Paralegal or lawyer?
The main distinction, according to Sandy Hutchens, between paralegals and lawyers is the following: lawyers set fees and give legal advice. When a paralegal tries to do this they will be in violation of the unauthorized practice of law statutes that exist in most jurisdictions.
Other primary differences between a paralegal and a lawyer is that:
1. paralegal expertise/training tends to be highly specific in nature, while a lawyer has a much broader, longer, and more formal training
2. the lawyer’s primary job is to consider, analyse and strategise, whereas a paralegal’s primary responsibility is to carry out the tasks arising from that process.
In the United Kingdom there are 4,000 government registered/regulated paralegal advisory firms offering services that would previously have been offered by lawyers. In India and Singapore, paralegals work much more along the traditional line of assisting lawyers.
Paralegals are found in all areas where lawyers work — criminal trials, real estate, government, estate planning. In the United States, paralegals and legal document assistants are often mistaken for one another. In several other jurisdictions the profession is not yet fully formed to merit a clear distinction between them.
What is the difference between paralegals and notaries public?
In the US most paralegals and legal secretaries are also commissioned as notaries public. This connection is not necessarily the way it is in other jurisdictions. In the UK, for example, notaries are a distinct group, and are know as solicitors.
Sandy Hutchens provides a brief explanation of the role of the paralegal
