paralegal
Americannoun
-
paralegals
plural
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of paralegal
Explanation
A paralegal is a legal assistant. Paralegals don't have to go to law school, but they do have special training to help lawyers. The prefix para is used for something that is separate from the word it’s next to but still related to it. A paraprofessional, for example, helps other professionals, like teachers, but isn’t actually a teacher. Paralegals are not lawyers, but they assist lawyers by doing research, filing paperwork, gathering materials, and providing whatever else lawyers need to do their jobs. Without paralegals, the job of a lawyer would be a lot tougher.
Vocabulary lists containing paralegal
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mr. David never took the test, getting by instead with an assortment of gigs that included bra salesman, paralegal, limousine chauffeur and cabdriver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“After he died, it became very clear that the story they were giving us was just completely ridiculous,” said That Girl Mom, a former paralegal based in Alabama with around 160,000 followers.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
She remained cagey about her connection to the paralegal we had called that morning, stating only that she worked with him.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
Toruño dropped out of high school amid personal instability and lack of resources, later earned her diploma and pursued a paralegal certification, motivated by her own experiences navigating the U.S. immigration system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026
I was interviewing for a paralegal position in the mergers and acquisitions department of a prestigious multi-national corporate law firm.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
“Some occupations regularly cast as AI’s early victims are on a tear. America has 7% more software developers, 10% more radiologists and 21% more paralegals than three years ago.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Pirro recently revealed that she is getting help from military lawyers, because her office is short 90 prosecutors, as well as 60 investigators and paralegals.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment of paralegals and legal assistants to grow slower than the average for all occupations while roles for credit analysts, claims adjusters and insurance appraisers to decrease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025
The office is hiring investigators, prosecutors, paralegals and a data analyst to staff the unit.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023
Many of the students already had advanced degrees or had worked as paralegals with prestigious law firms.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
