The Role of Paralegals in the Legal System

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Justice. It is something that everyone wants, something that we strive for, even something that sparks. However, when we think of lawyers, we think of superheroes with an expensive education, walking into the courtroom and serving up justice. What no one thinks of is the person that helped the lawyer get there, the paralegal that prepares the necessary documents, the paralegal that makes sure his or her attorney is at the right place at the right time. A paralegal is crucial and in some cases vital to our justice system yet they are so often over looked.

To understand what a paralegal does we must first understand what the job of a lawyer entails. Black’s Law Dictionary defines a lawyer as “a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law.” Attorneys generally have around seven years of a college education under their belt, they have the authority to argue their clients case before a judge and jury. Just because a person has a law degree does not necessarily mean that they are skilled lawyers. One could have the best education money can buy but still be a lousy attorney. Practice and careful preparation is needed before one goes to court, but there is still one thing that is invaluable to an attorney.

Experience. All of the classes in the world could not prepare one for the nerve that it takes to stand before a judge and jury with your client beside you trusting you to put up a fight. I had the opportunity to witness the behind the scenes action as a young attorney recently prepared for his first trial. What I saw is not what would normally happen but it is something that does happen. This attorney was given about three hours to prepare for his first trial, he had about three ye...

... middle of paper ...

... by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible." However we know that they do so much more.

Works Cited

"Current ABA Definition of Legal Assistant/Paralegal | Division for Legal Services." American Bar Association. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. .

Green, Regina. Personal Interview. 7 Jan 2011.

Henry Campbell Black, Black's Law Dictionary, 5th ed. (St. Paul: West Publishing Co., 1979), 799.

Hooper, Milton. "The Evolving Paralegal Role." Paralegal Today: The Magazine for the Paralegal Profession. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. .

Sands, Ana. Personal Interview. 7 Jan. 2011.

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