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| Justin D. Rochester |
“Just a paralegal.”
It is usually said casually. Sometimes dismissively. Occasionally unknowingly. But always inaccurately.
In Ontario, a paralegal is not “just” anything. A licensed paralegal is a regulated legal professional, governed by the Law Society of Ontario, entrusted with defined areas of legal practice and positioned on the front lines of access to justice. However, despite nearly two decades of formal regulation, the profession continues to face misconceptions about its competency, purpose and value within the justice system.
This article is not about rivalry. It is not about diminishing the indispensable and broader role that lawyers play. Lawyers remain essential to the administration of justice in complex civil litigation, serious criminal matters, constitutional litigation and the many nuanced domains that demand the depth and scope of a lawyer’s training and call. The legal system depends on them.
Ontario is unique in Canada. The Law Society of Ontario independently regulates paralegals here. They must complete an accredited education program, pass a rigorous licensing examination, satisfy good character requirements, maintain professional liability insurance and comply with continuing professional development obligations.
They are officers of the court.
They are bound by the Rules of Professional Conduct.
They are subject to discipline.
They are not assistants. They are not clerks. They are not unregulated consultants.
They are licensed legal professionals.
The scope of practice is clearly defined. Paralegals represent clients in Provincial Offences Act matters, summary conviction criminal offences, small claims court disputes, administrative tribunals such as the Landlord and Tenant Board and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and certain provincial and federal boards, to name a few. They draft pleadings. They conduct trials. They cross-examine witnesses. They negotiate settlements. They file Charter applications in appropriate matters. They argue motions. They advocate.
Within that scope, they are fully authorized to act.
Calling that “just” anything is a misunderstanding of both the law and the profession.
A common misconception is that paralegals are less competent versions of lawyers. That assumption ignores a critical principle of professional regulation.
Competency is measured within scope.
A paralegal who has handled thousands of Provincial Offences Act matters may possess a level of procedural fluency and courtroom efficiency in that area that rivals or exceeds many who only occasionally practise there. The same can be said for small claims court litigation or tribunal advocacy.
Competency is not about title. It is about training, repetition, specialization and adherence to professional standards.
The Ontario model was built on the idea that certain legal services could be competently delivered by trained, regulated professionals at a more affordable cost. That was not an accident. It was a deliberate public policy choice tied directly to access to justice.
Paralegals were not created to compete with lawyers. They were regulated to complement the system and fill specific gaps.
Access to justice is not an abstract slogan. It is a daily, practical issue. It is the tenant facing eviction who cannot afford full-service representation at Superior Court rates. It is the individual charged under the Highway Traffic Act whose livelihood depends on a driver’s licence. It is the worker navigating an administrative tribunal without resources.
For many Ontarians, the alternative to hiring a paralegal is not hiring a lawyer. It is self-representation.
That reality matters.
Paralegals operate in the space between complexity and affordability. They offer competent representation in defined areas at price points that are often accessible to working-class and middle-income individuals who would otherwise navigate the system alone.
That is not a secondary role. It is a stabilizing one.
The justice system strains under delay, under-resourcing challenges and the volume of self-represented litigants. Regulated paralegals reduce that strain. They improve procedural efficiency. They ensure pleadings are properly drafted. They narrow issues. They resolve matters earlier through negotiation.
In doing so, they serve the courts, the tribunals and the public.
There is no denying that lawyers occupy a broader and often more complex sphere of practice. They appear in Superior Court and appellate courts. They conduct major civil trials. They handle indictable criminal matters. They navigate corporate transactions, constitutional litigation and high-stakes family disputes.
That breadth carries its own weight of responsibility and expertise.
Acknowledging the value of paralegals does not diminish that reality. It recognizes that the legal ecosystem is not a hierarchy of worth. It is a division of function.
A system that relies exclusively on one tier of provider becomes inaccessible to many. A system that recognizes multiple regulated tiers within defined boundaries becomes more responsive.
Ontario’s model reflects that understanding.
Despite regulation since 2007, cultural perceptions have been slower to evolve. Some still see paralegals through a pre-regulation lens. Others conflate unlicensed activity with licensed practice. Some have not taken the time to understand the statutory framework that governs the profession.
Language matters. When courts and counsel refer to a licensed advocate as “just a paralegal,” it signals to clients and the public that the role is lesser.
It is not lesser. It is different.
Moreover, the difference in a functioning justice system is a strength.
Public confidence in the administration of justice depends on clarity. Clients must know who is qualified to represent them. They must understand the limits of that representation. They must trust that the professional before them is accountable.
Ontario paralegals meet that standard.
They are insured. They are trained. They are disciplined when they breach professional obligations. They are required to maintain competence. They are integrated into the same regulatory body as lawyers.
That shared regulatory framework is not symbolic. It is structural recognition that paralegals are part of the legal profession in this province.
The work they perform may be narrower in scope. It is not narrower in importance to the individuals they serve.
Behind every Provincial Offences trial, every small claims dispute, every tribunal hearing, there is a person whose daily life is affected by the outcome. Rent. Employment. Insurance rates. Driving privileges. Professional discipline. Immigration status in certain contexts.
For many of those individuals, the paralegal is the only legal professional they will ever retain.
To them, that representative is not “just” anything. That representative is their advocate.
The measure of a profession is not the prestige of its title. It is the integrity of its service.
The conversation should no longer be about whether paralegals belong. That question was answered by legislation, by regulation and by years of courtroom practice.
The conversation should be about collaboration, clarity of scope and strengthening access to justice.
Lawyers and paralegals do not stand in opposition to one another. They stand in parallel lanes within a shared system, each carrying defined responsibilities when operating within their authorized scope, with competence and professionalism, thereby benefiting the public.
The phrase “just a paralegal” reflects an outdated understanding of a modern profession.
In Ontario, a paralegal is a regulated advocate. A courtroom professional. A tribunal representative. An access-to-justice provider.
There is nothing “just” about that.
Justin D. Rochester is a paralegal with over eight years of experience in the area of summary offences, and over 7,000 appearances logged before the courts acting as an agent for counsel and for his own matters. He is also teaching in the paralegal program at Centennial College and implemented the Centennial Moot Cup, alongside J.P. Rodrigues.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
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