Paralegal is a term used to describe non-lawyers who assist lawyers in their legal work. Paralegals are not lawyers. Paralegals are not authorized by the government to offer legal services in the same way, nor are they officers of the court (i.e. considered a formal part of the legal system), nor are they usually subject to government-/court-sanctioned rules of conduct.
Paralegals originated as assistants to lawyers at a time when only lawyers offered legal services.
In those jurisdictions, such as the United States, where the local legal profession/judiciary is involved in paralegal recognition / accreditation then the profession of paralegal still basically refers to those people working under the direct supervision of a lawyer.
Although most jurisdictions recognize paralegals, there is no international consistency regarding the definition, role, status, terms and conditions of employment, paralegal training, regulation or anything else and so each jurisdiction must be looked at individually.
