lack of access to meaningful review of decisions. As part of assessing the opportunity to help and community needs, a detailed analysis of the regulatory framework and local administrative practice will be invaluable. Some contexts are so discriminatory that paralegals cannot solve problems until laws are reformed. However, paralegals can still play a useful role in sensitizing, empowering, and mobilizing communities to recognize and fight discrimination, and in educating local officials. Paralegal casework records may prove that existing laws do not work for everyone, supporting advocacy for reform of exclusionary laws. Where legal identity documentation is available despite gaps or challenges in the law or practice, paralegals can be of great help and can often improve the system through their casework. Careful consideration should be given to working in contexts with exclusionary laws and practices, since attempts to formalize status under such laws may expose people to detention, deportation, and other forms of mistreatment. In some cases, engagement cannot lead to significant benefits, even if it provides some kind of status. Clients should be involved in deciding the course of action in light of the risks. Where law and practice are positive, and only remote or disadvantaged groups have trouble accessing services, paralegal projects could have a negative effect. Reaching remote areas is the role of the state, through accessibility initiatives such as large-scale mobile registration drives. Paralegals can support such processes, such as by helping governments improve their community outreach, and by using these events to show government how to bring services closer to people. However, paralegal projects should ensure such activities do not substitute for or deter core government services, which could happen if paralegals take increasing responsibility over functions that belong to the state. Advocacy to call on the government to serve people in remote areas and treat people equally may complement mobile registration drives by pushing for greater government action and accountability. SOME CONTEXTS ARE SO DISCRIMINATORY THAT PARALEGALS CANNOT SOLVE PROBLEMS UNTIL LAWS ARE REFORMED. HOWEVER, PARALEGALS CAN STILL PLAY A USEFUL ROLE IN SENSITIZING, EMPOWERING, AND MOBILIZING COMMUNITIES TO RECOGNIZE AND FIGHT DISCRIMINATION, AND IN EDUCATING LOCAL OFFICIALS.  ee 7.4 Ethical Issues for further discussion of the “do no harm” S principle, including in relation to the risk of paralegals’ substituting core government functions and engaging with discriminatory laws. 2.5 Social and Economic Factors Many communities experiencing documentation problems will be affected by illiteracy, poverty, social exclusion, discrimination, corruption, and distance from services. These disadvantages may reflect their minority status and/or their documentation problems or statelessness. Paralegal projects should be prepared to consider how to address prohibitive costs and travel time, and ensure information is available in community languages. Ideally, they will be able to begin to reverse these disadvantages through their work helping clients access citizenship rights, demanding change and fair treatment, and advocating for improved legal and administrative systems. DISCRIMINATION EMPOWERMENT SUSTAINABILITY DATA RELATED RESOURCES (EXTERNAL) RELATED SECTIONS (WITHIN) 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 | 25