big Box and Value Mart are competitors and are requesting representation by Honest Law Firm on matters that are unrelated to one another. Peter Paralegal was also asked to perform tasks related to the cases such as; prepare questions and conduct initial interviews, explain legal fees arrangements, establish the attorney-client relations, draft initial pleadings and responses, interview witnesses, draft and sign initial case evaluation letters.
They perform the most important work behind the scenes that are indispensable to all other legal professionals. Paralegals must have excellent analytical, interpersonal and organization skills. Similar to attorneys, they are expected to maintain professional dress, demeanor and behavior at all times. Paralegals are highly valued within their firms and enjoy the prestige that comes with their profession.
An effective way to mitigate the risk to in-house counsel is to retain outside counsel to deal with subpoenas and investigations, and work with in-house counsel on responses to formal and even some informal governme...
The Progressive Era prompted an increasing need to form the American Bar Association which was established August 21, 1878, in Saratoga, New York, by a group of 100 lawyers from 21 states who promoted order throughout the nation’s law schools (Matzko, 1984). After over 100 years of existence, the American Bar Association continues to serve and assist law students and lawyers as one pursues to serve and defend the constitutional rights and liberties of others. The American Bar Association is known for providing continuing education and testing to assist future lawyers in one’s quest to defend.
* The assumption made by the lawyer, and for that matter, by society, that its values and demands are intrinsically a priori valid, are a matter for another interesting research, yet it diverges too much from our point.
While working as a corporate lawyer my plans are to become an expert at what I do, develop friendships with my co-workers, learn how to attract more business for the company, work to the best of my ability, and to build my own brand years after understanding the basics to law and perfecting my craft. Adhering to these skills will help create a better, well-rounded lawyer in myself. My decision to pursue...
Since 15th century, barristers have been split up into two professions in United Kingdom, Barristers and Barristers. Barristers have traditionally been the people who research cases, deal with clients directly, and Barristers have had the rights of advocate in courts. Hence, Barristers' ethical duties are very important to the court and the client, and this is an essay to discuss the duties to the court, clients and conflicts in between.
Small law firms offer the paralegal a chance to work in many different areas of law and allow them to provide many different services while working on...
A Florida Registered Paralegal is a person who is qualified and has gone through training, education and work experience to work under the supervision of a lawyer. He or she is there to help the attorney with drafting documents, legal research, legal investigations, contacting clients, and interviewing clients. The bill says that the requirements of the bill are “the person has to have prescribed education and experience, and have the prescribed certifications”. In order for a person to be eligible to be a Florida Registered Paralegal they have to have met one of the following education and work experience. They have to have a bachelor’s degree in paralegal plus a minimum of one year of paralegal work experience or a person can have an associate degree plus a minimum of two years of paralegal experience. There has been a lot debate over the bill some people think the bill is helping the paralegal while others think it’s just a
In the Paralegal field, many things have switched to an electronic system. Law offices are now using “E-filing” to file documents with some courts. They have also started converting their files to an electronic file, thus making it easier to pull cases that are closed. Technology has
Professionals are people who have equipped themselves with the knowledge and skills in a given field. The interest of improvement of the professional identity is an evidence of how high standards are placed upon the professionals in the community (Johnson et al., 2012). Each profession creates its norms, values and scope of practice that distinguishes it from any other profession. Different legal ethics are upheld and everyone needs to work as per the stipulated ethics in the field to be part of the profession. People in the field are expected to be knowledgeable and independently use decision
The paralegal profession developed as legal secretaries assumed additional duties to help attorneys with their workload. The paralegal performs legal tasks under the supervision of an attorney that maximizes attorneys' productivity and cost efficiency in the delivery of legal services. Paralegals work in many different types of law firms, corporations or government agencies in many areas of law (Hollingshead). All duties performed by a paralegal are under the supervision of an attorney who is responsible for the paralegal’s conduct. In fact, the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals define paralegals or legal assistants [used synonymously] as a person qualified by education, training or work experiences, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, government agency, or other entity who performs specific delegated legal substantive work for which a lawyer is responsible (ABA). In class, we learne...
Moot courts also teach professionalism and ethics to students of law, to apply law to fact, to structure and rank a legal argument by strength, and not to assert losing propositions. They provide law students opportunities to improve their legal writing, legal research, and oral advocacy in a competitive environment that prepares students for a competitive world. The moot court experience is perhaps the most important activity in law school. It is the activity that fully develops the skill every lawyer must possess: advocacy. Regardless of practice area, all lawyers must communicate in a way that advances their client’s interests, whether in a courtroom or boardroom. Most important, moot court builds character. Every student competitor “will be a better lawyer, and a better person, because of the moot court experience.”
The Paralegal Professional, A reference to the source of legal information chapter 1 and lettures from class powerpoints.
In many other countries the profession is united and the system works well. Some protagonists argue that if the barristers are absorbed into firms of solicitors then experts would still be available to all.