OPTIMALISASI PERAN PARALEGAL DALAM PENGUATAN FUNGSI POSBANKUM UNTUK AKSES KEADILAN MASYARAKAT DESA POJOKSARI

Abstract

Paralegals play a vital role in providing legal aid and expanding public access to justice, particularly through Village-Level Legal Aid Posts. However, the duties and authority of paralegals in Indonesia lack detailed regulation, creating a gap between their normative role and actual practice in the field. In Pojoksari Village (Sukomoro District, Magetan Regency), Legal Aid Posts possesses a formal legal basis via a Village Head Decree yet fails to actively perform its functions—especially regarding land disputes involving potential criminal elements, which have historically been resolved solely through mediation. This study aims to analyze the role of paralegals in strengthening Legal Aid Posts functions and to formulate strategies for their optimization. Employing a socio-legal methodology, the research utilizes statutory, conceptual, and sociological approaches, relying on in-depth interviews with the Pojoksari Village Head and document analysis. The findings indicate that the paralegal's role is currently limited to facilitating mediation, without identifying potential criminal elements or referring cases to law enforcement agencies. Optimization is required across several areas—regulatory frameworks, paralegal human resource capacity, coordination with law enforcement, and community legal culture—which must be addressed simultaneously to ensure the Legal Aid Post serves as an effective vehicle for access to justice.