Paralegal

Job Description

Paralegals play an important role in law offices and courthouses by serving as legal assistants under the authority of an attorney. Attorneys assign paralegals a wide variety of legal tasks, such as research, drafting of documents, speaking with clients and helping attorneys get ready for trials by compiling and preparing relevant documents. While an attorney may delegate this sort of work to a paralegal, the attorney is ultimately responsible and accountable for all work done in his or her practice. Paralegals cannot give legal advice or argue for a client, but they can help lift much of the burden of paperwork and menial office tasks off of the shoulders of attorneys, freeing up more time for them to meet with and defend clients. Other assignments delegated to paralegals might include billing and scheduling appointments with clients (in smaller practices), obtaining affidavits, and organizing paper and electronic documents so that they are easily accessible to attorneys and other paralegals working for the law firm.

Educational Requirements

The most common way of preparing oneself for a career as a paralegal is to obtain an associate degree in paralegal studies from a community college or technical school, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, those who already have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice are usually eligible to enroll in paralegal certification programs at these colleges, which typically take less time than an associate degree program. And a background in criminal justice can only help your job prospects. Many law firms will require additional certification through a professional organization such as the National Association of Legal Assistants or the American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc. Some of these certifications are only offered to those who have earned bachelor’s degrees. The American Bar Association has approved about 260 paralegal programs, according to the Bureau, but more than 1,000 schools total offer paralegal programs.

Career Outlook and Salary

With 28 percent job growth expected between 2008 and 2018, paralegals should have ample opportunities for jobs in the long-term, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, there will also be a lot of competition for those plentiful jobs. An education in criminal justice may be able to give you an edge over this competition. While paralegals will be able to find plenty of job opportunities at law firms, one area in particular that job growth for paralegals is expected to boom is in corporate legal teams. Corporations are expected to beef up the number of paralegals on these teams because attorneys are much more costly to hire for basic legal tasks, according to the Bureau. That doesn’t by any means you will earn a low salary, though. The median yearly salary for paralegals was $46,120 in 2008. Another perk: corporate paralegals were ranked by CNNMoney.com as one of the 50 best jobs in America for 2009 due to factors such as job security, personal satisfaction and low levels of stress.