6 Duties You Probably Didn't Know Were in the Paralegal Job Description

paralegal talking to lawyer in courthouse

 

Anyone interested in the world of law has probably wondered about the paralegal career. Being part of court cases and complex legal proceedings without taking on the long journey of law school sounds great. Despite not having the “name brand” appeal of being a lawyer, becoming a paralegal can be an excellent career choice. In fact, the 2017 median annual paralegal salary was just over $50,000 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and job openings for paralegals are expected to grow at a faster rate than the national average for all occupations.1

But all these positive aspects are meaningless if you don’t like the actual job. What are the most common paralegal duties? Do paralegals get to be involved in cases? What are the daily tasks?

If you are curious about the paralegal job description—read on! We combined research with advice from professional paralegals to give you a closer look at what life as a paralegal is really like. That includes the responsibilities you might not see in the official paralegal job description.

What paralegals do: The official job description

Paralegals, also called legal assistants, organize files, conduct legal and case-related research, and draft documents to support lawyers, according to the BLS.1 The average paralegal might gather the facts of a case; research relevant laws and regulations; correspond with clients, witnesses and vendors to schedule meetings; and assist lawyers to prepare for trials and hearings.

Managing and utilizing electronic systems is often a big part of the job as well, since law firms rely on software to file and maintain client information; to index keywords, laws and topics in a database; and to maintain the high levels of privacy and security necessary in legal proceedings.

It’s important to keep in mind that paralegals might have different duties depending on which branch of law their employer deals with. Corporate law, litigation law, and specializations in personal injury, criminal law, employee benefits, intellectual property, bankruptcy, immigration, family law and real estate can all change the specific duties a paralegal performs.

“It surprised me to learn how many different paralegal positions there are,” says Nicholle Pendergraft, paralegal at Clear Counsel Law Group. Pendergraft explains that duties between types of paralegals can vary greatly.

“In my current office we provide three types of law and each paralegal deals with completely different documents and deadlines,” Pendergraft says. “I couldn’t just cover for a probate paralegal without specific training.”

You can find a more detailed breakdown of different types of paralegals with our article, “8 Types of Paralegals Who Specialize in Different Fields of Law.”

Paralegal duties you don’t always see in the job description

Now that you have the official description of what paralegals do, let’s get more specific. We dug deeper and asked paralegals to share some of the lesser-known or overlooked responsibilities they take on.

1. Balancing professionalism and empathy

“What surprised me the most about my job was how procedural family law can be,” says Cindy Murillo, paralegal for a divorce attorney in Naples, FL. “Although family law deals with very personal problems and issues, the divorce process is filled with impersonal forms, even though we work with some really good people at their worst moments.”

Helping clients navigate each step of the process can be tricky when they are dealing with heavy emotions in a crisis and need to disclose private or embarrassing information. “It is a balancing act,” Murillo says.

2. Specializing in one phase of case work

Paralegals in small firms usually have the widest variety of tasks, handling anything that comes their way. But paralegals in larger firms might spend all their time working on a particular phase of every case, instead of working on the entire thing, according to the BLS.

In a large firm, one paralegal might collect and organize evidence for every hearing, becoming more and more of an expert in what is needed and when—as they go. Or a paralegal could be responsible for maintaining reference files on every case or scheduling meetings with new clients.

3. Remembering the little things

As a paralegal, your job is to be the one who doesn’t forget things. Following through on every aspect of your work is extremely important, according to Pendergraft. “It goes hand in hand with responsibility, which is usually mentioned in a job description, but follow-through is just as important.”

“In order to retain case-sensitive information, you must have some type of organizational skill in place,” says Izzy Salgado, paralegal at the Law Office of Russell D. Knight. Salgado explains that part of the job is to remember and apply the law toward cases you are assisting with. “Being organized has helped me grow as a paralegal.”

4. Attending court

“One responsibility I have that isn’t on the average paralegal description is going to sit in at trials and hearings,” Salgado says. “Most paralegals do not get to sit in during court calls to see the issues be addressed and litigated.”

While this might not apply for every paralegal position, don’t be surprised if in some roles you’re occasionally making a trip to the local courthouse to assist with proceedings.

5. Supervising

You may not have known that paralegals can become supervisors as they advance in their careers—but they can! The BLS reports that experienced paralegals might take on a more managerial mantle, overseeing team projects or delegating work to other paralegals.

6. Investing in the cases

As mentioned above, some paralegals spend more time with the entirety of a case than others. But your situation as a paralegal could lead to a very heavy investment in the cases that come through your firm.

“The thing that surprised me the most about my job is the one-on-one interaction you have working with the attorneys,” Salgado says. “The amount of time invested in a case and seeing a good outcome from it are very rewarding. I expected the paralegal position to be more of an administrative position but it was the complete opposite.”

Looking ahead

Researching the paralegal job description can be tricky, since different employers and branches of law can change each paralegal’s duties. But the upside of that is a career that offers options. If you start a program and realize you want nothing to do with family law but are fascinated by immigration—you can look for work to match that preference.

A great paralegal program will teach you how to thrive as a paralegal and show you the kind of options out there for your career. Check out our article, “I Want to Be a Paralegal … Now What?” to learn more about building a satisfying career in the legal sector.

1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [information accessed February 7, 2019] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and include workers at all levels of education and experience. Employment conditions in your area may vary.

