The Field
The demand for legal representation in personal injury is on the rise in commensuration with the increased level of accidents and injuries in the country. Again, the demand for registered paralegals in this line is also increasing. It is believed that paralegals could take up all the tasks and responsibilities of practicing attorneys or lawyers, except court representations, signing Court documents, or directly interacting with clients. Therefore, there is tremendous scope for this profession, especially in the area of personal injury.
“A Legal Assistant or paralegal is a person, qualified through education, training or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which the lawyer is responsible.” (Flynn).
The essential aspect of the paralegal is that they act as the bridge between the client and the attorney. It is seen that for a busy practicing lawyer there are many areas for which he may not be able to devote time or energies, due to critical and significant pre-occupations. These areas could be delegated to the paralegals who could unload bulk work that would otherwise have to be done by the attorney himself, setting aside critical areas like attending Court, signing legal documents, and conducting interviews with clients and their representatives.
The practicing lawyer could delegate non-critical work to paralegals. The field has gained importance due to the rise in the scope of legal jurisprudence and increased levels of developments in the profession due to constant changes in the law and the addition of new laws and regulations in the field of personal injury. It is seen that in these cases of personal injuries, it is important to have a lawyer to attend to the case and frame legal papers for case submission, interacting with insurance companies, claim registry, and the actual receipt of claims from parties or insurance companies.
Skill Requirements
At the entry-level, the level of education may be just high school level, but nowadays, with the increasingly complex and demanding needs from the profession, a college-level education at Bachelors or Post Bachelors level is needed. Besides a good Degree, it may also be necessary to have relevant on–the–job training and practical experience in dealing with legal jurisprudence and various aspects of paralegal duties and responsibilities.
The personal skills requirements could be in terms of strong oral and written communication skills, a strong aptitude for legal work, client servicing, and effective man-management. Besides, tact, diplomacy, and dealing effectively with various high-stress situations are also a hallmark in this profession of personal injury paralegal work. It is seen that paralegals have to consider a lot of aspects in the rendering of their professional duties like the Legal code of Conduct, placing higher priority for the law, rather than individuals, and also having a very strong sense of honesty, integrity, and transparency in dealings. The paralegals would be the future practicing lawyers and attorneys, and they need to maintain the highest standards of personal moral values and ethical standards demanded in this profession, besides a strong sense of justice and fair play in all dealings within and outside the organization.
Responsibilities of Paralegals
The main areas of responsibilities of paralegals would be in terms of preparing briefs for their employers and assisting in the lawyer’s interaction with the clients and their representatives.
It could also be seen that their responsibilities would be in how efficiently and effectively they are fulfilling their duties entrusted by the lawyer and the clients through him/her.
Besides, the other duties would be:
- Interviewing clients and witnesses and preparing briefs of cases
- Carrying out research concerning cases and their implications on the clients
- Issuing legal notices, documents, and summons to people
- Organizing evidence and exhibits and other requirements to be submitted in Courts
- Keeping track of billings on an hourly basis and getting ratification from the lawyer for issuing it to clients
- Visiting sites of accidents and recording proceedings including interviews with the relevant persons and recording germane facts and figures
- Interacting with insurance and claim forms for settlement of claims and other formalities
- In the event of major accidents and personal injuries to clients, interact with the law enforcement authorities and other public officials as need be
- Since the main duties of paralegals would be in terms of being understudies of lawyers they need to keep them updated on the latest position about cases and their proceedings.
- By far, one of the main areas in which paralegals need to expertise themselves would be the maintenance of past legal records and their production as and when it is required. It is also necessary for paralegals to have excellent knowledge and understanding of the cases and their various ramifications.
- He would need to have strong legal insight and should be in a position to deliver excellent advice to the senior lawyers on crucial matters and offer professional services of high quality and relevance for the benefit of the clients.
Works Cited
Flynn, Timothy P. Should More be Done to Improve the Credential of Paralegals. Michagan Bar Journal. 2001. Web.