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The Role of Paralegals

These are some of the needs that paralegals can provide:

  • Give legal and general advice to people on the law and their rights
  • Write or distribute pamphlets, booklets and other resources to help educate people
  • Refer people to social and health services, and other helpful organisations
  • Refer people to attorneys where it is clear an attorney is necessary
  • Help prepare people for formal legal procedures, such as what to expect in a court case
  • Assist and prepare people to take labour problems to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)
  • Run workshops to educate people about their rights
  • Work as a link between a community and attorneys, and help with things like taking statements, interpreting and following up cases
  • Assist in making contact with the press and in publicising events and problems in a community
  • Help sort out problems in a community, and problems with the authorities through negotiation and mediation
  • Help in the building and developing of community organisations
  • Build contacts with other paralegals, resources and organisations regionally and nationally.

(See: Checklist: Best practices for paralegal case-employees)

Paralegals play an important role in the legal process because many people cannot afford attorneys, people sometimes find it intimidating going to an attorney and there are usually few sympathetic attorneys operating in rural areas