A paralegal is a non-attorney who works under the supervision of a lawyer whose work is usually billed to clients. Paralegals have many job duties, including drafting motions and subpoenas, document review, and filing papers with courts. Paralegals have traditionally dealt more with procedural law than with substantive law.

In the United States and Canada, paralegals may work independently as freelancers and in private practice as well as directly under the employ of individuals or corporations. Freelance paralegals are rare and have been the subject of much controversy as in some cases they have crossed the line into the "unauthorized practice of law" (UPL) defined in state statutes as the practice of law without a license. The vast majority of paralegals work for law firms, solo-practitioner attorneys, the government, or in legal departments of large corporations, which are headed by in-house attorneys.

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