If you are working in legal administration or considering becoming a paralegal, you may be interested in the history of paralegals.
The paralegal profession is a
relatively new one and the history of paralegals starts sometime in the 1970s. Up to this time, any legal services had to be provided by qualified members of the State bar. Everyone who needed a divorce, bankruptcy, will or a new corporation had to employ a qualified lawyer to complete the whole process.
However, in the 1970s there was a great move towards self-help, and many people started to consider how they could do these processes themselves. Some entrepreneurs started to offer legal typing services, and the legal profession had to consider the impact to their income by these activities.
Many law firms started to train administrative staff to do some of these routine operations, and there was even the advent of the independent paralegal company.
Today, paralegals mostly work within legal firms, under the supervision of a qualified lawyer, but they have had an impact on both the nature and the cost of routine legal services to the public.
The history of paralegals is likely to continue long into the future, as the profession goes from strength to strength. More services are offered at better value to clients, and paralegals are creating career structures that will give you even more opportunities in the field of law.
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For more information on paralegal training, please visit Paralegal and Legal Assistant Training Programs
