Paralegals, legal assistants, and law clerks in law firms prepare legal documents, maintain records/files, and conduct research. They may also conduct interviews.

Independent paralegals provide certain legal services as allowed by provincial/territorial legislation. They may represent clients in small claims court, in other lower courts, at tribunals or before administrative bodies.

You must have a high school diploma.

To be a legal assistant or paralegal, you need a bachelor's degree in law or a college diploma in a legal assistant/law clerk program or in-house training.

To be an independent paralegal, you usually obtain your education through experience, industry-sponsored courses or a college paralegal program.

Most recent entrants have a trade/vocational certificate or community college diploma, and almost 2 in 5 have an undergraduate university degree.