Paralegals and Legal Services to the Consumer. The role of the paralegal has been expanded to allow for court appearances and conducting depositions. In this Mall, client services include health care, accounting, investing, alternative dispute resolution, and real estate transactions. Partners in the Legal Mall include doctors, lawyers, accountants, nonlawyer mediators, real estate agents, and paralegals. The Legal Mall also offers a bartering system for other services.
Paralegals can partner with attorneys, set fees, and participate in profit sharing.
Standardization of paralegal education has been accomplished. Substantive continuing legal education and specialty examinations are mandatory for all paralegals. Many of the legal entities known to have existed in the year 2000 have now merged with NFPA, which is now the hub, as well as the licensing and regulatory body for paralegals. Through this hub, a strong working relationship exists between NFPA and bar associations. Each law firm has a pro bono department, and mandatory pro bono is imposed on attorneys and paralegals.