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Legal and Paralegal Career Highlights
What is a Paralegals or Legal Assistant?
What are paralegals and legal assistants?
If you’re fascinated by the legal system, or like research, a well paying career as a paralegal or legal assistant may be a good choice for you. Paralegals do everything a lawyer does, short of practicing law; that is setting legal fees, giving legal advice and presenting cases in court.
What do paralegals and legal assistants do?
Paralegals and legal assistants responsibilities will vary depending on the type of company they work for. Most work for law firms, corporate legal departments and government organizations. From the company level, areas of focus and specialties are broken down into a myriad of topics.
Duties of a paralegal or legal assistant include:
- Assisting lawyers prepare for hearings, trials or corporate meetings
- Fact checking and investigation
- Researching case law
- Writing case summaries
- Preparation and organization of case research, notes and legal documents
- Drafting legal documents like mortgages, contracts and instruments of trust
Legal and Paralegal Salary Range
$41,170 - Annual Legal and Paralegal Degree Salary
$29,300 - Average U.S. Salary
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2005)
Legal and Paralegal Job Outlook
Employment for paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow much faster than average over the next ten years. Law firms are hiring more paralegals and legal assistants to free up lawyers time and many companies are creating internal legal departments to lower costs.
Average Salary
The median annual salary for a paralegal or legal assistant was $41,170 including bonuses in 2005. Because these positions are in high demand and because of their competitive nature, salaries are expected to increase yearly. Salaries usually depend on the kind of education and experience the paralegal has. The type and size of employer and job location also affect the salary of a paralegal and legal assistant.