Related job titles are: Paralegal, Legal Assistant, Real Estate Paralegal, Legal Analyst, Paralegal Specialist, Certified Paralegal, Immigration Paralegal, Litigation Paralegal, Corporate Paralegal, or Judicial Assistant.
How Much Does a Paralegal and Legal Assistant Make? | Paralegal and Legal Assistant Salary
The median yearly salary for paralegals and legal assistants was $46,680 in May 2010 (the most recent data available). This median salary is simply the salary where half the employees earned more and half earned a lesser amount. Employees in the lower 10 percent had an annual salary less than $29,460, and those employees in the top 10 percent earned greater then $74,870.
In general, paralegals that work for large law firms or in large cities earn more than those who work for smaller firms or in smaller cities.
What Does a Paralegal and Legal Assistant Do? | Job Description
Paralegal is one of U.S. News and World Report "100 Best Jobs of 2013."
Paralegals and legal assistants do a variety of tasks to support lawyers, including maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.
Paralegals and legal assistants do a variety of tasks to support lawyers, including maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.
In larger organizations, paralegals work mostly on a particular phase of a case, rather than handling a case from beginning to end. For example, a litigation paralegal might only review legal material for internal use, maintain reference files, conduct research for lawyers, and collect and organize evidence for hearings.
How to Become a Paralegal and Legal Assistant?
Most paralegals and legal assistants have an associate's degree in paralegal studies, or a bachelor's degree in another field and a certificate in paralegal studies. In some cases, employers may hire college graduates with a bachelor’s degree but no legal experience or education and train them on the job.
Paralegal and Legal Assistant Classes and Courses | Degree Programs
There are several paths to become a paralegal. Candidates can enroll in a community college paralegal program to earn an associate’s degree. A small number of schools also offer bachelor’s and master's degrees in paralegal studies. Those who already have a bachelor’s degree in another subject can earn a certificate in paralegal studies. Finally, some employers hire entry-level paralegals without any experience or education in paralegal studies and train them on the job, though these jobs typically require a bachelor’s degree.
Associate’s degree and bachelor's degree programs in paralegal studies usually combine paralegal training, such as courses in legal research and the legal applications of computers, with other academic subjects. Most certificate programs provide this intensive paralegal training for people who already hold college degrees. Some certificate programs only take a few months to complete.
Paralegal and Legal Assistant Jobs | Who is Hiring?
As employers try to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of legal services, they are expected to hire more paralegals and legal assistants. Following the cutbacks experienced during the recent recession, some law firms are rebuilding their support staff by hiring paralegals. Paralegals can be a less costly alternative to lawyers and perform a wider variety of duties, including tasks once done by lawyers. This will cause an increase in demand for paralegals and legal assistants.
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