About the author

Brianna Flavin

Brianna is a senior content manager who writes student-focused articles for Rasmussen University. She holds an MFA in poetry and worked as an English Professor before diving into the world of online content. 

Related Content

Related Content

This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content. Please visit www.rasmussen.edu/degrees for a list of programs offered. External links provided on rasmussen.edu are for reference only. Rasmussen University does not guarantee, approve, control, or specifically endorse the information or products available on websites linked to, and is not endorsed by website owners, authors and/or organizations referenced. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

logo-accreditation-acen logo-accreditation-ccne chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors-masters 0 Credits 90 Credits 180 Credits 48 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE Start Here MASTER'S DEGREE PURSUERS End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE End Here MASTER'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors 0 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS 90 Credits Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE 180 Credits End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-msn chart-credential-laddering-nursing-programs chart-credential-laddering-post-grad-np chart-credential-laddering-nursing DNP MSN RN to BSN LPN to RN Bridge Accelerated BSN Professional Nursing ADN Practical Nursing Diploma Pre-Licensure Post-Licensure icon-colored-outline-bank icon-colored-outline-certificate icon-colored-outline-circle-dollar-sign icon-colored-outline-folder-search icon-colored-outline-hand-heart icon-colored-outline-head-blocks icon-colored-outline-head-cog icon-colored-outline-head-heart icon-colored-outline-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-outline-hospital icon-colored-outline-lifelong-learning icon-colored-outline-light-bulb-analytics icon-colored-outline-location-pin icon-colored-outline-magnifying-glass icon-colored-outline-monitor-healthcare icon-colored-outline-monitor-paper-search icon-colored-outline-nurse-rays icon-colored-outline-padlock-shield icon-colored-outline-person-presenter-screen icon-colored-outline-scales ras-logo-flame ras-logo-horizontal ras-logo-stacked icon-colored-advance icon-colored-arrows-cross-curve icon-colored-briefcase-star icon-colored-build icon-colored-bulb-analytics icon-colored-certificate icon-colored-continual-development icon-colored-duo-chatbox icon-colored-folder-mortarboard icon-colored-forward-ribbon icon-colored-gears-clock icon-colored-globe-pen icon-colored-growth icon-colored-hand-bubble icon-colored-hand-stars icon-colored-hands-gear icon-colored-head-blocks icon-colored-head-cog icon-colored-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-hospital-building icon-colored-laptop-cbe-skyscraper icon-colored-laptop-checkmark icon-colored-laptop-webpage icon-colored-location-map icon-colored-location-pin icon-colored-monitor-paper-scan icon-colored-mortarboard-dollar icon-colored-national icon-colored-people-chat-bubbles icon-colored-person-cheer-star icon-colored-person-laptop-checkboxes icon-colored-person-screen-instructor icon-colored-person-whiteboard icon-colored-phone-chatbox icon-colored-police-light icon-colored-prep icon-colored-presenter icon-colored-regional icon-colored-save-time icon-colored-shirt-hat icon-colored-skyscraper icon-colored-state icon-colored-student-centered icon-colored-support icon-colored-world-experience icon-triangle-arrow-up-plant icon-triangle-calendar-pencil icon-triangle-clock-rotating-arrows icon-triangle-display-gears icon-triangle-hand-right-speech-bubble icon-triangle-laptop-coding-brackets icon-triangle-mortarboard icon-triangle-paper-ribbon icon-triangle-person-cheer-star icon-triangle-person-juggle icon-triangle-triple-people-chat-bubble icon-modality-campus icon-modality-field icon-modality-online icon-modality-residential icon-arrow icon-bank icon-camera icon-filter icon-general-chart icon-general-connect icon-general-degree icon-general-discuss icon-general-email icon-general-find icon-general-hat icon-general-heart icon-general-laptop-building icon-general-laptop icon-general-leader icon-general-map icon-general-money icon-general-paperwork icon-general-people icon-general-phone icon-general-speak-out icon-head-heart icon-info-circle icon-mail-forward icon-mglass icon-play-solid icon-quote-mark-left icon-quote-mark-right icon-scales icon-share-square-o icon-simple-chat icon-simple-desktop icon-simple-find icon-simple-hamburger icon-simple-phone icon-spinner icon-tag icon-testimonial-quotes icon-util-checkbox-white icon-util-checkbox icon-util-checked-white icon-util-checked icon-util-chevron-down icon-util-chevron-left icon-util-chevron-right icon-util-chevron-up icon-util-circle-arrow-down icon-util-circle-dot icon-util-language-switch icon-util-loading icon-util-open-window-link icon-util-pdf-link icon-util-refresh icon-util-x rebrand-arrows icon-social-facebook-colored icon-social-facebook-square-colored icon-social-facebook-square icon-social-facebook icon-social-google-plus-square icon-social-google-plus icon-social-instagram-colored icon-social-instagram icon-social-linkedin-square-colored icon-social-linkedin-square icon-social-linkedin icon-social-pinterest-p-colored icon-social-pinterest-p icon-social-twitter-colored icon-social-twitter-square icon-social-twitter icon-social-youtube-play-colored icon-social-youtube-play graduate-cap-star-coin hand-coin hand-heart nurse-stethoscope-rays card-send-smile person-yoga-pose suitcase-star