A “Paralegal” is a professional who is authorized to act and work under the direction of an attorney. They are not authorized to draft documentation without direction from a licensed attorney. Someone engaging a paralegal to draft documentation without also contracting the services of an attorney may find themselves legally unprotected from any issues arising from this documentation.
A Certified Legal Document Preparer is allowed to prepare documentation for a client without the need for assistance from an attorney. In those case where this assistance is not needed, a Certified Legal Document Preparer, can provide a valuable service at a more affordable price than consultation with an attorney would require.
Neither a paralegal nor a Certified Legal Document Preparer can provide legal advice or represent a person in court.