Introduction
If you haven’t heard, paralegals are no longer just the people who fetch coffee, organize files and type documents. Now they’re also drafting legal documents! Can paralegals draft legal documents? The answer is yes—but it’s not quite as simple as that. In this article, we’ll explore exactly what a paralegal does in their day-to-day work and whether or not they can help draft a contract for you. We’ll also look at some of the regulatory considerations that come into play when using automated drafting tools like Runsensible or LegalZoom.
Who is a paralegal?
Paralegals are a bridge between attorneys and their clients. They can help with legal research, drafting documents and preparing for court.
A paralegal is an individual who provides support to lawyers through the delivery of legal services. Paralegals are trained in law and can provide assistance to lawyers by drafting legal documents, conducting legal research and interviewing witnesses. Depending on the state where they work, paralegals may or may not be authorized to provide direct representation to clients.
Though there are no strict regulations that define what a paralegal’s role should be, most states recognize paralegals as professionals with specialized knowledge in the law that allows them to assist attorneys with their work.
The Legal Profession Act defines what a paralegal is:
“a person who has satisfactorily completed an approved program of training in the provision of paralegal services under this Act.”
Is the role of a paralegal changing?
Many law firms are asking paralegals to do more than just document review. Paralegals are also being asked to conduct legal research, often more complex than what was done in the past. And they’re doing more writing, including drafting pleadings and motions for court approval.
These changes mean that the role of paralegal may be changing from one focused mainly on assisting lawyers with their day-to-day tasks into one where there is less direct interaction between lawyers and clients but greater involvement in substantive legal matters (and greater responsibility).
Can paralegals draft legal documents?
Yes, they can. But that doesn’t mean you should hire one to do so without the supervision of a licensed attorney.
Paralegals are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice. However, they are trained in drafting various types of legal documents including contracts, wills and trusts, powers of attorney and more. Paralegals must be careful not to make any mistakes when drafting these documents because they could end up being invalid if something is incorrect or missing from them (for example: an apostrophe).
You should always consult with an attorney before filing any documents that involve complex issues such as estate planning or corporate governance matters where the consequences could be severe if something goes wrong during the process.
Consider using a legal document automation tool
If you are a paralegal or law firm, you should consider using an automation tool like Runsensible.
Runsensible’s legal document drafting service allows users to create custom contracts and other legal documents quickly, easily and affordably by using our intuitive drag-and-drop interface. You don’t need any special skills or training in order to use it–just sign up for an account and get started! The service is designed for users at all skill levels and experience levels. You can create your own custom contracts from scratch or choose from a library of ready-made templates that cover a wide range of legal situations and issues. You can read more about document management tools here.
You can also use a tool like LegalZoom. It is simply a website that provides legal documents and services. The website offers legal documents for more than 100 different topics, including wills and estate planning, power of attorney, living trusts, and business formation. The company also offers legal help from attorneys when you need it.The company does not offer any kind of legal advice or representation. It’s just a website with forms available for download.
The Benefits of Legal Document Automation and Drafting Services
Save Time
Automation can save you time by automating repetitive tasks, such as formatting and data entry. Paralegals can complete these tasks much more quickly than a human would be able to do it manually, freeing up their time for higher value work like analyzing documents or working with clients directly.
Save Money
Automation also helps paralegals save money by taking over tasks that require expensive equipment or specialized expertise (such as drafting contracts). This frees up resources so that law firms can invest them elsewhere instead of having to spend money on equipment upgrades or hiring additional staff members who specialize in those areas.
More Productivity
In addition to saving both time and money, legal document automation software has other benefits such as helping paralegals be more productive because they don’t have to worry about doing mundane tasks manually anymore; being more efficient since there’s no need for manual processes anymore; having access 24/7 which makes staying ahead easier than ever before.”
Automation has become an important part of any business, and the legal field is no exception. As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, it’s important that paralegals stay ahead of the curve and find ways to use it effectively. We recommend using a tool like Runsensible’s automation services to help with this. Running a law firm can be stressful, and the last thing you need is to spend hours on end doing menial tasks that don’t require a lawyer’s expertise.
Conclusion
With all the evidence presented here, it’s clear that the role of paralegals is changing. As technology advances and automation becomes more common, lawyers will need to find new ways to keep up with their clients’ needs. There are many tools available today that can help automate the drafting process for legal documents–from simple templates or checklists for making sure your document is complete before sending it off (or even doing it all on your own), to fully automated systems that create documents based on predetermined rules and parameters. The future looks bright for those who want to make this change happen sooner rather than later!
For more articles, make sure to check out the RunSensible blog!
