A

PROJECT

ON

PARALEGAL SERVICES IN INDIA

SUBJECT: PIL

SESSION: 2022-23

SUBMITTED ON: 09 May 2023

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

Vinayak Verma DR. JUHI PAWA

ROLL NO. 116 [FACULTY OF PIL]

CLASS - IV SEMESTER

SECTION - B

UNIVERSITY FIVE YEAR LAW COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF RAJASTHAN

JAIPUR

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 DECLARATION

I,Vinayak Verma,hereby declare that projecttitled “PARALEGAL SERVICES IN

INDIA” is based on the original research carried out by me under the guidance and
supervision of DR. JUHI PAWA. The interpretations put forth are based on my reading and
understanding of the original text. The book, article and website etc. which have been relied
upon by me have been duly acknowledged at the respective place in the text.
For the present project which I am submitting to the university, no degree or diploma has
been conferred on me before, either in this or in any university.

Date : 9 May 2023 Vinayak Verma

Roll No: 116
Sem IV B

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 CERTIFICATE

Dr. Juhi Pawa Date: 09 May 2023

Faculty of PIL

University Five Year Law College,

University of Rajasthan, Jaipur

This is to certify that Vinayak Verma student of IV Semester, SEC-B of University Five
Year Law College, University of Rajasthan has carried out the project entitled
“PARALEGAL SERVICES IN INDIA” under my supervision and guidance. It is an
investigation report of a minor project. The student has completed research work in my
stipulated time and according to the norms prescribed for the purpose.

SUPERVISOR

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The present study relates to a comprehensive analysis of “PARALEGAL SERVICES IN

INDIA” to give clear underrating of the subject in broader perspective.

I am heartily grateful to, DR. JUHI PAWA, Faculty of PIL, University Five Year Law
College, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, for having guided me through this long & difficult
journey that culminated in the present Project without whose co-operation, stimulating
inspiration, constant help, able guidance, innovative deliberations & continuous supervision
this work could not have seen the light of the day. Hence, I sincerely want to express my
deep sense of honor & gratitude towards him. I shall be failing in my duty if I do not express
my debt of gratitude to Dr. Akhil Kumar , Director, University five-year law college,
University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, for extending his co-operation in the completion of this
work.

I would also like to thank to all library staff & the remaining staff members of the
Department of Law, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur who have always extended an h& of co-
operation throughout the course of the research work.

Vinayak Verma

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

SR. NO. PARTICULARS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. DUTIES OF PARALEGAL

3. TYPES OF PARALEGAL

4. ADVANCEMENT OF PARALEGAL

5. CONCLUSION

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY

CHAPTER-1
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 INTRODUCTION

A paralegal is the professional of legal science that performs procedures autonomously or

semi autonomously, as part of a legal assistance system. and performs tasks that require
understanding of the legislation for its proper execution.
In other words, paralegals are professionals trained to assist lawyers in various legal
capacities Paralegal duties entail more responsibility than clerical tasks, and fall into a broad
range of substantive legal work Paralegals conduct factual and legal research, draft legal
documents. work with clients, and manage cases Many paralegals are involved in challenging
and exciting assignments that would otherwise be performed by lawyers, but paralegals may
not provide legal services directly to the public untess permitted by law.
In India, no formal position for paralegals exist, however informally many advocates appoint
paralegals to assist them with their workload. In fact, young law graduates who are working
for senior lawyers often perform the same work as that of a paralegal. A paralegal in India is
usually taken to mean a long-term intern who has not yet completed his or her degree in law.
Once he or she does so and clears the Bar exam, they officially become an Advocate Prior to
that however. they cannot provide legal services to people or represent their clients in the
court of law Nonetheless, as there is no formal educational courses for paralegals, most law
interns or freshly graduated lawyers work as paralegals under senior attorneys. They do
subordinate tasks while training under established lawyers.1

CHAPTER-2
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 DUTIES OF PARALEGAL

