Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
I have worked as a paralegal for 30 years, I have taught at the university level and authored a textbook for paralegals. Why can't I be part of the professional community? I do not consider myself part of the non-legal public; I am a legal professional. I would like to have access to the same parts of this site as attorneys.
2 Answers from Attorneys
You should know from working as a paralegal for 30 years that you are not permitted to give legal advice. This website is for the express purpose of individuals obtaining legal advice. Thus, you would not typically have access to providing legal advice.
The providing of such legal advice would be an unauthorized practice of law. The website, run by lawyers, does not want to incur liability for contributing to the unauthorized practice of law. Therefore, they are unwilling to allow you to have the same access to answering questions as attorneys have.
You may say that is not fair, that it is a monopoly by attorneys. You would be correct. However, the legislature has made decisions that require individuals who are giving legal advice to meet certain minimum educational requirements generally including college degree, law degree and passage of state bar examination.
Legal advice is for lawyers to give not paralegals otherwise that would be the unauthorized practice of law that so many paralegals engage in the guise of assisting people filling out legal forms.
So go get a law license and the responsibility that goes with it and then you can answer questions here too.
From your lengthy experience and credentials you should know better than to ask a question like this.
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