The Substantive Law Areas Most Commonly Practiced by Paralegals
| Author | Scott A. Hatch/Lisa Zimmer Hatch |
| Profession | Founders of The Center for Legal Studies and developed their award-winning paralegal curriculum in 1980, offering it through 600 colleges nationwide |
| Pages | 125-142 |
CHAPTER 9 The Substantive Law Areas Most Commonly Practiced by Paralegals 125
Chapter9
The Substantive Law
Areas Most Commonly
Practiced by Paralegals
You may choose to specialize in a particular area of law in your paralegal
career. In this chapter, we take a look at some of the areas of law available
to paralegals and the specic duties paralegals perform in these areas.
Facing the Family: Domestic Law
and Estate Planning
Domestic law and estate planning may touch more average American lives than any
of the other areas of law. Domestic law includes the important legal considerations
aecting families; adoption, divorce, custody battles, prenuptial agreements,
paternity, and child support are just some of the subjects covered by domestic law.
Estate planning focuses on wills and the distribution of assets at the time of death.
IN THIS CHAPTER
»
Dealing delicately with the relatives:
Domestic law and estate planning
»
Bouncing with the boom and bust:
Business law and bankruptcy law
»
Easing the pain and suering:
Personal injury and medical
malpractice
»
Cutting through the contracts: Real
estate and entertainment law
126 PART 2 Important Legal Concepts Every Paralegal Should Know
Settling the family aair: Domestic law
In most jurisdictions, the family law courts have the most crowded dockets, which
means that employment opportunities for paralegals in family law rms abound.
Here are some of the common types of cases handled by a family law practice:
»
Name changes
»
Prenuptial and antenuptial agreements
»
Common law and ceremonial marriages
»
Contract cohabitation
»
Annulments
»
Separation agreements
»
Divorce settlements
»
Restraining orders
»
Paternity and illegitimacy
»
Parental liability and torts
»
Child custody matters, including visitation and support
»
Collection of delinquent support payments
»
Adoption
»
Emancipation of minors
»
In vitro fertilization and surrogacy
As a paralegal working in the eld of domestic law, you often deal with people
who are quite desperate for help, which requires empathy, understanding,
and objectivity on your part. Having a sociology, psychology, or related background
helps when you work in a family law environment; those who’ve experienced
divorce or other domestic issues are excellent candidates for paralegal work in a
family law practice because they have the compassion that comes from having
been there.
In family law practice, your oce’s client may be trying to win visitation rights
to see her children. Another client may be struggling through a divorce and trying
to get the child support he needs to survive. A couple may be desperately trying to
adopt a child. The nature of the cases can make domestic law an emotionally chal-
lenging yet rewarding area in which to work.
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