paralegal

American  

[par-uh-lee-guhl] / ˌpær əˈli gəl /

noun

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

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adjective

1. of or relating to a paralegal or paralegals.

   a paralegal career.

paralegal British  

/ ˌpærəˈliːɡəl /

noun

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

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adjective

1. of or designating such a person

Etymology

Origin of paralegal

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

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.

Example Sentences

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

As of Friday last week that number has fallen to one, who is working with the three remaining investigators and one paralegal, according to former attorneys in the office.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

Guerra, a paralegal in Dayton, Ohio, said her husband liked to use his phone to look up information about the movies they were watching.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

In the summer of 2020, I was working as a paralegal in Austin, Texas, remotely filling out asylum applications for migrants who were trapped in a dangerous limbo.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026

He looks over one of the forms I filled out earlier for the paralegal and gets a yellow legal pad out of his desk drawer.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon