G. Pouch
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Before diving into the duties of a paralegal, it is important to define the position. A paralegal is an individual who works under the supervision of a licensed attorney and performs many of the same tasks that are normally reserved for a licensed attorney. As a paralegal, however, there are certain restrictions to the extent of the duties you are legally allowed to perform. For example, a paralegal is not allowed to give legal advice or present cases in court.
Paralegals can work in law firms, governmental agencies, corporations, insurance companies, and non-profit organizations. Basically, wherever there is a legal department, there is a good chance that a paralegal can be found. The duties of a paralegal will vary from place to place depending on his or her employer and the industry with which they are in.
Here is a breakdown of some different areas of law and their commonly associated paralegal duties:
Real Estate Law
Real estate law paralegal duties may include drafting renting, leasing, buying, and selling agreements. It may also include reviewing due diligence material for different properties. If a paralegal works in commercial law, then he or she may draft tenant agreements, maintenance contracts, and handle correspondence with property managers, vendors, and contractors. Many large corporations may have a real estate department that handles leasing of retail and office space, renting of billboards and other advertisement sites, and even international real estate contracts.
Divorce Law
Divorce law is a subspecialty of family law, but many attorneys do choose to specialize, just as many paralegals choose to specialize. A paralegal working
under the supervision of a divorce attorney will likely do work related to divorce petitions, custody agreements, visitation agreements, spousal and/or child support, and other areas related to divorce. A divorce case can last anywhere from a few months to several years, depending on the cooperation of each party. A law firm or sole practitioner will often work on several cases at one time.
Probate Law
Probate law paralegals will work with drafting wills and trusts. He or she will also assist with beneficiary benefits, assessments of property and cash assets, deeds, insurance claims, and other items related to individual or family estates. A paralegal in this field of law will also need to communicate effectively with financial institutions, insurance companies, and other organizations related to personal estates.
Corporate Paralegal
A corporate paralegal will have duties that may include drafting notices of incorporation, drafting partnership agreements, researching legal precedences and trademarks, maintaining organizational charts, processing trademark renewals, preparing mergers and acquisition contracts, and other business related tasks. He or she may also be required to provide administrative tasks, including meeting agenda preparation and the taking of meeting minutes and maintaining a calendar to track quarterly and annual meetings.
It is difficult to explain exactly what a paralegal does because the duties of a paralegal will vary from company to company and case to case, especially since there are so many specialties and sub-specialties within each field. Above is a very brief overview of some of the duties of a paralegal in relation to a few main areas of law.
A more detailed look at different paralegal duties and their respective areas of law can be found at:
Paralegals can work in law firms, governmental agencies, corporations, insurance companies, and non-profit organizations. Basically, wherever there is a legal department, there is a good chance that a paralegal can be found. The duties of a paralegal will vary from place to place depending on his or her employer and the industry with which they are in.
Here is a breakdown of some different areas of law and their commonly associated paralegal duties:
Real Estate Law
Real estate law paralegal duties may include drafting renting, leasing, buying, and selling agreements. It may also include reviewing due diligence material for different properties. If a paralegal works in commercial law, then he or she may draft tenant agreements, maintenance contracts, and handle correspondence with property managers, vendors, and contractors. Many large corporations may have a real estate department that handles leasing of retail and office space, renting of billboards and other advertisement sites, and even international real estate contracts.
Divorce Law
Divorce law is a subspecialty of family law, but many attorneys do choose to specialize, just as many paralegals choose to specialize. A paralegal working
Probate Law
Probate law paralegals will work with drafting wills and trusts. He or she will also assist with beneficiary benefits, assessments of property and cash assets, deeds, insurance claims, and other items related to individual or family estates. A paralegal in this field of law will also need to communicate effectively with financial institutions, insurance companies, and other organizations related to personal estates.
Corporate Paralegal
A corporate paralegal will have duties that may include drafting notices of incorporation, drafting partnership agreements, researching legal precedences and trademarks, maintaining organizational charts, processing trademark renewals, preparing mergers and acquisition contracts, and other business related tasks. He or she may also be required to provide administrative tasks, including meeting agenda preparation and the taking of meeting minutes and maintaining a calendar to track quarterly and annual meetings.
It is difficult to explain exactly what a paralegal does because the duties of a paralegal will vary from company to company and case to case, especially since there are so many specialties and sub-specialties within each field. Above is a very brief overview of some of the duties of a paralegal in relation to a few main areas of law.
A more detailed look at different paralegal duties and their respective areas of law can be found at: