Paralegals Duties

Behind every good attorney is a great paralegal. They are crucial in the legal system. A paralegal, qualified by education, is retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation or other entities to perform delegated substantive legal work assisting their attorney. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the education needed for an entry level position is an Associate Degree. Paralegals ensure that the office and cases are organized and running smoothly. As an aspiring paralegal I conducted research on the duties and skills of a paralegal. Paralegals must assist their attorneys in preparation for trials, draft of legal documents as well as have communication, writing, and organization skills.

(Transition: ) The duties of a paralegal are important enough to make failure not an option.

BODY

I.

Gail Armatys, Co-Founder of Center for Advanced Legal Studies, stated that no day is exactly alike, and paralegals perform a variety of duties per day. All duties of a paralegal are highly important, two of the most important are assisting their attorney by preparing for trials and drafting important legal documents.

A. Paralegals must assist their attorneys in preparing for trials, hearings, and closings. They investigate the facts of the case, interview clients and witnesses, perform legal research, and organize exhibits, reenactments, or evidence. This helps an attorneys court hearing run smoothly.

B. Although attorneys are the only ones allowed to sign off on documents, paralegals are in charge of drafting, revising, and finalizing important legal documents. Like affidavits, agreements, contracts, deposition notices, and pleadings. Some types of pleadings are complaints, subpoenas, legal briefs, and pretrial orders. This helps an attorney save time from writing the documents and gives them more time to prepare for the case or legal proceeding.

(Transition: ) While the duties of a paralegal are highly important, their exceptional skills are what truly makes them

successful.
II. The most important skills that a paralegal should possess are communication, writing, and organization. Possessing these skills are crucial to the success as a paralegal and to the success of attorneys.
A. Communication skills are important because they are regularly interacting with attorneys, clients, witnesses, experts, and court personnel. They must be able to present their research and conduct meetings in front of their peers and attorneys. Having effective communication skills will avoid confusion and misunderstandings. Also, paralegals with exceptional communication skills are highly noticed.
B. Employers typically look for those with strong writing skills as it is necessary to perform their duties. Without proper writing skills paralegal cannot properly draft, prepare, type, or file important legal documents. Because no case is ever the same, paralegals must write appropriately to match the needs of the audience. This skill can be mastered over time and with practice.
C. Organizations is crucial for attorneys. Attorneys count on their paralegals to categorize and organize all documents, data, and case files. Paralegals must be able to quickly locate documents when the attorney asks for them, whether it is about a past or present case.
(Transition: ) According to the O*NET OnLine, it is projected that there will be about 34,000 job openings from 2016 to 2026. So, have no fear, a future paralegal is here.
CONCLUSION
Paralegals hold crucial duties and must always apply their skills to every case. If a paralegal fails, the attorney fails, which causes the case to fail. One could say that paralegals are an attorneys right hand. By pursuing this career and becoming a paralegal, I know that failure is not an option for me. I will ensure that I apply my skills to every duty that I am responsible for.