Community-Based Legal Assistance: Alternative Careers for Paralegals

People with paralegal degrees usually eye for careers in law firms or government agencies. Many also aspire to become corporate paralegals. Although they could get valuable experiences and develop a multitude of skills in these sectors, paralegal graduates should also know that the community needs them.

Stepping into NGO territory is a risky business, especially when we’re talking about justice, but it is definitely worthwhile. Doing paralegal or legal work for community-based and international NGO can also be a rewarding and unique experience.

At CLS by BARBRI, we provide our students with sufficient knowledge and a mindset to handle community-based causes and empower the less-privileged members of society.

Advancing a Community-Based Cause

Every community has its own challenges and problems. It can range from poverty to homelessness, from environmental concerns to discrimination against immigrants. Community-based non-governmental NGOs are a perfect place for paralegals because they share the same interests regarding the overall welfare of a community.

Paralegals can provide legal assistance to NGOs in advancing a cause and planning the right actions. They can work in pleading for a temporary junction to prevent the building of a dam, for example. Paralegals can also provide valuable insight in improving policies that govern different sectors of a community.

Paralegals who wish to work for bigger NGOs should learn more about international law so they can help facilitate projects in remote villages across the globe. For broad causes such as medical missions to warring countries, paralegals may assist NGO members and volunteers in acquiring proper paperwork for visas to allow them to enter refugee camps.

Empowering Members of the Community

Paralegals can provide assistance to different members of the community that are in need of affordable legal services such as immigrants who need help with filing legal papers related to their visas. Usually, NGOs would set up legal clinics for people who are not financially capable of hiring legal help.

There are countless of opportunities for paralegals to assist those who are on the fringes of society. Each sector of the community is in need of paralegal volunteers or professionals to assist them in their missions.

Paralegals can help empower people in times of disaster, or assist organizations that forward environmental or educational concerns. They can also help individuals who are in need of legal assistance with family concerns such as divorce, child support, child custody, paternity, domestic abuse, and many more.

Today, it is also possible for current NGO members and volunteers to gain valuable knowledge about the law. We provide the opportunity for those who are busy making the world a better place to still pursue a paralegal certificate or advanced course. Contact us today for information about our paralegal certificate courses.