Professions and Paraprofessionals (From Improving Access to Justice: The Future of Paralegal Professionals -- Conference Proceedings, 1990, Canberra, Australia, P 5-17, 1991, Julia Vernon and Francis Regan, eds. -- See NCJ-129734)

• NCJ Number: 129735
• Author(s): J Goldring
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

Paralegal professionals perform work of a legal nature, but lack the formal qualifications required for admission to legal practice.

Abstract

Such professionals include people who would formerly be described as legal secretaries, library assistants, and clerks as well as data processing specialists. Much of the work in legal offices is performed by specialists from other disciplines who are not paralegals, but a substantial portion is also carried out by paralegal professionals. Paralegals can change access to justice by allocating greater resources to the provision of legal services, changing the nature of legal services provided, and educating users of legal services on how to manage without lawyers in certain cases. Paralegals can be introduced into various types of legal work, and there is general agreement that a university course in law should provide a sufficient foundation for a career in paralegal work. Further assessment is needed to determine what functions should be performed by paralegals, how much these professionals can change access to justice, and what sort of paralegal education and training is required. 37 references