The Role Of The Paralegal Or Legal Assistant In The Criminal Justice Field

The legal assistant as the name suggests is there to help the lawyer. It is vitally crucial to know that the paralegal cannot give legal suggestions or act as a lawyer. What the p...

Paralegal or Legal Assistant is an exciting profession in the Criminal Justice field. It is difficult to think about a law office with no a paralegal. They can be described as the appropriate hand of the lawyer. In this article I examine the role of the paralegal or legal assistant in the criminal justice field of This external link was removed for your protection.

The legal assistant as the name suggests is there to assist the lawyer. It is vitally essential to know that the paralegal can't give legal suggestions or act as a lawyer. What the paralegal does should be under the supervision of a lawyer. The paralegal can do the following below the watchful eye of a lawyer:

1. The paralegal can conduct client interviews. They need to identify themselves as paralegals to the client ahead of starting the interview. In this instance, the legal assistant aids the lawyer ascertain the details of a case by talking to the client. This saves the lawyer valuable time. The lawyer can use that time to operate on techniques for the case This external link was removed for your protection.

two. The legal assistant can locate and interview witnesses. If you watched the movie Erin Brockovich, you saw Julia Roberts play the function of a paralegal that locates and interviews clients. In a single of the scenes, she clearly states that she is not a lawyer. This underlines the point above that paralegals can't give legal advice. It also underlines the point that they identify themselves as such.

three. Legal assistants can research and prepare legal documents. Paralegals do acquire the coaching and expertise required to prepare legal documents. All the lawyer has to do is double check the function to make sure it meets the legal needs that such document needs. Again, I dont have to tell what a beneficial timesaver this is to a lawyer.

4. The paralegal can attend court trials. In this case, they support the lawyer with the case files. This way the lawyer is not fumbling in court seeking for files or evidence. The paralegal is there to preserve him or her organized.

I can write much more volume on the role of the legal assistant or paralegal in the criminal justice field, but you get the point. It is indeed an thrilling profession. Consider of all the intriguing factors that can be involved in a legal case. As a paralegal, you can be in the middle of it all.

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