There are numerous reasons why people are choosing a career as a paralegal. For instance, were you aware that the average paralegal salary is nearly $34,000 a year? And that's just for state and local work. Legal assistants who work for the Federal government have the chance to be paid twice as much. In addition to the excellent salary, you may not choose to pursue a traditional paralegal degree to qualify for a position. Law firms are in real demand of legal assistants with experience. If you have experience performing the duties of a paralegal, you should have a higher rate of job opportunities than most.
For all these reasons, it only makes good sense that paralegal careers are becoming so popular. Want to learn what your job would be like as a paralegal?
For starters, paralegals are actually legal assistants. It is true that the words are virtually interchangeable. Legal assistants help lawyers with many of their day-to-day tasks, they cannot provide legal guidance. A paralegal job description may consist of preparing legal documents, performing research, and doing a great deal of the prep work for attorneys. Paralegals can work in many different specialties; from medical law to criminal law. Approximately 70% of all paralegals in the U.S. are employed within a law firm.
There are not too many (if any) requirements for working as a legal assistant through much of the U.S. While there is no set standard in paralegal education, a certification is found desirable by many law firms across the nation. Here are two popular exams leading to certifications:
Certified Legal Assistant Exam (CLA exam) offered through the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA).
PACE (or Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam) which is offered by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA).
Since the certifications usually have requirements in order to take them, you may also consider gaining an education in paralegal studies. You may select courses at a variety of levels (including baccalaureate and graduate level programs).
It is possible to gain employment as a paralegal with no formal education or certification, but you may gross lower pay. Many law firms do seek out individuals with training and past experience in paralegal work. It will only make finding employment as a paralegal easier if you gain qualifications before looking for your first job.
