Erin Brockovich, Paralegal Extraordinaire

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The role of non-lawyers in providing legal services directly to the public is a difficult one. There is a fine line between providing professional, competent, substantive paralegal work and crossing into the unauthorized practice of law. The film, Erin Brockovich illustrates these difficulties well. The story follows an unemployed single mother as she learns to become a legal assistant and then is able to almost single-handedly bring down a California power company, accused of polluting a city's water supply. 1. Professionalism… “I hate lawyers. I just work for ‘em.” Because of the general public’s unfamiliarity with the role of a paralegal, legal professionals must take pains to disclose the paralegal’s status. The ABA Model Guidelines for the Utilization of Legal Assistant Services (“Model Guides”), Canon Five of the NALA Code of Ethical and Professional Responsibility (“NALA Code”), and NFPA Model Code of Ethical and Professional Responsibility §1.7 (“NFPA Model Code”) urge the prompt and full-disclosure of the paralegal’s status at the outset of any professional relationship to avoid misunderstanding and misconceptions of the paralegal’s role and responsibilities. Certainly, Ms. Brockovich does this, immediately in her first meeting with Donna Jenson; when Mrs. Jensen asks, “You're a lawyer?” Erin immediately replies, “NO, no... I hate lawyers. I only work for them.” However, each of the Codes and Guides also promotes the idea that a paralegal should “maintain a high standard of professional conduct” (NFPA Model Code §1.3) and refrain from “any conduct that offends the dignity… of proceedings before the court.” (Ibid.) Certainly, Erin’s comment above could be interpreted to denigrate the profession. Further, there are many instances throughout the film, in which Erin’s behavior could be said to be less than professional. Certainly

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