ADVANTAGES OF COMMUNITY-BASED PARALEGALS  A key way of ensuring empowerment from within the community: paralegals can be examples to others, encouraging them to pursue jobs they see as complex.  rojects can benefit from paralegals’ existing P networks, local language skills, knowledge of community dynamics, and personal experiences of documentation and nationality issues and their consequences. Paralegals may have relationships that help them spread legal information, which also aids empowerment.  ommunity-based paralegals are relatable and C easily trusted, leading clients to speak more freely about their situation.  ommunity-based paralegals may be able to C access community networks that can provide a solution for a client where the legal system cannot.  he community may monitor community-based T paralegals, which can improve performance. ADVANTAGES OF EXTERNAL PARALEGALS  overnment requirements for legal qualifications G or official languages may exclude members of undocumented communities with blocked educational opportunities. In such cases, affirmative action policies can help ensure a project identifies exceptions. Paralegals may face backlash and risks because they challenge existing power structures.  xternal paralegals may be less likely to see the E problems the project addresses as normal.  xternal paralegals can provide a connection E between a marginalized community and the wider population, helping to dispel myths and combat discrimination among the majority group.  xternal paralegals may be less affected by E trauma and burnout because they have a respite from difficult conditions within the community they serve.  ommunity-based paralegals are relatable and C easily trusted, leading clients to speak more freely about their situation.  ommunity-based paralegals are more efficient at C mobilizing the community. ADVANTAGES OF PAID STAFF PARALEGALS  bility to hold paid staff to higher standards for A their time and quality of their work.  ore reliability and consistency of services than M with volunteers.  ower turnover, development of greater expertise L over time. ADVANTAGES OF VOLUNTEER PARALEGALS Fewer resources required.  nsures that paralegals are motivated above all E by your objective.  ay allow community members to be trained as M paralegals, even when they hold other full-time occupations. A C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D P R A C T I T I O N E R ’ S G U I D E : D O C U M E N T I N G C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D OT H E R F O R M S O F L E G A L I D E N T I T Y | 31