A paralegal is a term you might not be familiar with. However, you must have come across one at some point. They are the foundation of any case or suit, as they are the ones doing all the research. They perform all the back-office functions of lawyers. So paralegals are subordinates to lawyers. A paralegal expert takes care of all the background jobs lawyers seek help from to establish their case. The senior experts in firms rely on such people to give them all the background information.
Moreover, paralegals need to maintain confidentiality and decorum in their work framework. You should know the role of a paralegal to exercise your judgment in various scenarios when you need to hire one. Additionally, law students who have not completed their degrees yet can also work in multiple law departments for exposure.
Know about the paralegal activities that law students can perform. Law is a very diverse subject, so there is no one specific area that you can choose. Most paralegals work under criminal lawyers, civil lawyers, or corporate lawyers. Read about them.
Litigation Paralegal
It is a lawsuit that involves settling cases in a court of law. In this case, these people have to prepare the backgrounds of lawsuits, prepare for the trials, research, take statements of the witness and clients, and assemble all the necessary documents and evidence that the lawyer will need in court. Litigation paralegals are the backbone of the trial session. If you are a law student reading this and want to enter this field, you need a few skills and attributes. You have to multitask and be willing to learn new things. Moreover, you need to have excellent communication skills and MS Word knowledge.
Family Paralegal
Suppose you want to help families reach agreements in different aspects. You can also choose to become a family paralegal expert and work under a family lawyer. In this arena, you have to work for household cases and lawsuits. The issues that you will be handling are divorce, separation, child custody, adoption, and spouse maintenance, to name a few.
While working in the sphere, you will encounter myriad emotions and situations. You feel joy when you see a child getting adopted, and you feel a lot of pain when you see parents fighting for child custody rights. So, you have to be prepared for such upheavals daily. Apart from legal acumen, you need to have a strong heart and mind.
People skills are essential in these scenarios as you will often deal with counseling sessions. This is one field where you will never sit idle. As a paralegal, you will also be involved in child maintenance and alimony calculations. Additionally, you might also need to work with child rights groups and adoption centers regularly.
Bankruptcy Paralegal
Working in this arena will be under licensed attorneys in bankruptcy cases if you are working in this arena. Apart from just working as a help to higher-ranking attorneys, you can even act as a team leader to interns too. Additionally, you can represent either creditors or debtors. You will be responsible for collecting all the relevant financial data and background of the individual or company filing for bankruptcy. You have to obtain credit reports, interview clients, and prepare case documents. You have to be very sharp and analytical if you want to pursue a career in this stream.
Intellectual Property Paralegal
IPR is one of the most in-demand law subjects across the globe. With business monopoly a historical subject now, you cannot help but rely on IPR for all your business trademarks and copyright needs.
A new company is getting established every day. Patents, trademarks, and copyrights assume prime positions here. You can be taking care of either of these or all. It depends on what kind of an attorney you are under.
You have to have an eye for detail and numbers. Take, for instance, your client files a legal claim over a trademark, So, you have to check the company’s background, which has emulated the trademark. In such cases, dates are essential. You have to find out who filed a trademark with the authorities first.
After completing your law degree, you can get into this career over time. So this acts as a stepping stone to a lucrative, high-earning career.
Real Estate Paralegal
As the name suggests, you can work under a real estate attorney adept at handling house, land, and property-related lawsuits. You will be closely involved in data management and examine lease agreements and buy-sell agreements on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, you have to search titles for the authenticity of properties. In case of suits, you have to research the allegations of the grieving party.
These are a few options that are open to law students today. Get into one for a high-flying career after obtaining your Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor.
