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What does a freelance paralegal do?

Freelance paralegals work closely with individual attorneys or as part of a legal team within a law firm performing tasks such as research, drafting and filing documents with the court, communicating with clients, reviewing records, and handling correspondence.

Attorneys and law firms have come to rely on paralegals due to the complex nature of navigating all aspects of the law across a variety of legal cases. Many paralegals obtain law degrees, and working as a paralegal is often a stepping stone to becoming an attorney. However, a law degree is not necessary to become a freelance paralegal.

Whether working with a trial lawyer or assisting corporate attorneys outside the courtroom, freelance paralegals are a critical component of the legal team.

What skills do I need to become a freelance paralegal?

While every job or client engagement is different, there are common skills that clients require of freelance paralegals.

Skills a freelance paralegal should possess include:

• Ability to multitask. Because navigating the law often requires managing multiple moving parts, paralegals must be able to handle office, client, and court requirements simultaneously across multiple cases.
• Excellent attention to detail. The term “the devil is in the details” is particularly true for the legal profession. Because legal cases are won or lost on minutiae, a paralegal must make sure that every detail has been accounted for.
• Organizational skills. With all the moving parts within the legal system, paralegals must possess great organizational skills. Paralegals are often the eyes and ears of the attorneys they work for. As such, they must be adept at helping their teams properly navigate their day across multiple clients and cases as efficiently as possible.
• Great anticipatory skills. A great paralegal can successfully anticipate what their attorneys and legal teams need before they need it. Not only does this skill help keep their clients ahead of the curve, but it’s also a recipe for success in and out of the courtroom.
• Effective writing. Attorneys will often rely on their paralegals to write everything from briefs and contracts to closing arguments and correspondence. Freelance paralegals must have excellent writing skills, as it allows attorneys to focus on the finer details of the law rather than grammar, sentence structure, and spelling.
• Strong research skills. One of the most important components of configuring a strong legal case is conducting effective research. Because attorneys often rely on case law when practicing the law, paralegals must devote the necessary time conducting detailed research and providing their client with information designed to help them make the strongest legal argument possible.
• Professionalism. Freelance paralegals often navigate across multiple constituents, including judges, court officers, law firms, the legal team, and clients. As a representative of the overall legal team, paralegals must present themselves professionally at all times, exhibiting the ability to work well with others and treating everyone with dignity and respect.
• Ability to work well within a team. Working with a legal team across multiple cases often brings long hours and a great deal of pressure. It’s important that the freelance paralegal works well with others in a team environment, especially during times of high stress and tight deadlines. Treating others well during periods of high stress helps others perform more effectively and leads to greater instances of success.
• Ability to adapt to change. Because legal cases can turn on a dime, freelance paralegals must be capable of switching gears and providing assistance on varying aspects of cases. This often requires critical thinking skills, working long hours, and thinking outside the box.

What are the core freelance paralegal job responsibilities?

Freelance paralegals will be tasked with a number of core responsibilities by their clients. Although every freelance paralegal opportunity will differ in a number of areas, there are several key areas professional paralegals will be asked to be responsible for, including:

• Collaborate closely with attorneys and other paralegals to construct contracts, legal briefs, and outlines of closing arguments
• Communicate effectively with law firm clients by confirming appointments, conducting interviews and necessary research, providing updates, and handling correspondence
• Act as the firm’s administrator of client contracts
• Create reports of current and closed cases and share with firm partners
• Review case records and transactional documents to ensure accuracy
• Prepare summaries of court cases for the entire legal team
• Conduct research of local, state, and federal case law as needed for supervising attorneys

Should I get a degree or certification to be a paralegal?

Freelance paralegals have become vital members of legal teams across a variety of industries. Whether they assist attorneys during a trial or handle the legwork for legal teams in cases that do not involve trials, freelance paralegals bring their skills, knowledge, and attention to detail to clients in need.

In addition to developing your skills, obtaining a bachelor’s degree and/or professional certification can help your Upwork profile stand out. While having a law degree is not necessary to become a freelance paralegal, many paralegals do go on to obtain their JD. More commonly, paralegals possess at least an associate’s degree in legal studies.

If you want to be in good standing for a paralegal position, you need to have strong paralegal skills and learning under your belt. The job training and coursework can be extensive, but the job opportunities are varied and substantive. You can be working for government agencies, paralegal organizations, and in more than one area of law. For example, there are whole paralegal education programs with an emphasis on personal injury, real estate, or any other legal departments imaginable.

In addition to obtaining a degree from an accredited college or university, paralegals can obtain certifications to better position themselves in their careers. There’s a great variety of paralegal programs, certificate programs, and other ways to get a strong paralegal education. One of the best ways to gain a competitive advantage is to have work experience in a specific legal field, such as corporate law, family law, or criminal law.

Examples of popular degrees or certifications helpful for paralegals include:

• Associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree in pre-law, philosophy, paralegal studies, or an equivalent from an accredited college or university.
• Certified Paralegal—offered by the National Association of Legal Assistants