What are legal services?

Legal consultant

A legal consultant works in an advisory capacity for a client. A legal consultant is a professional who provides legal advice and strategies to individuals and organizations.

While they can perform many of the same functions as a lawyer, legal consultants strictly provide services outside of the courtroom. They can work in many different areas of law, including financial law, foreign affairs, real estate, as well as many others.

Lawyer

A lawyer offers a client representation before a judge or in other legal matters. A lawyer is a licensed legal professional who may provide legal advice or represent a client in a court of law or other legal proceedings.

The two main duties of a lawyer are to uphold the law and protect a client's rights. Lawyers can be specialized in one area of the law or have a more broad scope of legal knowledge.

Paralegal

Paralegals have an important role in the realm of law. They do a wide range of tasks for lawyers, including assisting them with research for specific cases and other administrative tasks.

Some common duties of a paralegal are investigating the facts of a case, collecting documents from several different sources, researching legal cases, writing reports and other legal documents, drafting pleadings and motions to be filed in court, and assisting attorneys during trials.

Paralegals also may prepare civil documents, such as wills, contracts, mortgages, and separation agreements. Often they must interview witnesses and clients and maintain communication with them.