| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Legal and Compliance |
| Level | Entry level |
| Reports to | Legal Counsel |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 1 to 4 years in legal support or as a paralegal |
Paralegal job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Paralegal
Department: Legal and Compliance
Reports to: Legal Counsel
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Paralegal provides substantive legal support to lawyers through research, document drafting, case preparation and file management. The role reports to the Legal Counsel or Legal Manager. A good paralegal researches accurately and summarises clearly, drafts basic documents that need little correction, organises case files and evidence so lawyers can find anything fast, tracks deadlines, supports document review and discovery, and frees the lawyers to focus on advice and advocacy by carrying the legal groundwork reliably.
Key responsibilities
- Research legal questions and case law and summarise the findings clearly.
- Draft basic legal documents, agreements and templates for lawyer review.
- Organise case files, evidence and documents so they are easy to find.
- Support document review and discovery on matters and cases.
- Prepare case chronologies, bundles and document sets for lawyers.
- Track matter deadlines, hearings and limitation dates across the cases.
- Coordinate with courts, registries and external counsel on documents.
- Maintain legal databases, precedents and knowledge resources for the team.
- Verify facts, citations and references in the legal documents carefully.
- Support lawyers with any preparation a matter or hearing requires.
Requirements
- Graduate in law or a paralegal diploma
- Knowledge of legal research and procedure
- Strong writing and organisation skills
- 1 to 4 years in legal support or as a paralegal
KRAs and KPIs for a Paralegal
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Research support | Research and summaries accepted without major rework above target |
| Drafting support | Basic drafts needing little correction above the agreed level |
| File organisation | Case files and bundles kept complete and retrievable above target |
| Deadline tracking | Matter deadlines and limitation dates tracked without misses |
| Review support | Document review and discovery completed within the agreed time |
| Accuracy | Citation and fact checking errors kept below the agreed level |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Legal research databases, Document management systems, MS Office, e-discovery tools, Case management software.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Legal Executive, Legal Officer, Legal Associate
Interview questions for a Paralegal
- How do you research a legal question and summarise it for a lawyer?
- How do you draft a basic document that needs little correction?
- How do you organise a large case file so nothing is lost?
- How do you prepare a case bundle or chronology for a hearing?
- How do you track limitation and hearing dates across matters?
- How do you verify citations and facts in a legal document?
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What does a Paralegal do?
A Paralegal provides substantive legal support to lawyers through research, document drafting, case preparation and file management. They research and summarise, draft basic documents, organise case files and evidence, support document review and track deadlines. They carry the legal groundwork so lawyers can focus on advice and advocacy.
What is the difference between a Paralegal and a Lawyer?
A Lawyer is qualified and enrolled to give legal advice and represent clients, including in court. A Paralegal supports the lawyer with research, drafting and case preparation but does not give legal advice or appear in court. The paralegal enables the lawyer rather than practising law independently.
What qualifications does a Paralegal need?
Most roles ask for a graduate degree in law or a paralegal diploma, with knowledge of legal research and procedure and strong writing and organisation. Employers value accurate research, clean drafting, careful file management and reliable deadline tracking, since lawyers depend on the paralegal groundwork.