Paralegals are an essential part of the legal system, providing assistance to attorneys and helping to ensure that legal proceedings run smoothly. In Central Maryland, paralegals are responsible for a variety of tasks, from conducting research to providing administrative support. The American Association for Paralegal Education (AAFPE) defines a paralegal as someone who performs substantive and procedural legal work authorized by law, work that, in the absence of the paralegal, would be carried out by an attorney. Paralegals in Central Maryland are expected to carry out factual and legal research, as well as provide administrative support.
This includes filing documents, answering phone calls, and maintaining and organizing reference files. Paralegals may also be present with their lawyer while they attend trials, depositions, executions of wills, real estate closures, and court or administrative hearings. Additionally, they may be responsible for keeping their lawyer's schedule and calling clients, attorneys, witnesses, experts, and judicial personnel to schedule interviews, hearings, meetings, statements, and trials. Paralegals may also be required to process documents for shareholders or investigate police records in criminal law cases.
Furthermore, they must act accordingly when deadlines arise. In some cases, legal aid can help complete these tasks, but at the end of the process an industry expert will need to verify this. The Midwest Maryland office of Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) is currently announcing an immediate vacancy for a full-time legal assistant position located in Frederick. The position will provide administrative and paralegal support to a team of attorneys and investigators who investigate civil rights complaints in the state of Maryland. To qualify for the position applicants must have experience in military service in the Armed Forces as a petty officer in classifications of paralegal specialists or codes of specialized paralegal specialties in the legal and related fields.
Alternatively, applicants can have thirty credits or a certificate of paralegal studies from an accredited college or university. Paralegals are highly valued professionals who play an important role in the legal system. They are responsible for conducting research and providing administrative support to attorneys in Central Maryland. They may also be present at trials and hearings and process documents for shareholders or investigate police records in criminal law cases. The Midwest Maryland office of Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) is currently announcing an immediate vacancy for a full-time legal assistant position located in Frederick.