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Starting a Career as a Paralegal

published October 13, 2008

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left
Published By
( 21 votes, average: 4.6 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
<<Some other roles for paralegals include helping to prepare legal documents, drafting motions, obtaining affidavits, and organizing case files. Indeed, you can see that there is a very wide range of tasks that paralegals perform, so if you want to work as a paralegal, you need to be flexible and able to pick up new techniques quickly. It's also critical that you be able to work under pressure from time constraints.

In order to become a paralegal, you can take many paths. For example, you may have little or no education, just on-the-job experience, but this can be just as valuable within the profession as somebody who has a master's degree in another subject. Some of the minimum requirements/skills a paralegal career requires are successful completion of the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) exam or graduation from a course for legal assistants. A bachelor's degree does not necessarily mean that you can automatically work in the field; such a degree needs to be approved by the ABA (American Bar Association).


A paralegal does not have to be licensed; instead, paralegals tend to be ''registered'' or ''certified,'' which is voluntary in most states. The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) offer the two-day exam that aspiring paralegals must pass to earn the CLA credential. This credential is not essential, but it is highly recommended as it could help you a lot in your paralegal career.

Some of the more traditional approaches to becoming a paralegal include gaining an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, or a master's degree. An associate degree can be achieved by spending two years in college. The courses involved are generally half paralegal courses and half general education. A bachelor's degree typically requires four years at a university. Finally, some colleges and universities that offer paralegal degree programs at the undergraduate level are also offering a master's degree in the field.

<<You can have a paralegal anywhere that law is practiced; anywhere that a lawyer works, you can work. You can't be a ''solo practitioner,'' however, as you need to be supervised by an attorney, and it is important that before you start you make sure you decide which area of law is most appealing to you because you need to focus your attention on that area.

A lawyer employs paralegals to make his or her job easier, not harder, so you need to be the kind of person who can get a task done with minimal fuss. In the uncertain economic times that we are going through currently, many law firms are trying to streamline their expenditures, so if anything they are hiring more paralegals than lawyers.

A paralegal job pays very well. The average paralegal in America earns $47,600 per year, and if you are in the government, that figure is more like $53,000. If you are lucky enough to get into a larger law firm, then you may even earn up to $100,000 per year.

The key to a paralegal career is to be sure that you want to do it. If it's something you really want to do, then it's definitely worth getting some form of paralegal education as this will automatically put you ahead of most other people. And again, make sure you decide which area you want to focus on and stick to it, whether it be real estate or criminal law. The legal sector is expected to grow by 33% within the next decade, so there are more opportunities for aspiring paralegals than ever.

Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.

published October 13, 2008

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left
( 21 votes, average: 4.6 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.