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Industry Facts
As law firms seek to become more efficient and lower costs to
their clients, paralegals are becoming increasingly important
to the legal profession.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Paralegals
and legal assistants are projected to grow faster than the average
for all occupations through 2010” due to the lower cost
and increased availability and efficiency of paralegals in delivering
legal services (U.S. Dept. of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,
2002-03 Edition, 5/14/03).
The Bureau further states, “[t]he majority of jobngs
for paralegals in the future will be new jobs created by rapid
employment growth”.
What is a paralegal?
In
1997, The American Bar Association adopted the following definition:
“A legal assistant or paralegal is a person qualified
by education, training or work experience who is employed or
retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental
agency or other entity who performs specifically delegated substantive
legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.”
What do paralegals do?
Paralegals perform numerous important tasks,
including aiding attorneys to prepare for closings, hearings,
trials, and corporate meetings. Paralegals also investigate
facts of cases, conduct client and witness interviews, conduct
legal research, identify appropriate laws and issues, and analyze
and organize reports and information. Paralegals may also aid
attorneys in the preparation of pleadings and motions, and in
the filing of innumerable other types of documents. Paralegals
also help prepare contracts, mortgages, separation agreements,
tax returns and assist in estate planning.
Where do paralegals work?
All types of organizations, including law
firms, corporations and various government offices, employ
paralegals. In these organizations, they primarily work in
the areas of litigation, corporate law, real estate, personal
injury, bankruptcy and family law. Within specialties, functions
are often further narrowed so that paralegals may deal with
a very specific practice area.
Working conditions
Paralegals who work for corporations and
government usually work standard 40-hour weeks, while law
firm paralegals can work significantly longer hours under
special circumstances.
Employment
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics,
there were 188,000 paralegals employed in 2000. Most of these
paralegals worked in private law firms, while a smaller percentage
worked in legal departments at corporations and in government.
Within the Federal Government, the U.S. Department
of Justice is the largest employer, followed by the U.S. Departments
of Treasury and Defense. Paralegals also find employment at
the State and local government levels, as well as at publicly
funded legal service centers, banks, real estate development
companies and insurance companies.
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A small percentage of paralegals, after establishing
themselves, start their own businesses and work as “freelance”
legal assistants – independently contracting their services
to various attorneys, firms or legal departments.
Salaries
Salaries of paralegals differ greatly,
as you would expect, based on each individual’s experience
and skillset, area of practice, and employer. However, here
are some basic facts regarding earnings:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
in 2000, the median annual earnings of paralegals in the U.S.
was $35,360, while the middle 50 percent earned between $28,700
and $45,010. The top 10 percent of these paralegals earned
more than $56,060 while the bottom 10 percent earned less
than $23,350.
Median annual earnings in the industries employing
the largest numbers of paralegals in 2000 were as follows:
Federal Government: $48,560
Legal Services: $34,230
Local Government: $34,120
State Government: $32,680
According to the National Association of Legal
Assistants, paralegals in 2000 had an average salary of $38,000,
and many received bonuses, which averaged about $2,400.
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