Not all legal work requires a law degree. Lawyers are often assisted in their work by paralegals or legal assistants. Paralegals perform many of the same tasks as lawyers, except for those tasks considered to be the practice of law.
Paralegals work under the direct supervision of lawyers.
Although the lawyers assume responsibility for the legal work, they often delegate many of the tasks they perform to paralegals. Paralegals are prohibited from setting legal fees, giving legal advice, and presenting cases in court. Paralegals generally do the background work for lawyers. To help prepare cases for trial, paralegals investigate the facts of cases ensuring all relevant information is uncovered. Paralegals may conduct legal research to identify the appropriate laws, judicial decisions, legal articles, and other materials that may be relevant to assigned cases.