| The paralegal profession is currently experiencing a | | | | employee benefits, labor law, criminal law, corporate |
| great deal of growth and prosperity. With the average | | | | law, government (at all levels), real estate and |
| USA annual salary averaging around $34,000 for local | | | | bankruptcy. And you'll find them working in personal |
| and state work, nearly double that for Federal | | | | injury law and litigation as well. |
| Government work, and much more in the private | | | | Career Tidbits |
| sector, it's no wonder this career field is growing. Let's | | | | The following list includes some interesting information |
| take a look at a few reasons why a career as a | | | | about this career field according to the U.S. |
| paralegal is so rewarding. | | | | Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Challenging Work | | | | Occupational Outlook Handbook. |
| Attorneys pass much of their workload along to | | | | - Paralegals most often work year round, although |
| paralegals, also known as legal assistants. Note that | | | | some temporary work is available. Although 40 hours |
| paralegals may not perform all attorney tasks, including | | | | is average, heavy workloads are a possibility. Work |
| setting legal fees, giving out legal advice, and presenting | | | | isn't always at the office; paralegals need to work in |
| court cases. | | | | libraries and often travel in order to gather relevant |
| Case preparation is part of the workload. Paralegals | | | | information. |
| help lawyers with background information and | | | | - In 2004, there were 224,000 paralegal jobs, with |
| research, legal history, case studies, fact-finding | | | | private practices employing roughly 7 out of 10 of |
| investigations, document preparation and analysis, plea | | | | them. |
| documents, folder, record and file handling. The work | | | | - Job opportunities for paralegals are projected to |
| they perform is often involved with hearings, trials, | | | | increase at a faster than average rate through 2014. |
| closing comments, and also corporate functions. | | | | There's no better time to check into being a paralegal |
| Jobs are available for paralegals in many types of | | | | than now! |
| companies and organizations. They work with | | | | |