42200 – Paralegals and related occupations
42200 – Paralegals and related occupations
Paralegals prepare legal documents and conduct research to assist lawyers or other professionals. Independent paralegals provide legal services to the public as allowed by government legislation, or provide paralegal services on contract to law firms or other establishments. Justices of the peace administer oaths, issue subpoenas, summonses and warrants and perform other court-related duties such as conducting bail hearings. Notaries public administer oaths, take affidavits, sign legal documents and perform other activities according to the scope of their practice. Trademark agents advise clients on intellectual property matters. Paralegals are employed by law firms, by record search companies and in legal departments throughout the public and private sectors. Independent paralegals are usually self-employed. Justices of the peace are employed by federal, provincial, municipal, and territorial courts. Notaries public are employed by government and in the public and private sectors or they may be self-employed. Trademark agents are employed by law firms and legal departments throughout the public and private sectors, trademark development and search firms or they may be self-employed.
Profile
Index of titles
Abstractor
Brief writer - law
British Columbia notary public
Citizenship judge
Clerk of probate
Collection paralegal
Commercial law clerk
Commercial law paralegal
Commissioner of affidavits
Commissioner of marriages
Contract clerk - law
Conveyance clerk
Copyright agent
Corporate law and litigation clerk
Corporate law clerk
Corporate paralegal
Corporate securities law clerk
Corporation paralegal
Court and tribunal agent
Criminal law clerk
Criminal law paralegal
Deed recorder
Deed registrar
Family law clerk
Family law paralegal
Foreclosure clerk
Foreclosure paralegal
Independent paralegal
Insurance law clerk
Insurance paralegal
Judicial officer
Judicial officer - courts
Justice of the peace
Justice of the peace magistrate
Labour law clerk
Labour law paralegal
Land registrar
Land titles clerk
Land titles examiner
Law clerk
Law clerk to judge
Lay notary public
Lease and title clerk
Legal researcher
Legal services officer - courts
Legal technician
Litigation law clerk
Litigation paralegal
Mortgage and real estate paralegal
Notary public
Notary public (British Columbia)
Notary public (outside Quebec)
Notary public clerk
Oil and gas property paralegal
Oil and gas rights law clerk
Oil and gas rights paralegal
Paralegal
Presiding justice of the peace
Property paralegal
Prothonotary
Queen's Bench registrar
Real estate law clerk
Real estate paralegal
Recorder of deeds
Recorder of wills
Registered trademark agent
Registrar of bankruptcy
Registrar of deeds
Registrar of probate
Registrar of wills
Registry officer - marriages
Tax law clerk
Tax paralegal
Title and lease clerk
Title examiner
Title searcher
Trademark agent
Transfer-of-title clerk
Wills and estates law clerk
Wills and estates paralegal
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
Paralegals
Assist lawyers by interviewing clients, witnesses and other related parties, assembling documentary evidence, preparing trial briefs, and arranging for trials
Assist lawyers in preparation for mediation and judicial dispute resolutions
Under the supervision of a lawyer, prepare wills, real estate transactions and other legal documents, court reports and affidavits
Research records, court files and other legal documents
Draft legal correspondence and perform general office and clerical duties.
Independent paralegals
Represent clients in small claims court and in other lower court proceedings, at tribunals and before administrative bodies
Advise clients and take legal action on landlord and tenant matters, traffic violations, name changes and other issues within their jurisdictions.
Justices of the peace
Issue subpoenas, summonses and warrants, including search warrants
Receive affidavits, declarations and affirmations
Administer oaths
Conduct bail hearings
Release defendants on judges' orders and explain rights and obligations
Hear evidence at trials on summary conviction offences and may preside over trials of criminal offences at the discretion of the chief judge of the jurisdiction or as provided for in federal, provincial or territorial statutes
Perform civil marriages
Register wills, probate, bankruptcy, etc.
Notaries public
Administer oaths and take affidavits and depositions
Witness and certify the validity of signatures on documents
May draft contracts, prepare promissory notes and draw up wills, mortgages and other legal documents
May arrange probates and administer the estates of deceased persons.
Trademark agents
Advise clients on intellectual property matters and represent clients before the Registrar of Trade-Marks on matters including prosecution of applications for registration of trademarks
Advise on the registrability of trademarks, trademark licensing requirements, transfer of intellectual property and protection of existing
trademark rights
Represent clients at proceedings before the Trade Marks Opposition Board and in related proceedings
May represent clients internationally in consultation with foreign associates and attorneys.
Employment requirements
Paralegals in law firms require a bachelor's degree in law or a law college diploma and in-house training from a law firm or other legal establishment.
Independent paralegals require knowledge of legal principles and procedures usually obtained through industry-sponsored courses and through experience, or through completion of a community college paralegal program.
Paralegals require a licence to perform advanced legal services.
Justices of the peace requirements can vary from a background in law and the justice system, completion of a justice registrar, justice of the peace or other court training program depending on their duties and responsibilities.
Justices of the peace in the provinces are appointed by the lieutenant governor in council and, in the territories, by federally appointed territorial commissioners.
Notaries public usually require a university degree in law or a related field.
Notaries public are appointed after examination and certification of their qualifications by the governing judiciary in their province or territory. All appointments have specific limitations on the activities they can perform and for specific periods of time.
Notaries public require a provincial licence. In British Columbia, membership in the Society of Notaries Public is also required.
To be licensed, trademark agents are required to work in the area of trademark law, including the preparation and prosecution of trademark applications for registration, for two years and to successfully complete the examination conducted jointly by the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada and the Registrar of Trade-Marks, Canadian Intellectual Property Office or either one of the above and to be a lawyer entitled to practise in Canada.
Trademark agents require registration with the federal Trade-Mark Office.
Additional information
Notaries public usually receive in-house training and perform their duties in rural or remote areas or in the business offices in which they are employed.
The duties and responsibilities of justices of the peace vary significantly depending on the level of their authority. They may be employed part-time on a fee-for-service basis in small communities. Their duties range from performing civil marriages, receiving affidavits and similar documents, to presiding in courts and hearing and determining prosecutions under provincial/territorial and federal laws.
Exclusions
Articling law student; Quebec notary; trademark lawyer (in 41101 Lawyers and Quebec notaries)
Legal administrative assistants (13111)
Patent agent (in 41400 Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers)
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