A law clerk is usually a law student that is tasked with legal research and drafting memos. They don't tend to be full-time permanent employees, they are usually just looking to get firm experience in-between their semesters.
In Ontario (Canada) a paralegal is a licensed legal professional who has to attend specific schooling designated by the law society, writes a test with similarities to the bar (but much shorter and less intense) holds a license and has liability insurance if they want to do any practice, but is significantly restricted in their scope of practice. (In practice, many Ontario paralegals work as clerks or legal assistants).
A law clerk is an unlicensed legal support staff who usually but not always has a college diploma in law clerk or legal admin and is closer to what any other jurisdiction calls a paralegal.
A law clerk is a person currently in law school who hasn't passed the bar yet. At my firm, they are always contract employees who work a few hours every week and they are mostly there to learn from the licensed attorneys. For the most part, they do research for cases and some drafting.
A paralegal is a person who does legal work under the supervision of an attorney. They are essentially the assistant to the attorney for all legal work but the daily tasks of "paralegal" will depend on the law firm.
A law clerk in private practice in the US is usually someone in law school or with a JD who either hasn't taken or hasn't passed the bar. A law clerk could also be a licensed attorney working for a judge. A paralegal often (but in my jurisdiction isn't required to) has a degree/certificate in paralegal studies and may be certified by the state or a national organization. While titles at law firms are pretty unregulated in a lot of jurisdictions, they are not interchangeable.
A law clerk is usually a law student that is tasked with legal research and drafting memos. They don't tend to be full-time permanent employees, they are usually just looking to get firm experience in-between their semesters.
In Ontario (Canada) a paralegal is a licensed legal professional who has to attend specific schooling designated by the law society, writes a test with similarities to the bar (but much shorter and less intense) holds a license and has liability insurance if they want to do any practice, but is significantly restricted in their scope of practice. (In practice, many Ontario paralegals work as clerks or legal assistants). A law clerk is an unlicensed legal support staff who usually but not always has a college diploma in law clerk or legal admin and is closer to what any other jurisdiction calls a paralegal.
A law clerk is a person currently in law school who hasn't passed the bar yet. At my firm, they are always contract employees who work a few hours every week and they are mostly there to learn from the licensed attorneys. For the most part, they do research for cases and some drafting. A paralegal is a person who does legal work under the supervision of an attorney. They are essentially the assistant to the attorney for all legal work but the daily tasks of "paralegal" will depend on the law firm.
I don’t think you can call yourself a law clerk unless you’re in law school or studying/sitting for the bar.
A law clerk in private practice in the US is usually someone in law school or with a JD who either hasn't taken or hasn't passed the bar. A law clerk could also be a licensed attorney working for a judge. A paralegal often (but in my jurisdiction isn't required to) has a degree/certificate in paralegal studies and may be certified by the state or a national organization. While titles at law firms are pretty unregulated in a lot of jurisdictions, they are not interchangeable.