Why Assign a Paralegal?
There is a very definite split of opinion among lawyers about the use of paralegals for legal research. Some lawyers believe that legal research should only be done by lawyers. Others recognize that a properly trained paralegal can be of great assistance in performing routine legal research tasks and in performing preliminary legal research on more complex tasks. No matter which kind of lawyer you work for, the ability to do legal research is a critical skill for a paralegal. Even paralegals who are not assigned legal research tasks must know how to locate and analyze the law.
Effective legal research must be accurate and thorough. The results of any legal research are used to determine a course of action for advising the client. Whether the purpose of the legal research is a business on the environmental regulations governing a new real e state development or determining the necessary allegations in a breach of contract lawsuit, your legal research will have consequences for clients.
Fact
Some clients are reluctant to have a paralegal perform legal research. They think the complexity of the law requires the skill and training of a lawyer. In fact, the process of locating the law is often the most time-consuming aspect of legal research. The skill and training of the lawyer is needed most in the interpretation of the law. The task of locating the law can be delegated to a properly trained paralegal without any adverse effect on the representation of the client.
