Paralegals play an integral role in a law firm setting as well as a courtroom. In a courtroom, paralegals go from the assistant, to witness, to having to think like an attorney, monitoring the jury and their reactions, to even letting the attorney know if the reaction from a judge seems positive or negative. Paralegals are responsible for so much in a courtroom that it can be just as overwhelming for them as it is for the lawyer assigned to the case. However, the important thing is keeping calm and making sure all the facts are correct and the documents and/or evidence is easily accessible for the attorney. This of course requires a lot of patience and time management.

Because you are the walking case as well as a direct witness you are on the front line. You are the first person to know who and what has been happening with the case. You’ve documented all the information, you have meet with the witness(es) and you are the first person to read a witness and examine a document. Without you there is no case, which means you need to ready if the attorney calls upon you for assistance in the courtroom. In a courtroom, the attorney looks to you to make sure you have his or her back and if they are missing even one piece of paper he or she can look to you for the copy. The impact of your position can make or break the case! So you have to make sure that on demand you have the case ready in all aspects.