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Legal Assistants And Paralegals - The Future Is Bright
One of most common ways to become a legal assistant or paralegal
is through a community college program that leads to an
associate's degree. Another common route; primarily for those
who already have a college degree, is through a program that
leads to a certification in paralegal studies.
Many legal assistants and paralegals have associate degrees in
paralegal studies or a bachelor's degree paired with a
certificate in paralegal studies. Currently, a small number of
schools offer bachelors' or masters' degrees in paralegal
studies. A few employers train paralegals on the job, hiring
college graduates with no legal experience or promoting
experienced legal secretaries. Others have gained experience in
a technical field useful to law firms, like tax preparation for
tax and estate planning, criminal justice, nursing or health
administration for personal injury practice.
With 250+ paralegal programs approved by the American Bar
Association (ABA) and an estimated 1,000 colleges and
universities, law schools and proprietary schools offering
formal paralegal training programs - the field is highly
represented. Although many programs don't require ABA approval,
graduating from an ABA-approved program can enhance one's
employment opportunities - it's a credibility thing for some
employers.
Program admission requirements vary greatly - from a few college
credits or courses to a bachelor's degree for others, to high
school graduates, those with legal experience, passing a
standardized test, to simply having a favorable personal
interview.
Many legal assistant and paralegal programs include 2-year
associate degree programs, 4-year bachelor degree programs and
certificate programs that can take as little as a few months to
complete. Most certificate programs provide intensive and
specialized paralegal training for individuals who already hold
college degrees. On the other hand, associate and bachelor
degree programs usually combine paralegal training with courses
in other academic subjects.
Obviously, the quality of paralegal training programs can vary
with the higher quality programs usually including job placement
services.
Courses range from introducing students to the legal
applications of computers, including how to perform legal
research on the Internet to more and more paralegal training
programs offering internships to assist students in gaining
practical experience by working for several months in the real
world. Internships could be with a private law firm, the office
of a public defender or attorney general, a bank, a corporate
legal department, a legal aid organization or a government
agency. Clearly, the experience gained is an asset when one is
seeking a job after graduation and for many can lead to a job
with the company they interned with.
Most employers don't require certification but earning a
voluntary certificate from a professional society does have its
advantages when it comes to finding a job. The National
Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) has established standards
for certification that requires various combinations of
education and experience. Paralegals who meet their standards
are eligible to take a 2-day examination, offered three times a
year at one of
several regional testing centers. Those who pass
can then use the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) designation.
NALA also offers an advanced paralegal certification for those
who want to specialize in specific areas of the law.
The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam offers professional
recognition to legal assistants and paralegals that have earned
a bachelor's degree and have at least 2 years of experience.
Once they pass this test they can use the Registered Paralegal
(RP) designation.
Legal assistants and paralegals must have the ability to
document and present their findings and opinions to their
supervising attorneys. They also need to understand legal
terminology, have good research and investigative skills and be
able to do legal research using a computer and the internet.
They also need to stay abreast of new developments in the laws
that affect their area of expertise. The most common way many
legal assistants and paralegals expand their knowledge is by
participating in continuing legal education seminars.
Because legal assistants and paralegals deal with the public on
an ongoing basis they need to be "shining examples" of ethical
standards for the legal profession. The National Association of
Legal Assistants, the National Federation of Paralegal
Associations and a few States have established ethical
guidelines for them to follow.
Employment Outlook Legal assistants and paralegals held about
224,000 jobs in 2004 with about 70% being employed by private
law firms; most of the remainder worked for corporate legal
departments and various levels of government. Within the Federal
Government, the U.S. Department of Justice is the largest
employer, followed by the Social Security Administration and the
U.S. Department of the Treasury. A small number of paralegals
own their own businesses and work as freelance legal assistants,
contracting their services to attorneys or corporate legal
departments.
As a whole, employment in this field is projected to grow much
faster than average. The current trend of employers trying to
reduce costs by hiring paralegals to perform duties formerly
carried out by lawyers is expected to continue into the
foreseeable future. As a result, employment opportunities are
projected to grow much faster than average for the next 10 years
or so.
As in all fields, compensation varies greatly due to the high
number of variables but in general, salaries depend on
education, training, experience, the type and size of employer
and the geographic location of the job. As a whole, legal
assistants and paralegals who work for large law firms or in
large metropolitan areas earn more than those who work for
smaller firms or in less populated regions. In addition to
salary, many also receive bonuses. In mid 2004, the average
salary for all legal assistants or paralegal was a tad over
$39,000 per year.
This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.
About the author:
Kevin Erickson is an entrepreneur and writer. For other articles
he's written visit: Paralegal Schools | Travel Nursing | Medical
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