paralegal

[ par-uh-lee-guhl ]

noun

1. an attorney's assistant, not admitted to the practice of law but trained to perform certain legal tasks.

adjective

1. of or relating to a paralegal or paralegals:

   a paralegal career.

paralegal

/ ˌpærəˈliːɡəl /

noun

1. a person trained to undertake legal work but not qualified as a professional solicitor or barrister

adjective

1. of or designating such a person

Word History and Origins

Origin of paralegal¹

First recorded in 1970–75; para- ¹ + legal

Example Sentences

The draft’s release follows the May arrest of 21 activists and paralegals who attended a conference on how to advocate for LGBTQ rights.

From Washington Blade

Eventually, he connected with a paralegal at the Legal Aid Society, who sent an email to two New York labor department officials asking to expedite his case.

From ProPublica

Pisarra, then, was an assistant to a paralegal at a toothpaste company.

From Washington Blade

Watson, a former paralegal, has now joined a Facebook group dedicated to tracking cicadas, and is also on a group chat with fellow enthusiasts.

From MIT Technology Review

Jeffrey Day is a paralegal who oversees most of the public records requests that come through San Diego Unified School District.

From Voice of San Diego

Whatever the truth, Miller hardly seems to have shrugged it off when the partner married a paralegal who worked in their office.

From The Daily Beast

James Ferguson, 29, a design student and paralegal, who lives on 89th and 1st Avenue, is among them.

From The Daily Beast

Among the others are massage schools, paralegal programs and auto repair academies.

From The Daily Beast

Her paralegal license allows LaMay to do all of her own legal work.

From The Daily Beast

Imagine you were a law firm and a paralegal disclosed sensitive information from a major client.

From The Daily Beast