# What's a paralegal do exactly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 8, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014 "2009-10-08T02:41:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/21 "2009-10-18T00:46:38Z")
I agree with **Oakminster** ; the experience will vary depending on the type of firm or company. In my firm, paralegals manage the files, cite check briefs, do some research (but not a lot), and can do some legal drafting (but not very much – simple things are done by secretaries and not simple things are done by lawyers). It can be a good experience to prepare you for being a lawyer (although I agree, it won’t prepare you so much for law school), but be aware that without a paralegal certificate or commensurate law firm experience, not only will it be more difficult to get hired, you’ll require more training before you’re ready for the more advanced quasi-lawyer tasks. > [@St.Anger](#): > > Invoking Gaudere’s Law here. > > Argue the point, not the grammar, please. Nit picking someone’s grammar is a weak argument. LOL. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/22 "2009-10-18T01:06:48Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > Invoking Gaudere’s Law here. > > Argue the point, not the grammar, please. Nit picking someone’s grammar is a weak argument. Especially when it is completely unneccesary and perhaps even incorrect to use periods in “P.h.D.s” and “M.D.s”. You made an broad-brushed, mean spirited, unsubstantiated, demonstrably false and degrading comment towards paralegals, physician’s assistants and psychologists. In other words, CITE? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/23 "2009-10-18T03:40:28Z")
Consider looking at it from the lawyer’s side as an employer. A lawyer wants an experienced paralegal, not an inexperienced one. Not having any experience will be a hurdle. A lawyer wants a paralegal committed to being a paralegal, not one who will jump ship once a job in his or her preferred career opens up. Having a Ph.D. and already being in an acedemic career will be a hurdle. In short, get into and through law school as quickly as possible if you are looking for a career in law. If, to pay the freight, you are able to get any sort of a job in a law office while you are going through law school, all the better. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/24 "2009-10-18T04:05:11Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > A paralegal is like a Physician’s Assistant or a Psychologist— they weren’t good enough to become an Attorney, Doctor, or Psychiatrist. I’m pretty sure that psychiatrists and psychologists do very different things. Here is a very short section about it from [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologist#Contrast_with_psychiatrist). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/25 "2009-10-18T17:14:36Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > A paralegal is like a Physician’s Assistant or a Psychologist— they weren’t good enough to become an Attorney, Doctor, or Psychiatrist. :rolleyes: I’m sure you think paralegals aren’t cool because they never appear on TV lawyer shows. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/26 "2009-10-18T17:49:55Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > There are _no jobs_ in Philosophy right now. There’s a reason you never hear of an old money family based on a “logical positivist fortune” earned by an ancestor. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/27 "2009-10-18T18:14:07Z")
Thanks for the info and advice so far. My goal is simply this: Find gainful, steady employment. So basically, I’m looking everywhere I think I can plausibly tweak a resume to match. So based on info here and elsewhere online, I think I’ll look into paralegal positions among many other things. Also looking into professorships, post-doc fellowships, graduate fellowships, public education, law school (though I don’t think I’ll be able to afford this even with a full scholarship), and entry level positions in various government agencies. I’m kind of fantasizing about getting into Intelligence somehow… Also, editing, and I have a lead into maybe getting into grant writing. And I’m looking for other options besides. Suggestions welcome. My experience and skills are basically the ones you develop as a graduate student. If I don’t get a fellowship or post-doc or professorship of some kind _this year_, I’m just going to take my Ph.D. and leave. I can’t fuck around for another year. :mad:☹ (And the thing is, it’s only in the past month or so that I realized that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. For _seven years_. And I have a _wife_. And _children_. :(:mad:) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/28 "2009-10-18T18:21:58Z")
To clarify about “the kinds of skills you develop as a grad student,” here’s how I characterized my work experience for the general entry level application at the DIA: > [@](#): > > **Graduate Student** : \<–look guys, it’s a job. They paid me! They required I not have any other job! It’s a job okay!? 😉 (Should I call this something else? Writer/Researcher? Something? I don’t know.) > > \*Independently identify and retrieve documents for analysis. > > \*Analyze logically complex documents. > > \*On the basis of this analysis, develop arguments and plans for action. Compose reports which are technical, yet accessible to non-expert audiences when necessary. > > \*Evaluate complicated arguments, assessing them for validity and accuracy. > > \*Construct persuasive documents which are complex but effective. > > \*Meet difficult deadlines, set both by others and by myself. > > \*Translate technical materials from German to English. > **Lecturer** : > > \*Design and teach a course training students in the basics of the field. > > \*Explain difficult, complex texts and concepts to laymen. > > \*Evaluate written work for accuracy, logical coherence and rhetorical effectiveness. > > \*Provide written and verbal feedback in order to raise student performance. > > \*Carefully organize and maintain student records. > > \*Supervise a coworker tasked with assisting me in the evaluation of student work. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/29 "2009-10-19T19:14:50Z")
