Legal Assistants And Paralegal Schools, Salaries, and Job Data
Legal Assistants and Paralegals Job Overview
Legal assistants and paralegals perform specifically delegated substantive legal work for a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or any other entity. Legal assistants and paralegals are responsible for conducting client interviews, maintaining general contact with the client, locating and interviewing witnesses and conducting both investigations and legal and documentary research. They also draft legal documents, deal with correspondence and pleadings and summarize depositions, interrogatories and testimony. In addition, they assist lawyers in the delivery of legal services. However, a legal assistant and paralegal cannot officially offer legal advice to consumers of legal services, represent a client in court, set a fee or accept a case.
Legal Assistants and Paralegals Schools and Degrees
Legal assistants and paralegals need to pass the Certified Legal Assistant certifying examination of the National Association of Legal Assistants. Graduation from an ABA approved program of study for legal assistant, or a baccalaureate degree in any field can also suffice. However, one must have more than six months of in-house training as a legal assistant, or a minimum of three years of law-related experience under the supervision of an attorney in order to become a legal assistant and paralegal.
Job Requirements
The duties of legal assistants and paralegals working in the public sector depend largely on the agency. Generally, litigation paralegals analyze legal material for internal use, conduct research for attorneys, maintain reference files, collect and analyze evidence for agency hearings, prepare informative or explanatory material on laws, agency regulations, and agency policy. Paralegals employed in community legal-service projects help the poor, the elderly and others who are in need of legal assistance. They file forms, conduct research, prepare documents, and, when authorized by law, may represent clients at administrative hearings. A corporate paralegal may also assist attorneys with employee contracts, stock-option plans, shareholder agreements and employee benefit plans.
Nature of Work
When starting out as a legal assistant and paralegal, one may be asked to handle just routine assignments. However, with experience, legal assistants and paralegals usually perform more diverse tasks. They are given additional responsibility, and mostly work in offices and law libraries. They might also need to travel to gather information, or for other duties. They usually work a standard 40-hour week, but occasionally may be required to work longer. In particular, those who work for law firms might have to work longer hours in order to meet deadlines.
Legal Assistants and Paralegals Jobs and Outlook
According to research conducted in 2006, legal assistants and paralegals held about 238,000 jobs in the US. The job market is expected to grow by 22 percent in the next ten years. Employment is the highest in the following industries:
Federal Government
Legal Services
Local Government
Management of Companies and Enterprises
State Government
The mean hourly wage for legal assistants and paralegals in the US is about $22.88, while the mean annual wages are around $47,600.
Job Numbers and Growth
Legal assistants and paralegals in the US number about 238,000. Workers generally expect a very low unemployment rate. There were about 3% of employees without jobs in 2008.
Area Job Conditions
Where are jobs most numerous? Charleston (West Virginia), Washington (District of Columbia), and New York (New York). Least common? Provo (Utah), Holland (Michigan), and Youngstown (Ohio).
Salaries vary across the country, from highest in San Jose (California), San Francisco (California), and New York (New York) to lowest in Iowa City (Iowa), Elkhart (Indiana), and Harrisonburg (Virginia).
Training and Education
Obtaining an associate degree will help job seekers. Legal assistants and paralegals with four or more years of college are 45% of the total. An estimated 43% of workers attended college at some level but did not pursue a 4-year degree. High school was enough education for 13% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.
Part-Time Work and Self-Employment
Whether by choice or necessity, 11% of legal assistants and paralegals work part-time. About 2% of workers do not work for a company or organization.
Legal Assistants And Paralegals by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)
In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.
Schools recommended for people interested in this career. Request info with quick online forms. These particular schools are noted for getting back to people fast.
Schools recommended for people interested in this career. Request info with quick online forms. These particular schools are noted for getting back to people fast.