Although you probably love your job as a paralegal, there is something else that you can do in addition to your regular job. Pro Bono work is a way in which you can use your knowledge, skills, and experience, to benefit others. Not only does Pro Bono work provide a much-needed service to people who would not otherwise be able to have the benefit of legal assistance, it can give you a great deal of personal satisfaction at the same time.
When you do Pro Bono work, you will not merely be donating your services, you will also be donating your time. Even if you are inclined to feel that you do not have any extra time to spare, it is quite likely that you will be able to make the time when you consider that it is truly a worthy cause.
In Pro Bono work, you will be furthering your own skils and widening your own range of work experiences also. There is much that you can learn in the process of a Pro Bono assignment which you simply would not have in your everyday office life. Even the factor of assisting people whom you would not ordinarily have the chance to meet can be quite a bonus to you.
If you would like to do Pro Bono work but do not know where to start, a good way to begin is to assess the specific needs of your community. Depending on the area where you live, it should not be very difficult to find a number of agencies, organizations, and businesses which would be glad to have your assistance. Most will welcome your offer of help, especially those which are understaffed in general, or experiencing a heavier than usual workload during a specific period of time. You can check in advance to find out when your help will be most needed.
You may also be able to be directed toward Pro Bono work that is the most appropriate and suitable to your specific skills by requesting this information from your attorney. While some attorneys do not like the idea of “lending out” their staff, if you are clear that you wish to do this work on your own time you will decrease the likelihood of your attorney’s objections.
You can also check with the other paralegals who work in your law firm. If they have done Pro Bono work in the recent past, they may be able to advise you as to who to contact directly for information and possibly an assignment also.
The only actual drawback to doing Pro Bono work is that you will not get paid for your services. However, the combined benefits to both you yourself and the people whom you serve will be much more than an adequate compensation. However long you have been working as a paralegal, the knowledge, skills, and experience that you can bring to Pro Bono work will be a very valuable contribution to both the specific people whom you serve and the community as a whole.

Conflict of interest is a very serious subject for attorneys; it is a very serious subject for paralegals, as well. Unfortunately, problems can sometimes occur if a paralegal is not aware that she is bound by the same regulations as an attorney– including the regulations surrounding this subject. It is very important for a paralegal to know the facts, so that she will be much less likely to make these mistakes.
For an attorney, conflict of interest is the term that is usually used in reference to representing two or more opposing parties in any legal proceeding. An example would be representing both the husband and the wife in a divorce case, or both the buyer and the seller in a property transaction. While a paralegal is not in the role of representing a client in a proceeding, there are a few ways in which conflict of interest can occur.
One mistake a paralegal can make is conflict of interest when working for more than one attorney. Sometimes this occurs within one law firm; in other instances it can happen if the paralegal is working for more than one law firm. Although it is not usually done intentionally, the problem can occur if she is working for two or more different attorneys who are representing the opposing parties. The primary reason for such strict regulations against conflict of interest is that it is assumed unfair for the attorney, the paralegal, or anyone else who is working on a case on the behalf of one client to have access to the confidential information of the other client.
Although this problem can occur within a single law firm, it is even more important that a paralegal make certain to avoid it if she is working for more than one firm. The easiest way to go about this is to simply inform the attorney that she cannot assist with a case because it would be conflict of interest. It is imperative that the paralegal who finds herself in this situation not discuss one supervising attorney’s case with another attorney.
For a paralegal who elects to work by freelancing, it is of the utmost importance to keep this in mind at all times. Not only can a paralegal who either willingly or unintentionally makes this mistake face losing her legal capacity to practice, the attorney who has knowledge of this can also lose his license if he either promotes or allows it.
The specifics regarding conflict of interest are not very difficult to understand; and, with the facts in hand, the regulations surrounding this subject are also not very difficult to adhere to. Even though conflict of interest is one of the most serious breaches of professional conduct, and can result in severe penalties, the problem would not occur as frequently if every paralegal is knowledgeable about the facts. This does not simply mean the facts about this particular subject, but also that most regulations which an attorney is bound to adhere to are equally applicable to paralegals.

Although many paralegals work under the supervision of an attorney, paralegals are professionals in their own right. As many people still have the common misconception that a paralegal’s place in the law firm consists of little more than being an underling to a superior, it might be a good idea to get a clearer view of the facts, and possibly set this misconception to rest.
The paralegal’s professional status can at once be underscored by what is known as the Professional Code of Ethics. A paralegal is as equally bound to this Code as any attorney in the law firm. He or she is expected to adhere as strictly to the policies set forth in the Code of Ethics, and can face suspension or even termination from both the job and loss of credentials if he or she does not do so.
For example, one of the most significant points set forth in the Code of Ethics is that of privileged communications. A paralegal, no different from an attorney, a doctor, or a minister, is bound from disclosing information that he or she is told, has read, or learns, regarding the case and the client. As a paralegal who works in a law firm or for an individual attorney routinely has access to such information in general, and, in many situations, is the person who actually receives the information directly, the information can go no further than the attorney who is actively working on the case.
If someone does not recognize the paralegal in her professional regard, the person may assume that the paralegal is free to talk about a case. This is not true; for whether a paralegal is your best friend, your spouse, or a family member, she is never at liberty to disclose privileged communications. This is a fact which paralegals and the people in their lives must take seriously; for even talking about a case or a client in a vague manner can lead a paralegal to lose not only her job but her credentials to practice in the field.
One of the best ways to keep this in its proper perspective is to keep in mind that while you are working for an attorney, you are basically working for the client as well. The trust that the client places in his attorney, he also places in you. This is true whether you have had personal communications with the client, or whether everything you know about him and the case has come from the paperwork that you have been dealing with on a regular basis in the office.
In the legal field, violating a client’s confidentiality is something which simply is not allowed, and cannot be allowed. Regardless of the specifics of the case, privileged communications is the client’s right, and it is the responsibility of the paralegal as well as the attorney to ensure that this right is not violated.
Even for this reason alone, it is essential for anyone who plans to enter the paralegal field to not only be fully aware of her responsibility for professional conduct, but also be fully willing to adhere to it at all times.