NCJ Number
76745
Date Published
1979
Length
46 pages
Annotation
The role and function of public sector paralegals in Canada are described from the perspective of paralegals.
Abstract
Public sector paralegal work takes place in the community legal clinic, which provides casework, education, and community development. Through casework, the paralegal becomes aware of areas that require legal education or community development, and through legal education and involvement in the community, people become more aware of the law and their rights, which often leads to more casework. Specific functions of the paralegal worker include (1) providing legal information to clients; (2) legal assistance, which includes problem identification, investigation, research, procedural assistance, and provision of precedent forms; (3) formal and informal advocacy; (4) public legal education, which includes investigative casework, workshops, preparation of booklets, newsletters, and people's law schools, which provide general education for high school law teachers and students; and (5) community development, which involves the organization of citizens to address their rights or effect legal reform to define their rights. Specialized roles of paralegals are (1) lay advocates, who become involved in case advocacy; (2) native courtworkers, who educate and assist native Canadians in court cases; (3) legal educators, who exclusively undertake legal education for consumer groups; and (4) community legal workers, who are involved in community organizing, law reform, community education, preventive law, and innovative casework. Also considered are the training and accreditation of the paralegal and the interface between paralegal workers and lawyers. Footnotes are provided.