What does the term ‘paralegal’ mean?
The prefix ‘para’ comes from Greek. It means ‘beside’, ‘side by side’, or ‘at one side of’. Thus, a paralegal is a person who primarily works ‘beside’ attorneys in a law firm. The term ‘paralegal’ originated the United States of America and was then adopted in a few European countries. From the early 1990's it became more widely used overseas and in South Africa as well.
Can a paralegal work only in a law firm?
Not at all. A paralegal can also work in other legal environments, for example, as an advocate’s secretary, or as an assistant to a legal adviser in the legal department of a large commercial enterprise such as a bank, insurance company, medical aid scheme, manufacturing company, mine, charity, non-profit organisation (NGO) etc.