Paralegals
Job description
Paralegals prepare documents and conduct research for lawyers and other professionals. They may provide services to the public, law firms, and other organizations. Generally, the work performed by paralegals is supervised by lawyers or notaries. The preparation and drafting of legal documents are activities reserved for lawyers and notaries. Court Officers coordinate the administrative tasks and formalities of the federal, provincial, and territorial courts. Justices of the Peace have varying responsibilities depending on the authority granted to them. These individuals receive legal documents and swear in witnesses. They issue subpoenas, summonses, and arrest warrants.
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
Main tasks
Paralegals
- Meet with clients and witnesses.
- Gather documentary evidence, prepare trial briefs, and make arrangements for the trial.
- Assist lawyers in preparing for mediations and settlements of judicial disputes.
- Produce and follow up on subpoenas or notices of execution.
- Draft legal documents (wills, real estate transaction contracts, correspondence, etc.).
- Draft court reports and affidavits.
- Analyze legal documents (registers, court files, etc.).
- Advise lawyers and provide professional advice on a case.
- Prepare legal correspondence and perform general office tasks and clerical duties.
Court Officers
- Coordinate administrative services and set priorities for judicial personnel.
- Set trial dates and schedule pre-trial conferences and hearings.
- Open court sessions, read charges, and record pleas of accused persons.
- Apply procedures relating to the commencement of proceedings, the trial, and the judgment rendered.
- Collect and record the sheriff’s revenues and administrative costs.
- Keep records of cases brought before the courts.
- Collaborate in the preparation of the annual budget.
- Occasionally act as a Justice of the Peace.
Justices of the Peace
- Issue subpoenas, arrest warrants, and search warrants.
- Receive affidavits, declarations, and affirmations.
- Swear in witnesses.
- Preside over bail hearings.
- Release the accused, by order of the judges, and explain their rights and obligations.
- Hear evidence presented during trials on summary conviction offences.
- Preside over trials of criminal offences.
- Perform civil marriages.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience leads to senior positions.
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $20.00
- Median
- $28.21
- Maximum
- $45.67
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Good
All of Québec
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
6,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 85.4% Female
- 14.6% Male
Not available.
- 85.4% Female
- 14.6% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$53,200
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Non traditional for men
- None
All of Québec
- Non traditional for men
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 9189% of jobs
-
NAICS 5411, 541210% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 560% of jobs
-
NAICS 5413, 54140% of jobs
-
NAICS 44, 450% of jobs
-
Others1% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 9189% of jobs
-
NAICS 5411, 541210% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 560% of jobs
-
NAICS 5413, 54140% of jobs
-
NAICS 44, 450% of jobs
-
Others1% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
College
DCS in paralegal Technology
Code : 310C0
Placement rate: 66.2%
31.9% of graduates pursue further studies
ACS in techniques juridiques
Code : JCA18
Placement rate: 86.7%
Also required
- Training in a law firm or other legal services company. Justices of the Peace and Court Officers
- Several years of experience in the judicial service.
- Appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council for Justices of the Peace.
Sometimes required
Justices of the Peace and Court Officers
- Membership in the Barreau du Québec or the Chambre des notaires du Québec may be required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Reading comprehension
- Information processing
- Active listening
- Critical thought
- Written expression
- Oral expression
- Active learning
- Solving complex problems
- Coordination
- Result evaluation
- Time management
- Judgment and decision-making
- Service oriented
Abilities
- Oral comprehension
- Written comprehension
- Written expression
- Verbal skills
- Near vision
- Speech clarity
- Speech recognition
- Awareness of issues
- Deductive reasoning
- Inductive reasoning
- Information organization
- Classification
- Perception speed
- Processing flexibility
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to establish and maintain interpersonal relations
- Critical thinking
- Perseverance
- Sense of responsibility
- Capacity to work in a team
- Rigour
- Capacity to be discrete
- Intermediate knowledge of the English language
- Assiduity and punctuality
- Knowledge of laws and policies
Interests
- Draft, communicate, and inform
- Work in an office
- Carry out research
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
- Conventional
- People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
Official name of the NOC 42200
Paralegals and related occupations
Job titles
- Independent paralegal
- Corporation paralegal
- Judicial officer
- Justice of the peace
- Legal technician
- Law clerk
- Court and tribunal agent
- Trademark agent
- Copyright agent
- Registered trademark agent
- Litigation law clerk
- Contract clerk - law
- Commercial law clerk
- Criminal law clerk
- Insurance law clerk
- Family law clerk
- Corporate law clerk
- Corporate law and litigation clerk
- Labour law clerk
- Real estate law clerk
- Tax law clerk
- Foreclosure clerk
- Conveyance clerk
- Corporate securities law clerk
- Lease and title clerk
- Land titles clerk
- Transfer-of-title clerk
- Law clerk to judge
- Notary public clerk
- Wills and estates law clerk
- Oil and gas rights law clerk
- Commissioner of affidavits
- Commissioner of marriages
- Legal services officer - courts
- Abstractor
- Land titles examiner
- Clerk of probate
- Queen's bench registrar
- Citizenship judge
- Justice of the peace magistrate
- Lay notary public
- Notary public
- British columbia notary public
- Judicial officer - courts
- Registry officer - marriages
- Prothonotary
- Legal researcher
- Brief writer - law
- Registrar of bankruptcy
- Deed recorder
- Insurance paralegal
- Litigation paralegal
- Commercial law paralegal
- Criminal law paralegal
- Family law paralegal
- Labour law paralegal
- Wills and estates paralegal
- Oil and gas property paralegal
- Tax paralegal
- Foreclosure paralegal
- Mortgage and real estate paralegal
- Real estate paralegal
- Property paralegal
- Collection paralegal
- Corporate paralegal
Skill type
Education, law and social, community and government services
Last update: January 29, 2026
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