What does a paralegal do and is it a good profession?
Asked by Smart O
My friend said paralegals are just secretaries with an office. But I've also heard that they do attorney work, but can't sign anything or give advice. Hmmm does not make sense. But what is a paralegal and why do you need a four year college degree and a paralegal certificate (6 years of school) to work at a good firm. I'd rather become a lawyer instead.

Best Answer:
A paralegal doesn't need both a four year college degree and paralegal certificate. A paralegal can have a 2-year college degree - Associate's - in paralegal studies. A paralegal can also have a 4 -year college degree in paralegal studies. As the first poster said, it depends on the type of law firm the paralegal works for. At the firms I worked for, the paralegals drafted discovery (requests and responses), made charts (for construction defect cases), and sometimes prepared motions and/or oppositions. This was a law firm with 30-50 attorneys. One would typically gain this type of experience as a paralegal in a smaller law firm.

It depends. Some are if they work in a large firm with a lot of first year associates. But if you work in a small firm they would have you do more writing of briefs and other lawyer type work. However, big law firms can pay up to S80,0000 a year + overtime , especially in California depending on what type of law. Intellectual property paralegals usually get paid a lot. I used to work in HR a few years back for a big law firm. But most of the paralegals I knew were miserable. If you can afford it, become an attorney instead.
Answered by greeneyes

Paralegals are not secretaries...they would be called secretaries if they were. A paralegal is an individual who works under direct supervision of an attorney and performs substantive legal work. One can become a paralegal through years of on the job training and experience or through higher education (certficate, associates or bachelors degree). One does not have to have an undergraduate degree and a paralegal certifcate to work as a paralegal. They can, but don't have to. I have my associates in paralegal studies and that was enough to get me into the profession. In a nutshell, paralegals do the legal work that is too time consuming for an attorney to do (because their time is worth a lot more $$$ than a paralegal's). Paralegals do interviews, legal research, briefing, drafting court documents, preparing evidence for trial, discovery, etc... Paralegals cannot give legal advice because they are not attorneys.
Answered by ☆R☆

The opportunities for a paralegal really depends on the specialty. The most in demand paralegals are those in the litigation field; followed by corporate paralegals who are responsible for maintaining corporate records, articles of incorporation, etc. While the "least" markeable [but the "highest" paid] paralegals are in the field of intellectual property [i.e., patents, trademarks] and immigration law. In conclusion, choose your paralegal courses accordingly, with emphasis on litigation preparation [discovery], docketing/calendaring of incoming pleadings [calendaring] and trial preparation [creating Exhibit tabs, Bajii jury instructions, etc.]. The "pro" side of a litigation paralegal is often "unlimited" overtime which can amount to a high salary range of $65,000 to $75,000 per year, while the "downside," being constantly pressured to meet a monthly client billable quota. And failing to meet that quota, often results in the paralegal's overnight dismissal. It's not a pretty picture. I just want to lay out what really happens in the real world of litigators and their relationship with subordinate paralegals. Good luck!
Answered by vicseo