para-legal work
- noun
- /ˈpærəˌliːɡəl wɜrk/
- Specialized
:
trabajo paralegal
- Much of the document preparation and research is considered para-legal work.
Examples
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The office hired an assistant to handle routine para-legal work and support the attorneys.
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Many students gain experience through para-legal work during their studies.
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After her training, she began para-legal work at a law firm in the city.
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She does para-legal work for a local law firm.
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After her training, she began para-legal work at a law firm in the city.
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Much of the document preparation and research is considered para-legal work.
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The office hired an assistant to handle routine para-legal work and support the attorneys.
How Legal
Surface Forms
Morphology
para-legal + work
The meaning is compositionally derivable: 'paralegal' (a person assisting with legal matters, etymologically para- + legal) combined with 'work' yields 'legal tasks performed by a non-qualified lawyer.' The noun + work pattern is a transparent and productive English construction and the concept is widely lexicalized or borrowed across languages, so a learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Para-legal work comes from the parts para (meaning 'beside') and legal (meaning 'law'), giving the image of someone working beside a lawyer. That's why it means 'legal tasks done by someone who is not a qualified lawyer'.