Is anyone a Paralegal or Legal Clerk?

[crazycanuck]

Just wondering if anyone can provide some further information on this type of position?

Thanks

[Blueberry]

I know there are a couple of lawyers on here (myself included) - and I have a few paralegal friends. Of course, US and Australia may be way different in what the job duties entail

CA

[maillotpois]

I worked full time as a paralegal through law school. (Supported my shoe habit.) What do you want to know?

[cyclingmama]

I'm a lawyer, but I worked as a law clerk during law school and I work with paralegals, so I may have info you are looking for. What are your questions?

[vermonster]

I'm a paralegal.

[OakLeaf]

Never been a paralegal, but I did teach legal writing in a paralegal program one semester. I've been a lawyer and a legal secretary. I'd guess that paralegal duties would be similar in any of the former British colonies - where we have the common law system - but don't really know!

Really, in the USA, paralegal duties vary HUGELY depending on the specialty and the firm's needs. It's usually just part of the same work a lawyer would ordinarily do - which could be interviewing clients, investigation, title searches, legal research and memo writing, drafting court documents, correspondence, and just about anything else you can think of, probably excepting negotiations, but some paralegals might even do that?

[maillotpois]

I can't imagine a firm having a paralegal do any sort of negotiation.

Tasks would vary depending on what the firm did: litigation, probate, criminal, etc.

Do your attorneys in Australia wear wigs like I think they do in the UK? (Conjuring images of John Cleese in A Fish Called Wanda... )

[shootingstar]

I was a law librarian for several years in public and private sectors (serving the courts, 2 major organizations of which 1 on of them was a national law firm, other an international professional services firm..and a legal aid organization) ...and it was my observation that in the end, it is the lawyer(s) that you work for, that can sign off the final legal opinion/memoranda, contracts, research, etc.

The credit goes to the lawyer(s), not to the paralegal(s)...as long as you're aware of this.

In 1-2 Canadian provinces, there have been debates on licensing of paralegals. Ontario was 1 jurisdiction where this was heavily discussed. The report would be online at the govn't website.

Like most jobs, sometimes being in a smaller organization or a division, you might have a broader range of responsibilities. Even in a legal aid organization, where such legal organizations are much more democratic/flatter, paralegals did have considerable interface with the clients to determine their legal needs and assist in filing court applications, etc. but in the end it had to be a lawyer to sign off a legal opinion or legal interpretation of the law, for the client. In the legal aid organization, the paralegals did assist in matters of family law, landlord and tenant matters and consumer law.

[maillotpois]

...and it was my observation that in the end, it is the lawyer(s) that you work for, that can sign off the final legal opinion/memoranda, contracts, research, etc.

The credit goes to the lawyer(s), not to the paralegal(s)...as long as you're aware of this.

It's not so much an issue of receiving "credit" as the fact that (at least here, I don't know how it works in Canada but suspect it must be similar) one must actually pass the bar and be a licensed attorney before being able to sign documents to be submitted to court. Additionally, for reasons of legal malpractice insurance, other documents (not submitted to court) must be signed/approved by an actual attorney in order to truly protect the firm or organization from potential malpractice liability.

[NbyNW]

I was a paralegal for my first couple years out of college, as a way of exploring whether I wanted to become a lawyer. Long story short, I decided against law school. I thought litigation would be interesting but I found that the whole adversarial basis for our system was something that I would rather leave to others. As others have said, it can vary widely depending on what area of the law you're working in, and then individually who you're working for. As in any field, there are nightmare bosses and there are bosses who treat you well and appreciate how hard you work for them.

CC, it may help for you to do some informational interviews to get a sense of whether or not it would have what you're looking for in a career. Try talking to people in a variety of specializations. If there are specific programs you're looking at, maybe ask if they have any recent grads that would be willing to talk to you?