tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531961815684918690.post6692608104093320241..comments2021-10-02T06:56:27.421-05:00Comments on Paralegalese: Where Are We Going?ParaMelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08519414199965242231noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531961815684918690.post-61939865908884753032009-08-25T13:50:29.976-05:002009-08-25T13:50:29.976-05:00Thanks for the shout-out, Melissa. As usual you ra...Thanks for the shout-out, Melissa. As usual you raise some good questions. There is a tension between the need to provide legal services at an affordable cost and the legal profession's desire to monopolize the legal field. If the latter is going to continue, the profession must find a way to acheive the former. My research into legal systems in other countries indicate that lawyers continue to flourish even when others are not excluded. <br /><br />I believe that paralegals are the answer to this problem. The question is how we protect the public while providing that answer. One way is to insist upon supervision by an attorney who has a license to protect. Another is through regulation. You are correct that the legal profession must ultimately deal with the fact that, "When people are willing to forego the licensed professional for the regulated document preparer, it's time to rethink the status quo."<br /><br />One concern I have is that public may become confused by the existence of both supervised and "independent" paralegals. If "independents" are allowed, they must be regulated for the protection of the public (not the protection of lawyers) and should probably be required to call themselves something other than "paralegals."R. E. Monguehttp://www.theempoweredparalegal.comnoreply@blogger.com