Only statutory or court authority and a supervising attorney's determination of the paralegal's competency limits the type of tasks a paralegal may perform. Paralegals perform the same functions as an attorney except those generally prohibited by unauthorized practice of law statutes, i.e., accepting clients, setting legal fees, giving legal advice, or representing others in court. The delivery of legal services by nonlawyers before many federal administrative agencies is a well-established practice. Because the law is complex and often ambiguous, paralegals must be intelligent with an analytical and logical mind. They must be able to recognize and evaluate relevant facts and legal concepts.
Paralegals have the ability to organize, analyze, communicate, and administer.
Other interpersonal skills that serve paralegals are the ability to resolve conflicts, negotiate, and relate well with various types of persons, often when these persons are in distress. As paralegals became more integrated into the legal team and the work delegated to paralegals became more substantive in nature, attorneys began to include time for both attorney and paralegal services in fee petitions permitted by state or federal statues. In the early 1980s, courts began to recognize that paralegals were separate from support staff and encouraged attorneys to provide legal services in the most efficient manner possible. Courts awarding fees for paralegal services consistently point out that if the work had not been done by paralegals, charging fees based upon attorneys' rates would have been necessary. Ethics An understanding of ethics and professional responsibility is critical to paralegals today.