If I said the word “nurse”, more than likely you would think prestige, caring, heartwarming, helps a doctor, smart, hardworking, and the list could go on. If I said the word “paralegal” you would more than like draw a blank and look at me with confusion. While the world is finally catching up to the paralegal industry, there is still a gray area. Most people, including paralegals, do not understand their role. This stems from a lack of understanding. Understanding the importance of a paralegal and lack of understanding the paralegal role. Paralegals can often feel small in a room full of attorneys because the world has no clue what they do.

Paralegal v. Nurse

Let me first start by staying paralegals are important. To say you are a paralegal should come with a level of prestige that equals that of what a nurse is to the medical field. The legal field, much like the medical, consist of people that serve different levels of legal support with the Judge being one with a super important title. You see how I didn’t even stop at the attorney level? For context, the medical field consist of titles like LPN, MA,CNA to PA, to Doctor. You may not realize or care rather but an MA can not do what a PA can do but both positions are important and they work together to ensure the patience receives proper care. Let’s move this conversation into a legal context now. The case manager at the law firm you hired to assist with your employment issue, does not do what the paralegal does but together they will work uniformly to get you your desired end goal. While a paralegal does not need as much schooling as a nurse, their knowledge and ability to draft and anticipate the direction of a case is a high level skill. So much so, that their attorney relies on that skill as much as a doctor would rely on their nurse to pass the correct scalpel during surgery.

So Why Are Paralegals Misunderstood?

Well, my belief is that we’re not educated enough on the title. While colleges have offered courses on this position for decades, most people only looked at the paralegal profession as a stepping stone career. For many, it was and because others assumed it was, the paralegal role seemed transient. Paralegals felt as though they should not stop at the paralegal level because the profession as was not permanent. Think about it, five years ago no one talked about owning a business as a paralegal or being freelance. Another reason for the confusion comes from the legal industry itself.

Some Attorneys are still confused. They blur the lines between what their legal assistant does and what their paralegal should do. They assume the two career titles are one in the same. I am here to tell you they are not. Legal assistants handle more administrative level tasks while the paralegal handles more legal based assignments. Can their roles intertwine? sure, but good law firms know they should keep them separate. Some attorneys still call their paralegals legal secretaries which again…no. But anyway, It is important to educate even our legal professionals on the vital role that paralegals play in the legal industry.

Looking Ahead

The great thing about the paralegal industry is it’s rapid growth. Guess what, law students are desiring to be paralegals. People are going to law school but opting to enter the paralegal profession because they don’t want the stress of being an attorney. Newly barred associates understand they are better off asking the paralegal rather then the partner. Paralegals are seeing they can generate wealth without the fear of a bar complaint. Paralegals do not want to practice law and have no desire to cross that line. Attorneys that passed the bar want less stress and are opting for the paralegal role. It’s truly an amazing time in the paralegal industry. The word itself is gaining more hashtags and visibility. I can guarantee you, the next time you tell someone you are a paralegal they will not look at you in a state on confusion. They will likely say “oh you work with Attorneys”.