What is a Paralegal?

A paralegal is "a person qualified through education, training, or work experience to perform substantive legal work, requiring knowledge of substantive and procedural law, which is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by attorneys.  A paralegal may be employed by one or more attorneys, law offices, governmental agencies, or other entities.  Paralegals may also be retained as independent contractors, by one or more attorneys, law offices, governmental agencies, or other entities.  The substantive legal work performed by legal assistants/paralegals should be supervised by an attorney, except where otherwise allowed by law, regulation or statute."

Though no state currently maintains mandatory certification or licensure requirements for paralegals, several states have established voluntary certification programs.  In addition, national organizations, such as The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), The National Association of Legal Assistants-Paralegals (NALA), and The American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc. (AAPI), offer voluntary certification programs.