Preview

Ethics of Paralegal Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
580 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ethics of Paralegal Essay Example
PARALEGALS AND THE OBSTACLES THEY FACE: HOW TO CHANGE THE ROLE OF THE PARALEGAL IN THE LAW FIELD.

In today's legal world, the paralegal profession has faced many ethical and professional issues such as: computers, research, billing, confidentiality and professional status. The paralegals play a major role in many attorney offices and are valuable asset. The diverse role of a paralegal in today's society includes many jobs and responsibilities.
Knowledge of research is an important aspect of the paralegal. Paralegals have to be accurate and dependable when it comes to their research productivity. To complete assignments accurately and timely, paralegals must have knowledge of computers, law library and internet. With the understanding of these references, a paralegal will be able to search, write and complete up- to-date law memorandums and briefs for their employers.
The computer is an important tool for today's paralegal. The knowledge of Windows, Excel and Word Perfect will make the paralegal job more efficient. The internet is today's most helpful tool for the paralegal. Westlaw, Lexis, federal and state court materials are the backbone of the new research of tomorrow.
Every paralegal must know how to use a law library effectively. The law library has many references and knowledgeable law librarians to help the paralegal find information. The ethical dilemma for billing is an issue for paralegal. To be truthful and honest about billing practices is essential to a paralegal and the attorney for whom they work. The billing process reflects the amount of time spent on a client's case.
The billing process can either be a shield or a sword for a paralegal. Billing can be a shield by showing accuracy and time spent on a client's case, however, billing can be a sword when a client is over charged and not comfortable with the bill.
The key to overcoming the dilemma of billing is to stay within the written guidelines of the institution that the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    People delegate important personal aspects of their lives to professionals, but not without the risks of unethical behaviors. The word Professional makes one think of wealth and power, which can result in corruption; winning by any means necessary. In the movie The Verdict, Frank Galvin plays a lawyer who has reduced himself to being a drunken ambulance chaser (Brown, Harris, Zanuck, & Lumet, 1982). He is given an opportunity by his good friend, Mickey Morrisey, to morally redeem himself; not only as a lawyer, but most importantly a person.…

    • 1356 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    • Billing preparation guiding principles are not consistent and every individual has a different case.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bankruptcy Law - 1

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages

    References: 1. Basic Bankruptcy Law for Paralegals, Custom Edition Published by Pearson Learning Solutions By David L. Buchbinder…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Assignment 1 NPC

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages

    4. In what types of cases and/or memos would you be most likely to cite case law that is not mandatory authority?…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Association for Paralegal Education believes that academically qualified paralegals are those with bachelor’s degree in legal studies. (F)…

    • 516 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    B) Next to the position of defense attorney’s are paralegals. They’re job is to organize and…

    • 815 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In this paper, we will discuss the financial reporting aspects of accounting and what ethical standards are being met by the health care industry. Our discussion leads us to the four fundaments accounting principles, the generally accepted accounting principles, and the financial ethics of accounting and the code of ethical behavior for managers in the health care setting.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Being Paralegal

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages

    There are proven benefits of being a paralegal. First, the employment outlook is great because the demand for legal assistants is on the rise. Second, being a paralegal is an entry-level job that does not require the student to attend law school or pass a bar exam. Third, working within the legal industry is a prestigious and rewarding career choice. This is especially true because paralegal work is very intellectually challenging. However, it is also rewarding because paralegals can make a different in the quality and outlook of their client’s lives.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When I first thought about becoming a paralegal, I was in working for a Trust and Probate attorney who also had a Title company. I enjoyed the data gathering, research, meeting people and understanding their needs and helping them find peace of mind. I had also just become interested in John Grisham novels, which, granted, does not truly represent the legal field in the most correct light, but they are legal thrillers nonetheless. For some reason the combination of these two things made me think about pursuing a career in the legal field. I knew for certain that I did not want to go to law school, since I was a Mom with a lot of responsibility. I took an on-line course to become a legal assistant. However, when we moved, I had to change my career as I was offered a very challenging position in the insurance field. I studied to get my California Life, Health, Long Term Care, Property and Casualty licenses. Then my job required me to get my Series 7 and 66. These were all on-lines classes, they were convenient and could be obtained around my work schedule. I am a classroom-oriented person. So, when I was laid off, I concluded that this was my chance to get back into the legal field and a paralegal would be a happy medium. In the meantime, my son graduated from law school and passed the California Bar. I now find myself wanting a job in a local law firm. So here I am now, writing a paper on the career that I now find myself eagerly…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legal ethics seek to ensure that lawyers will zealously advocate for their clients. Lawyers must assert valid defense and ensure confidentially. But legal ethics places professional limits on how far that advocacy may go, including not using perjured or…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Paralegal Career Goals

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Some attorney and clients do not realize the work load a paralegal encounters. Many times a paralegal will do mostly everything on the file from start to finish. Being able to organize and complete a file for an attorney for trial has…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many dangers in paralegals moonlighting as conflicts of interest may arise when a paralegal handles two jobs. Goldman and Cheeseman briefly describe an example where a paralegal has a side job with a supermarket. If these two places of employment enter a legal situation the paralegal may face consequences of breaching a duty of loyalty to the employer or employers involved in a case or a breach in the confidence of a law firm or a client.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hughes, C. (2002, October 18). Health care for uninsured poor. Times-Union, p. B1. Retrieved from http://pl8cg5fc8w.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=news&rft.atitle=Health+care+for+uninsured+poor&rft.jtitle=Times-union+%28Albany%2C+N.Y.%29&rft.au=CLAIRE+HUGHES+Staff+writer&rft.date=2002-10-18&rft.spage=B.1&rft.externalDBID=UAAS&rft.externalDocID=214713461…

    • 1451 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paralegals have been around since the early seventies and the debate whether paralegals should be regulated has been around just as long. Paralegals assist attorneys in various legal capacities including drafting documents, conducting factual and legal research and working with clients. Although many paralegals can do much of the same work as lawyers, they may not practice law or give legal advice to clients.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    for coding to have basic knowledge of the billing process and for a specialist to have a…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays