A paralegal is the professional of legal science that performs as part of a legal assistance system. Paralegals know the law, and they use their knowledge to help people who are charged with a crime, people who want to charge someone with a crime, people who want to sue someone, and people who are being sued. Paralegals are similar to lawyers, but not as educated in the law. They sometimes only do what lawyers ask them to do, but can sometimes work alone.