Parelegal Careers

OVERVIEW

Paralegals can be responsible for a vast range of duties in a law office. Generally, they work in law firms and assist lawyers in their day-to-day responsibilities, such as hearings, trials or meetings, but they cannot give legal advice to clients or represent someone in court. They play an active part in helping lawyers draft or fact check hearing, trial or other documents. Paralegals can specialize in specific types of laws, and they aren't limited to working in law firms. They can work with or in the corporate sector, private organizations or government offices, for example.

The field is expected to grow in the future as well as competition for paralegal positions. Generally, the more experienced paralegals have better chances at gaining employment, but getting the right training is not difficult.

JOB PROSPECTS

The paralegal field is expected to grow 28 percent from 2008 until 2018. One reason for the increasing demand is law firms want to decrease costs by hiring paralegals to do some of the work lawyers used to at a lower cost. Private groups, such as banks or insurance companies, are also hiring more paralegals to decrease costs. For most employed workers in the U.S., a recession can spell trouble. But paralegals often benefit from harsh economic times, because the need for legal assistance in foreclosures, bankruptcies and divorces increase, and paralegals can accomplish the work at a lower cost than lawyers.

SALARY

Paralegals average about $46,000, but the typical salary range can vary widely. If you work in a large law firm in a major metropolitan city, you'll make more than a paralegal at a smaller office in a smaller market. The top 10 percent of paralegals earn more than $73,000. The type of sector paralegals work in also affects their earnings. For example, paralegals in the petroleum and coal products manufacturing industry make a mean of $81,150. Those who work for the federal government earn a median salary of about $58,000, while those in the legal services earn about $44,000.

TYPICAL WORK DAY

A paralegal's day can be fairly routine, especially if the paralegal assigned to compiling documents, indexing information or organizing office documents for upcoming hearings, trials or filing deadlines. They can also be assigned general office duties—payroll, scheduling or filing.

More experienced and specifically qualified paralegals assist lawyers with a variety of different tasks, such as drafting finance reports, fact checking and summarizing trial documents or researching laws or case studies. They may also interview clients or witnesses for cases among other duties.

The hours for paralegals are typical but can go long with filing or trial deadlines looming.

SKILLS REQUIRED

Paralegals need to have a strong knowledge of law and law firm practices, especially if they specialize in a certain type of law. They should also have good researching, fact-checking and data-compiling skills. Paralegals can take on a lot of paper work, so the ability to organize and present large amounts of information in a competent way to lawyers or co-workers is a plus. They also have to work well in teams and take direction from others.

GROWTH PROSPECTS

Paralegals can move up the ranks in their career field through experience and earning certifications. You can become a Certified Paralegal through the National Association of Legal Assistants, and of the 250,000 paralegals in the country, only about 15,000 are certified paralegals or legal assistants. You can also make yourself more marketable by continually taking courses in specific areas of law and obtaining other certifications through organizations.

Advancing in the paralegal industry is measured by the amount of responsibility you are given as you gain experience. Some paralegals can be promoted to managerial positions in law offices, too.

PROS AND CONS

Paralegals are currently in high demand and becoming more of a necessity than they used to be in law offices across the country. The job can be interesting, too. Paralegals get to act as lawyers, up to a point, by gathering facts, researching laws and analyzing upcoming cases. The more advanced a paralegal becomes, the more responsibilities and variety of work he or she receives.

However, the field is also demanding. Paralegals have to have a broad competency of law procedures to adequately execute their responsibilities. The duties of a paralegal can also be tedious with a lot of paper work and organizing and filing of documents.

EDUCATION REQUIRED

Two of the most common ways to become a paralegal is through certification or an associate's degree. Those already with bachelor's degree can earn a paralegal certificate. You can also enroll in the more than 1,000 community colleges or other postsecondary institutions that offer paralegal programs and earn an associate's degree in the speciality. The certification programs outside of postsecondary institutions can last as short as a few months and vary in training methods. Law offices can also offer in-house paralegal training.

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