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    The Responsibilities of a Paralegal

    $4.98
    21 Pages | 5,130 Words

    This guide outlines the education and training necessary to become a paralegal, and discusses the day to day responsibilities of a paralegal.

    This book is ideal for any individual seeking their paralegal certificate, any working paralegal, and any individual who is thinking about getting involved in the field of law. Further, this book would provide a paralegal, who is currently working in the field of law, a refresher course, providing insight about documents, duties, and responsibilities.

    An Introduction to The Responsibilities of a Paralegal

    A paralegal s responsibilities are vast and vary from law practice to governmental agency. However, the premise is essentially the same; support the attorney that you are working for to ensure success for your client.

    A paralegal can be an important resource for an attorney. The attorney, after working with an experienced paralegal, can learn to delegate duties and alleviate the tedious task of creating documents, thereby allowing the attorney to focus on the attention needed to prepare for a client s case.

    For example, an attorney may have a multi-hour divorce and custody trial. In preparing for trial, the attorney realizes that an Affidavit for Attorney s fees is required. If the attorney had to sit down, pull every billing statement (many times for 12 to 24 months), and then calculate the attorney s fees, and create the Affidavit, it could expend 30 to 45 minutes of the attorney s time. Instead, if an attorney has a paralegal, he or she can delegate this task to the paralegal and allow him/her to prepare the same. This allows the 30 to 45 minutes of attorney time to be delegated to preparing his opening/closing arguments, or other important requirements for trial. Further, allowing a paralegal to do the same will save the client money, as the preparation of the document would be charged at a much lower hourly rate.

    This eBook on the responsibilities of a paralegal will provide you with an overview of the importance of a paralegal, the fields of law a paralegal may employ themselves in, and the pleadings that you will use on a regular basis as a paralegal.

    This eBook is divided into several sections that will outline everything that you need to know about a paralegal. First, the book will define what a paralegal is, other terms for a paralegal, and the fields of law where you may find a paralegal. The next section provides an overview of essential education and training for a paralegal. Section three discusses the role of a paralegal and section four discusses the forms and pleadings that a paralegal may encounter in the course of his/her duties. The most important section, section five, discusses the responsibilities of a paralegal, both on a general basis, and as a more seasoned and experienced paralegal. The final section addresses what a paralegal should not do.