Paralegals are the qualified people, who work as subordinates to the lawyers. Law offices or
other such agencies and perform the work delegated to them by their superiors. Their work
includes researching on the precedents, investigating a caster, preparing Legal documents or
providing their assistance to the lawyers. In most of the law firms, the senior associates rely
on the work of a paralegal.
Duties of a Paralegal
The main duties of a paralegal include providing support to the attorneys. They assist the
senior lawyers by preparing the documents and arranging them for their meetings, hearings,
etc. A paralegal needs to maintain the confidentiality and decorum in the law firms they work
in. However, it’s important to note that paralegals aren’t allowed to represent their clients in
the court. They can just do the subordinate work. Following are the main tasks that one can
expect from a paralegal:
1. Collecting the documents, like evidence or affidavits
2. Researching on the case, through online or on fieldwork
3. Writing research papers or reports for the law firm they work in
4. Draft pleadings for submission in courts
5. Prepare documents like Sale contracts, property transfer papers, or wills,
6. They can interview the clients or witnesses
7. They review the legal documents that need to be submitted in the court of law
8. Briefing about the case to their seniors is one important task they have.
These were the duties that paralegal perform. However, there are some duties that they might
not be allowed to do. Providing legal advice to the clients, or representing clients in court,
accepting the cases and the fee to be charged are some of the activities out of their scope. For
being a paralegal, one must have outstanding research skills, for which one definitely has
“patience”! A successful paralegal should have good communication skills so that he can
interview the clients. Also, a paralegal should be tolerant enough to take the orders from their
seniors.2

CHAPTER-3
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 TYPES OF PARALEGAL
The student must have cleared class 12th, in any field, commerce, science or arts. Unlike
lawyers, paralegals don’t need 5-7 year of formal education. Most of the paralegal courses or
certifications are either through diploma and extend to either 1-2 years. One can even apply
for an associate degree that takes 2 years. Also, there are many online programmes available
for Paralegals. Even a 3-month course is available for paralegals.
 Diploma course IGNOU is the most popular University offering this course in India-
It’s a 1 years course for paralegal certification.
 Diploma in Paralegal Services (D.P.S.)- by Symbiosis law school, Pune.
o Duration: One Year;
o Mode: Evening Programme.

Types of paralegals
Since the law is a diverse subject, the type of attorneys may also differ, depending on their
specialisation. One may be a civil, or a criminal, or corporate attorney. Similarly, since the
Paralegal work under these attorneys, there are several different kinds of paralegals. Those
are mention herewith:

1. Litigation paralegal: Litigation is the process of settling the dispute in courts. The
main tasks assigned to such paralegals include preparing for trials, researching the
precedents, interviewing witnesses and clients, assembling documents for the
senior etc. Finding the key evidence to defeat the opposition is one crucial task
they have. If you are a person who likes the hustle and don’t want to do the desk
job, this type of paralegal option is perfect for you.
2. Intellectual property paralegal: IPR is one of the most trending law subjects in
India. Since everyone needs to protect their inventions and their creation of the
world, Intellectual property plays an important role. IPR contains 3 basic
segments- Patent, trademark and copyright. A paralegal can indulge in any of these
particular fields. This work mostly requires you to do a desk job, since most of the
paralegal work associated with it requires study and research work only.
3. Real estate paralegal: A paralegal who specialises in this area, needs to review
the sale and purchase of properties; writing lease agreements etc.
4. Bankruptcy Paralegal: Since the introduction of The Bankruptcy Code 2016, the
work associated with managing bankruptcy has taken a substantive turn.
5. Consumer protection paralegal: It requires a deep knowledge of acts
like Consumer Protection Act 2019, Sale of Goods act,1930; The Contract Act
1872, etc. interviewing clients and assisting the senior’s advocates for the trials in
consumer courts is the duty expected from them.
6. Corporate Paralegal: Big corporate firms have their own personal legal team for
it. Issues like mergers, acquisition, competition laws, are the main arena of
research that need to be performed in.

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 7. Family paralegal: As a family paralegal, you will have to be working under
family law/ civil law, and dealing with issues like divorce, inheritance, partition,
determining the legality and illegality of wills, adoption cases etc. One has to be
quite sensitive and patient while interviewing the clients.
8. Freelance paralegal: Freelance paralegal tied up to a single firm or attorney,
rather they work on a contractual basis. One can be their own boss if they choose
freelance paralegal. However, one has to make sure that they have enough clients
who would need their services from time to time. One can’t just start their own
business of freelance paralegal if they don’t have enough contacts with the law
firms and agencies. The job includes preparing the transcripts according to court
guidelines, formatting contracts etc.
9. Immigration paralegal: These paralegals may work with the government or
otherwise in their immigration department. These paralegals have to be fluent in
different languages. Beyond just legal knowledge, they must know different
languages, especially of the neighbouring county’s local languages.
10. Employment paralegals: The employment paralegals closely studies the
employment contracts, or the laws related to non-discriminate payments, and trade
disputes etc. One has to be quite pursuant and sensitive towards the labours while
interviewing them. Also, fluency in local languages and human interaction skills
are additional sets of skills required for the Employment paralegals. 3

