A paralegal who works as an independent contractor rather than as an employee of a law firm or corporation.

• A. Paralegal
• B. Freelance Paralegal
• C. Legal Technician
• D. Lay advocate

Answer: (B)

A paralegal who works as an independent contractor is best described as a freelance paralegal because the term signals contract-based, self-directed work for multiple clients rather than a traditional employee relationship. Freelance paralegals operate on their own schedule, invoice for services, and aren’t on a single firm’s payroll, which matches the idea of independent contractor status. The generic title paralegal doesn’t specify how the work is arranged—employee or contractor—so it’s less precise. Legal technician is a separate concept used in some places to describe someone who performs limited legal tasks under supervision, not specifically about being an independent contractor. Lay advocate refers to a non-lawyer who advocates for clients in certain contexts, which is a different role altogether and not the standard paralegal contract arrangement.