Coordination Between Paralegals And Law Enforcement
Coordination between a paralegal and law enforcement is an essential part of any criminal case, and this means that paralegals themselves are often deeply involved with local and state police departments as they work on behalf of a law firm's criminal clients. As with any legal industry job, however, it's important to remember that there are many legal specialties and only a small number of paralegals will actually work on criminal cases and interact with law enforcement. Business law paralegals, for instance, would rarely have a reason to work with law enforcement as they work on corporate mergers, acquisitions, and other routine procedures. The most likely times of interaction between paralegals and the law enforcement industry can be found below.
…show more content…
The Discovery Phase of a Trial
One of the most important duties assigned to paralegals is to participate in the discovery phase of a crucial criminal case. This phase involves performing a large amount of research on the criminal incident itself, the arrest procedure, the behavior of law enforcement officials involved, and the legal precedent set in similar cases that have already been decided. Discovery can easily make or break a law firm's case for or against a criminal client, and that means there is much interaction between paralegals and their counterparts in police departments or local courts. In general, paralegals will want to get official copies of any warrants, arrest documents, fines paid, bail set, and any other critical details that might help their client.
While much of this information can be obtained electronically, there are some cities and states where paralegals will have to make a trip to the local policy precinct and present identification to acquire key documents. This is perhaps the most common reason for paralegals to directly interact with local police forces and their counterparts in public law departments.
2. Filing of Documents On Behalf of
The Discovery Phase of a Trial
One of the most important duties assigned to paralegals is to participate in the discovery phase of a crucial criminal case. This phase involves performing a large amount of research on the criminal incident itself, the arrest procedure, the behavior of law enforcement officials involved, and the legal precedent set in similar cases that have already been decided. Discovery can easily make or break a law firm's case for or against a criminal client, and that means there is much interaction between paralegals and their counterparts in police departments or local courts. In general, paralegals will want to get official copies of any warrants, arrest documents, fines paid, bail set, and any other critical details that might help their client.
While much of this information can be obtained electronically, there are some cities and states where paralegals will have to make a trip to the local policy precinct and present identification to acquire key documents. This is perhaps the most common reason for paralegals to directly interact with local police forces and their counterparts in public law departments.
2. Filing of Documents On Behalf of