Back in the day I used to be a paralegal and every time I would tell somebody what I did for a living I would receive a blank stare and a hesitant “What’s a paralegal? Do you mean paralegal secretary?” Well my dear friends, today I will tell you what a paralegal is: I’m sorry, I know, that’s politically incorrect to say but it’s true. In no other industry (to my knowledge) is there a position quite like a paralegal. Do accountants hand files off to their secretaries only to have them returned several inches thicker and simply awaiting a signature? Do doctors let nurses perform operations and do a quick once-over before closing the patient up? Of course not! Paralegals do title searches, meet with clients, fill out forms, draft motions, can go to court in some jurisdictions, research case law/precedent/laws/regulations. Secretaries type. Receptionists answer the phone. Paralegals are neither secretaries or receptionists. Usually after that spiel the person I’m speaking to gets a look on their face as though they’re completing the world’s most difficult puzzle and squeak out… “So, a paralegal is like a lawyer’s assistant?” Yes. Yes, exactly. Lawyers however, make astronomical amounts of money (depending […]
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