paralegal
Sign in to savethumb|A paralegal in 2004, photo distributed by National Archives and Records Administration|NARA
Article
30 sectionsContents
- Official definitions
- Difference from legal secretaries
- Education, training, and certification
- Economics
- Trends in use
- Paralegal medical consultants
- By country
- Australia
- Canada
- Ontario
- Japan
- South Africa
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
- England and Wales
- Scotland
- Professional societies
- Salary
- United States
- Difference from lawyers
- Penalties for unauthorized practice
- Salary
- History
- Paralegal Day
- Paralegal service or document preparers
- California
- In popular culture
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|A paralegal in 2004, photo distributed by National Archives and Records Administration|NARA
A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant or paralegal specialist, is a legal professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with an admission to practice law. The market for paralegals is broad, including consultancies, companies that have legal departments or that perform legislative and regulatory compliance activities in areas such as environment, labor, intellectual property, zoning, and tax. Legal offices and public bodies also have many paralegals in support activities using other titles outside of the standard titles used in the profession. There is a diverse array of work experiences attainable within the paralegal (legal assistance) field, ranging between internship, entry-level, associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level positions.