Ed. Note: The following content was provided by Wade Skalsky, who is a client of KHTS AM-1220.

In addition to his work as a Santa Clarita defense attorney, Wade Skalsky of KHTS AM-1220’s new show “Wade Beyond the Courtroom” is also an adjunct professor for paralegal students.

Defense Attorney Wade Skalsky

While teaching ultimately helps further the careers of his students, Skalsky said it also helps him to be a better defense attorney.

“I find that when you teach something, you learn it better than before you taught it,” Skalsky said. “They’re going to ask you questions; you have to be prepared. That’s the great thing about teaching: I actually became a better lawyer by teaching.”

One topic that Skalsky was reminded of recently after witnessing what he called unethical courtroom behavior by a prosecutor was legal ethics, and how ethical matters apply to his paralegal students.

Related: Attorney Talks Teamwork On ‘Wade Beyond The Courtroom’

“There’s gray areas all over the place,” Skalsky said. “They need to know that because I guarantee they’re going to get into gray areas. You have to learn how to navigate those.”

Skalsky’s fellow professor and lawyer John Ebanyas joined the discussion on “Wade Beyond the Courtroom”:

“I’d say the most important ethical duty that paralegals really need to pay attention to is not to engage in the unauthorized practice of law, which is what attorneys are supposed to be doing,” Ebanyas said. “Paralegals really cannot do certain things that attorneys are licensed to do.”

According to Skalsky, many new paralegals face the most ethical “danger” not immediately following their certification, but after a few years of practicing paralegal work when they often become overconfident.

“The trap is not the first year out… The key to being a professional is when you start to get really into the grind of the business, that you are starting to remember that these ethical rules don’t change,” Skalsky said. “Just because you’re getting more comfortable or… the people you’re working with seem to get a little bit looser, it’s the professional part of you that has to remain straight ahead and forward on that.”

This can be a problem particularly with independent paralegals who work for document preparation services, Ebanyas added.

“I tell my paralegals there’s so many things you can do with a paralegal certificate,” he said. “But there’s a fine line between doing just paralegal duties and stepping beyond that line and actually crossing into the realm of what an attorney is licensed to do, which paralegals cannot.”

Skalsky and Ebanyas often partner together to create hypothetical situations for their students so they can put what they’ve learned about making ethical decisions into practice before they face similar situations in real life, where the stakes are much higher.

“I remember when I was in law school that I said to myself when these law professors were giving us these theoretical problems, ‘I’m never gonna have to do this again,’” Skalsky said, “and then I find myself trying to create these problems for our paralegal students to put them in situations that make it very difficult to make decisions… They like it. They need to know that.”

Law Offices of Wade J. Skalsky

450 N. Brand Blvd, Suite 600

Glendale, CA 91203

Toll-free: 800-836-1120

Phone: 855-873-9233