That’s kind of like asking “What do lawyers do?” There are thousands of different answers. Generally paralegals assist attorneys – in my practice, I’ve worked with paralegals who drafted boilerplate pleadings for my review. Litigation support is also a common role – gathering and preparing documents or other evidence for court or for discovery responses. Paralegals do initial client interviews in many personal injury firms. In bankruptcy firms, paralegals monitor cases and prepare proofs of claim. Since I’m in a state that has no licensing or certification for paralegals, it makes the term even more vague. I’ve seen everything from a glorified receptionist to someone with multiple degrees and highly technical experience called a paralegal. ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/30 "2009-10-19T21:03:12Z")
Based on your interest in government agency work, and Intelligence, I wanted to suggest that you may want to look into federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), such as MITRE and RAND. I’ve had several friends who have successfully made the transition from Ph.D. programs into an FFRDC. YMMV, but I’ve known people who are working for an FFRDC on a combination of individually directed research (based on government grants) and some research dictated by the organization. Also FFRDCs may be more permissive than other entities regarding collaborations with industry and academics. It’s my understanding that the pay scale tends to be somewhere between academia and private practice. You may need a security clearance to do some of this work. Whatever you decide, good luck! ---
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/31 "2009-11-03T06:18:35Z")
> [@Animastryfe](#): > > I’m pretty sure that psychiatrists and psychologists do very different things. Here is a very short section about it from [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologist#Contrast_with_psychiatrist). Linking to a Wikipedia article as a reference in any message board argument is like referring a pimply-faced teenager looking to unlock the mysteries of the fairer sex to the scatological scribblings on a gas station bathroom wall. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/32 "2009-11-03T14:57:58Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > Linking to a Wikipedia article as a reference in any message board argument is like referring a pimply-faced teenager looking to unlock the mysteries of the fairer sex to the scatological scribblings on a gas station bathroom wall. No. I’m not the biggest fan of Wikipedia, but we’re linked to hundreds if not thousands of articles over there and the general rate of accuracy has been extremely high. You run into problems over some specific items that are controversial, and obviously you can only use it to back up factual issues rather than interpretive ones, but basics are usually good. If you think that a particular linked article or section of it is wrong, say so and say why. I’ve done that. But saying that Wikipedia is worthless is fatuous. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/33 "2009-11-03T17:08:28Z")
Calling **Really Not All That Bright** and **dougie\_monty** , both of whom I believe are paralegals… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/34 "2009-11-03T20:15:28Z")
_picks up phone_ Depends a lot on the state, type of law and even the firm. In Florida, there are paralegals and Registered Paralegals. The latter is a certification offered by the state Bar, which doesn’t mean a great deal but gets you a couple extra bucks per paycheck. Most firms make a distinction between _paralegals_ - staff who do pseudo-attorney work under the supervision of an attorney, but are not legally allowed to practice law independently - and legal assistants, who do stuff that attorneys’ time is better spent not doing (secretarial stuff, mostly - scheduling and taking dictation and the like). There isn’t really a hard and fast rule, though; in smaller firms, the same person probably fulfils both capacities; in larger firms, there tend to be more associate attorneys to do the paralegal stuff. There are also _medical paralegals_, who are generally qualified nurses and the like, who do medical record review and stuff like that, but I’ve never met one, for what it’s worth. I’m a (small p) paralegal at a Florida insurance defense firm, within the workers’ compensation department. My duties tend to be comprised mostly of the record reviewing variety (medical records, financial statements and surveillance footage), although I also prepare form (ie. commonly used) motions, and sometimes write wholly original ones. IME, a good rule of thumb is that paralegals have to know and understand some of the applicable laws, and legal assistants don’t (although legal assistants are likely to learn a ton about their fields just by listening). ---
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/35 "2009-11-04T06:25:34Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > No. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/36 "2009-11-04T07:32:16Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > You see, there are _no jobs_ in Philosophy right now. Well, there are, but only when no-one’s observing them. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/37 "2009-11-04T12:43:27Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > > No. > > Yes. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/38 "2009-11-04T13:42:55Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > Linking to a Wikipedia article as a reference in any message board argument is like referring a pimply-faced teenager looking to unlock the mysteries of the fairer sex to the scatological scribblings on a gas station bathroom wall. I have to say I can’t find anything in Wikipedia’s article on [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia) that agrees with you. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/39 "2009-11-04T14:53:06Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Maybe. My paralegal cat Schrodinger agrees with you. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014/40 "2009-11-04T15:07:30Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > My goal is simply this: Find gainful, steady employment. So basically, I’m looking everywhere I think I can plausibly tweak a resume to match. One thing you should be aware of. In big law firms in big cities (or at least here in New York) a legal secretary with some experience, working for a ranking partner, will usually make more money than a paralegal (or at least than most paralegals – there are always special cases, and paralegal supervisors, and stuff like that). If all you care about is a decent paycheck, it’s something to keep in mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-paralegal-do-exactly/513014.md?page=3)