A paralegal handles the substantive legal work that doesn't require a licensed attorney's signature — research, drafting, organization, and filing preparation — at a fraction of an attorney's hourly rate.
What's actually in scope
Typical paralegal work includes organizing case files and exhibits, drafting routine correspondence, preparing documents for filing, tracking deadlines and court dates, and conducting preliminary legal research to support an attorney's strategy.
What's out of scope
A paralegal can't give legal advice, represent you in court, or sign pleadings on your behalf. Anyone offering to do those things without a bar license is a red flag, not a bargain.
Where the cost savings actually show up
The savings come from offloading the time-intensive, non-strategic work — document organization, formatting, exhibit prep — that otherwise gets billed at an attorney's rate, freeing that time for the analysis and advocacy only an attorney can provide.
When it's worth bringing in support
If you're managing a matter with heavy paperwork, multiple filing deadlines, or a large volume of documents to organize, paralegal support is usually the highest-leverage way to keep costs down without cutting corners on the substance of your case.