Thanks to many paralegal programs easily accessible online, anyone can become a paralegal in no time. If you’re one of many paralegals who find working in a law firm to be exciting, then you can start searching for a law office that will take you in.
But if you’re one of the other paralegals who want to offer their services to other organizations or companies other than law firms, read on.
NGOs
If there’s an altruistic side to you, perhaps you would consider working with NGOs and help them sort out any legal issue they may encounter so that they can focus on their philanthropic efforts more effectively. NGOs need the help of individuals who are knowledgeable about legal matters, and a paralegal is enough to provide them with the guidance that they need.
Some NGOs advocate helping poor people in other countries, and they have programs in which they will ask donations from certain people in the U.S. for buying medicines. It may sound like a cut-and-dried situation, and it could look like there will be no surprises that can derail such a simple advocacy. But then again, there are certain laws or restrictions that could bar these NGOs from performing even an act of human kindness.
It is the paralegal’s job to sort out the legal ramifications of pursuing such an action. It is their responsibility to inform NGOs of what they can and can’t do. And if they want to pursue their advocacy, it is the paralegal’s job to file the appropriate documents so that they won’t encounter any legal mishaps.
Real Estate Agents
Paralegals are also famously associated with real estate agents for obvious reasons: selling land or purchasing land titles won’t always be as simple as some may think it to be. There have been cases wherein a real estate agent successfully sold a particular land area to someone, only to find out later that another person has a title of the land and never gave anyone permission to sell his property.
In cases like this, it is the paralegal’s job to ensure that real estate agents have all the proper documents on all the properties they are selling and that all of those properties are really up for sale.
Corporations
If you’re looking to get paid huge sums of money as a paralegal, you might want to consider working with a large corporation. Corporate paralegals are tasked to take care of all the legal concerns of a corporation, from patenting an invention or filing a brand for a trademark to ensuring that a purchase of another company is above board. A paralegal is responsible for ensuring that all of these things go as smoothly as possible.
Aside from those situations, every corporation often encounters incidents that can become a PR nightmare for them if they don’t have the expertise of someone knowledgeable in legal matters. From disgruntled employees to harassment in the office, corporations face various situations that require someone with a legal background in order to fix their problems. A paralegal has the knowledge to help corporations with these matters.