CHAPTER-4
ADVANCEMENT OF PARALEGAL SERVICES
Advantages of becoming a paralegal
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 1. Good returns with low investment: the paralegal studies are only limited to 1-2
years of study, and that too mostly diploma or online course. This is a course that one
can even do with other types of managerial or law-related courses. Hence, you
wouldn’t be only confined to one course but many others. If you don’t have 5-7 years
to spend studying, then, you can definitely go for paralegal certified courses. The
return is also quite hefty since there are more and more openings for paralegal jobs.
2. In-depth knowledge of the subject: In case you are a paralegal, you would definitely
indulge yourself in intense research works. This will expand your knowledge related
to the topics you are assigned. With time, you would have an immense understanding
of your field, which would help you gain a high-level position in the firms you work
in.
3. Opportunity for growth: there is an opportunity for a paralegal to secure managerial
and supervisor positions.
4. Intense about of job options: Paralegals could either work in various different areas
of law, or they could even choose other fields than law, like, insurance, finance, armed
forces etc
5. Open avenues for law schools: undertaking paralegal jobs before your law school
could help you in a dual way, one, the experience counts, and the other hand, is that in
case you have a finance problem, doing a paralegal job would definitely help you save
the salaries from the job. This would give you an advantage over the other students
applying in law schools with just graduation. Since you would have researched on so
many topics, the extent of the knowledge and experience would prove to be an
advantage for you.
In India, honestly, there is not much scope for paralegals, since most of these works that are
associated to paralegals are performed by either the legal interns (students studying in law
colleges and work at the firm for experience) or the new entrants who are keen to learn about
the practical aspects of legal frameworks. But, If one needs employment, within a relatively
short amount of time, it’s one of the best options for you. However, companies are realising
the importance of hiring paralegals. This is why recently there has been a lot of job openings
or paralegals in top notch law firms. If you are a person whose interest and passion is the law,
a paralegal is one great opportunity for you. A paralegal might work in a particular law firm
or such agency, or they could even work on a freelance basis and provide contract base
service, say, for 1 or 2 cases. A paralegal is not certified, lawyers. Many Indian and foreign
universities provide certification of a paralegal. There are several paralegal opportunities that
can come in the way of a paralegal within the law firm or the agency he works in. The
average salary of a paralegal in India is Rs,335,731.4

CONCLUSION
The job of paralegal seems to be quite fascinating since the jobs of a paralegal involve the
new research, and obviously interviewing new clients in every case. If you’re someone who
is inquisitive, this is a perfect job for you. It helps you in understanding human nature as well
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as gaining expertise in the field you work in. The need for paralegals is directly related to the
demand for lawyers in the country. India definitely needs a lot of lawyers, hence, the demand
for paralegals would enhance too. But, in India, there is no such job as a paralegal as such,
because most of the work entrusted to a “paralegal” is done by the interns, junior associates,
or Company secretary. However, it’s not a bad idea if one can do an additional certified
course of paralegal since it’s hardly for 6 to 14 weeks generally.
Paralegals may find employment at a range of organizations, including banks, insurance
companies, private law firms, professional trade organizations, real estate firms, and the legal
departments of corporations. If you are a paralegal and have gained a handsome amount of
experience, you could even be promoted to managerial positions of the firms. However, the
need for paralegal In other countries like the USA and UK is high. The median annual wage
for paralegals and legal assistants was $51,740 in May 2019. Employment of paralegals and
legal assistants is projected to grow 12 per cent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the
average for all occupations. Formally trained paralegals with strong computer and database
management skills should have the best job prospects.5

BIBLLIOGRAPHY
https://www.legallore.info/post/paralegal-services-in-india
https://blog.ipleaders.in/paralegal-activities-law-students-can-undertake/

5
https://www.yourlegalcareercoach.com/role-of-a-paralegal-in-india-all-you-need-to-know/

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https://legodesk.com/legopedia/what-is-a-paralegal/
https://www.legalhelplineindia.com/para-legal-services-in-india/
https://www.yourlegalcareercoach.com/role-of-a-paralegal-in-india-all-you-need-to-know/

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