by CourseAdvisor

Paralegals or legal assistants work for law firms, corporate legal departments, and government agencies. They assist lawyers with preparations for closings, hearings, trials, and meetings. Although attorneys delegate crucial behind-the-scenes tasks to them, paralegals are not allowed to give legal advice or present cases in court.

Paralegals who work for large law firms or government offices often specialize in areas such as labor law, intellectual property, or litigation. Others are generalists with broad duties that may include:

• Preparing contracts, mortgages, and other documents
• Researching and organizing facts pertaining to legal cases
• Helping lawyers prepare legal arguments
• Assisting attorneys in court
• Managing files of case documents
• Supervising other staff members

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People with a variety of backgrounds become paralegals. For example:

• Graduates of community college associate degree programs in paralegal studies
• College graduates who complete certificate programs in paralegal studies
• Graduates of bachelor’s or master’s degree programs in paralegal studies
• College graduates who train on the job
• Legal secretaries who are promoted and then trained on the job

Some important factors to consider when selecting a paralegal studies program are job placement services, availability of internships, and experiences of recent graduates.

Paralegal Career Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that hiring of paralegals and legal assistants will grow sharply over the next decade, with 291,000 job openings by 2016. There are a couple of reasons for this:

Cost-cutting. Today, trained, paralegals are qualified to perform a lot of the tasks that lawyers used to do themselves. Since paralegals are still paid a lot less than attorneys, employers are able to cut costs by hiring more paralegals to do more, and a greater range of, work.

The need for new legal specialties. With the advance of the technology and the transition of the baby boomer generation into retirement, new legal services are evolving. These include intellectual property law, health care law, international law, elder care law, criminal law, and environmental law. As the demand for these legal specialties expands, so will the need for more paralegal workers.

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Paralegal Pay

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of May 2006, fulltime paralegals and legal assistants had median annual earnings, including bonuses, of $43,040, with the middle 50 percent earning between $33,920 and $54,690.

Employer	Median Annual Earnings
Federal Government	$56,080
State Government	$38,020
Local Government	$42,170
Management of companies and enterprises	$52,220
Legal Services	$41,460

Education is the key to better jobs, better pay

Since the demand for legal services and the number of paralegal job openings are expected to grow dramatically, the competition for these jobs is likely to increase, too. Formally trained paralegals will have the best shot at getting the best employment. You can take advantage of this hot career sector or advance the paralegal career you already have by getting trained and certified through accredited programs highlighting thorough knowledge and new specialties.

Better yet, if you are already an experienced paralegal, you enjoy working with the law, and you have an interest in one of the up-and-coming legal fields, consider getting your J.D. (law) degree. The median annual salary for lawyers in 2006 was $94,930.

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Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-2009 Edition; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.