Paralegals are also referred to as legal assistants and are responsible for many of the tasks that a lawyer might perform. Although this is the case, paralegals cannot complete certain tasks such as providing legal advice, presenting court cases and setting fees for legal services. One of the most important tasks you can expect to do as a paralegal is to help lawyers prepare for corporate meetings, hearings, trials and closings. In these instances, you investigate and evaluate all necessary facts and make sure that all of the relevant information is considered.
Approximately 71 percent of all paralegals work for law firms and have the added stress of meeting strict deadline, so they are working long hours. Other paralegals may work for the government and other corporations and have a standard work week with 40 hours. Most paralegals, or legal assistants, work throughout the entire year. Some, however, are only working during seasonal times when the company is in need.
