Among the factors boosting the paralegal profession are law firms who are hiring paralegals more often to decrease costs and increase availability of
legal services. Paralegals are also noted to increase the efficiency of legal services.
Not only is the paralegal a quickly growing profession, but the average salary of a paralegal across the country is not too shabby either. According to the Department of Labor, the U.S. average salary for a paralegal is $47,600. Furthermore, the Illinois Paralegal Association conducted a salary survey which concluded that just about 75 percent of their members are currently making over $50,000.
Bill Goren, the paralegal program coordinator for South Suburban College in Northwest Indiana, touted his program as among the most credible in the country. ''Our program is the only paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association in South Suburban Cook County,'' said Goren. ''Our school works hard to stay in compliance with the ABA guidelines so that our students get the most out of their education.''
In addition to the
paralegal profession, another job in the legal field that doesn't fall under the lawyer scope is a court reporter, another profession covered by South Suburban College, whose court reporting program is approved by the National Court Reporting Association.
Don Dalton, the coordinator for SSC's court reporting program says that, ''[Court] reporting is a profession which offers independence, flexibility, mobility, excellent income, and challenging exciting work environments.'' He added that ''Students who complete the state exam can make $70,000 annually.''
