Resource information
A community paralegal, also known as a grassroots legal advocate or a barefoot lawyer, is a community resource person and mobiliser, trained in basic law and legal procedures and in skills like mediation, negotiation, education, and advocacy.
Paralegals combine their knowledge of the law, range of skills and understanding of local contexts to help resolve justice problems by empowering affected communities in the use of law. They help communities gather and present evidence of injustice and appeal to the institutions accountable to citizens within existing law. They focus on prompt local administrative actions rather than slow, distant and expensive litigation. They serve as a ‘frontline’ of justice services to affected communities– they are an accessible, affordable, and speedy way to achieve justice.
