Legal Careers: Job Opportunities in the United States for Attorneys, Paralegals and Law Graduates

Summary

If you're curious about where to find the best job opportunities, you're not alone. Job hunting can be overwhelming, especially in a competitive job market. So, how do you know where to look?


A great place to start your job search is online. With the internet, you can quickly narrow down the market and research the best job opportunities. You can search for job postings on job boards, job search sites, and career sites. Additionally, connecting with recruiters and networking with professionals in your industry will help you stay informed about potential job openings.

You can also find job opportunities in local newspapers and magazines. Newspapers often carry job postings from employers and recruiters. Local magazines may also have job listings, job fairs, and articles about specific job opportunities.

Another way to find job openings is through job fairs and career expos. Such events can provide you with valuable contacts and put you in direct contact with employers. It's also a great way to network with professionals in your field and get a better understanding of the job market.

Social media is also a great tool for conducting job searches. LinkedIn is an excellent platform for connecting with recruiters, employers, and hiring managers. Additionally, Twitter and Facebook can help you find job openings and openings at specific companies.

Finally, don't forget the power of word-of-mouth. Asking people you know, such as family and friends, is a great way to find out about potential job openings. Talking to people in your network may help you uncover opportunities that you may not have otherwise known about.

Unsure of where to find the best job opportunities? Look no further! With the help of the internet, job boards, job search sites, career sites, newspapers, magazines, job fairs, career expos, social media, and word-of-mouth, you can find a great job opportunity. Start your job search today!
 

Job Growth in Certain Sectors

The need for workers in certain sectors is growing, with an increase in the demand for professionals in the medical and technical fields. Many U.S. employers are starting to see an influx of job applicants from diverse backgrounds and from different locations around the country. The job-seekers are eager to fill positions in the health care, technology, finance, and education sectors.
 

Employers are Hiring

As the economy improves and employers are able to hire more people, the job opportunities for qualified applicants are becoming more abundant. Job seekers should take advantage of the current job market. Major employers such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook are hiring in droves, as are numerous smaller businesses. Some of the most popular professional fields in which employers are actively seeking employees include healthcare, finance, marketing, engineering, and computer science.
 

High-Paying Careers

As the job market improves, certain high-paying career opportunities are becoming more available to those with the right qualifications and experience. For example, in the medical field, there is an ever-increasing demand for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Software engineers, information technology professionals, and financial analysts are also in high demand, with salaries that can range from six to seven figures.
 

Employers Value Specialized Skill Sets

In today's competitive job market, employers value specialized skill sets, such as data science, coding, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and machine learning. Those who possess these skills will find themselves in high demand, as employers are actively seeking professionals with a combination of technical and business acumen.
 

The Outlook for Job Seekers

Job seekers are in a strong position right now, as the current job market offers a wide range of high-paying career opportunities. Those who have the right qualifications, experience, and specialized skill sets should be able to find a position that meets their needs. With the demand for professionals in the medical and technical fields higher than ever, job seekers should be sure to stay informed about the current job market and remain open to new opportunities.

PARALEGALS

If you are looking for job security for the next decade, you may want to consider becoming a paralegal. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, paralegals are one of the fastest growing occupations, with hiring rates expected to increase 35% by 2012.

Mary Burns, president of the National Organization of Legal Professionals (or NALS), sees this growth reflecting in their membership base. ''The profession is still fairly fresh, new, and exciting,'' she said. ''Individuals…see the paralegal profession as a field they can help develop that also provides an opportunity for financial security.''

She attributes the growth in demand in part to the cost-savings opportunities afforded by clients who use paralegals to perform services at lower rates than the usual attorney fees.

Trends can change overnight, Ms. Burns added, but she also said that NALS members are reporting that immigration law seems to be a ''hot'' commodity right now. And not surprisingly, California, Texas, and New York are the regions to watch, with the greatest demand.

COURT REPORTERS

Even with the growing number of court cases, federal statistics show courthouse budgets will limit the number of reporters in the courtroom. But with new laws requiring closed captioning of all TV programming by 2006 and ADA mandates requiring ''real-time'' transcription of college lectures for hard-of-hearing students, court reporters may find new avenues of employment.

According to Marshall Jorpeland, a spokesman with the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), only 27% of their membership work in the courtroom. The rest do freelance deposition work or closed captioning. But the demand is there, he said. ''It is all anecdotal, but the overriding impression is that everyone can use more reporters.''

Salary has not yet caught up with the demand, however. A recent NCRA survey shows reporter salaries only increased four percent over the last two years to an average of $64,000 per year.

Though Mr. Jorpeland did not have specific numbers, based on postings on the NCRA website, New York and Florida seem to have the greatest need for deposition reporters. ''Opportunities for freelance deposition reporters will tend to follow population more so than job openings for officialships in the courts, as there is more law work in general in population centers,'' he added.

MARKETING

In the past, it was typically a partner's job to establish brand identity for a law firm. Today, savvier firms rely on marketing consultants to create communications and business plans.

It's a relatively new marketing niche, since it was illegal to advertise a law firm prior to 1975. But the field is growing. The Legal Marketing Association--the industry's largest professional organization--has seen membership jump from 1,700 just three years ago to 2,400 today.

Competition can be fierce and turnover quick, said Andy Havens, a strategic marketing consultant and co-founder of Sanestorm Marketing, who has seen salaries for marketing directors increase by 50 % over the past three years, and the tenure for marketing chiefs average at 2 years. ''Law is based on precedent, whereas marketing is all about taking controlled risks, being the first to do something,'' Mr. Havens says. ''And lawyers hate risks.''

To succeed, Mr. Haven recommends legal marketers hone their written communications skills. This is not an advertising-heavy industry. Instead, firms need people who can write releases and work with the Internet. A level of financial acumen would help, as would familiarity with public relations. ''You'll be working with people not just in the legal industry but in the business community,'' he said.

Florida is the ''hot area pick'' for legal marketing right now, Mr. Havens said, due in part to a large retirement population that is keeping investment lawyers and estate planners busy. He has also seen some fallout in Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. ''But that may just be that those cities have been very hard hit by the economy,'' he said. And, today, it is not uncommon for the chief marketing director at a law firm to push six figures, making upwards of $200,00 per year. Entry-level legal marketers can expect to make as much as $35,000 per year.

IT PROFESSIONALS

IT professionals are in high demand across industries, according to a survey by the Information Technology Association. Last year alone, the IT workforce grew by 213,639 jobs, raising the national IT workforce to 10.5 million.

Though demand is consistent across geographic regions, job boards regularly indicate the greatest demand in large urban law centers: Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and New York City among others. Salaries for those in legal IT are comparable to IT positions in other fields. According to Salary.com, IT managers can expect to make $80,000 to $100,000 per year.

In a field where reliable information is a commodity, the legal industry provides a unique IT niche. Hardware reliability is paramount, said Pete Riley, general counsel for Irvine-based Sarnoff Court Reporters and Legal Technologies. ''Lawyers are not state-of-the-art technology adopters. They can't afford to have technology fail on them, so the technology has to be bulletproof.''

Legal ITs should be independent enough to scope out updates and new releases and be aware of potential security risks. Web-based services allowing access to documents, evidence, and even digitized material away from the office is a growing trend. ''People in IT are heavy in demand,'' Mr. Riley added. ''It can be secure but stressful.''