Due to the rising cost of hiring outside counsel, corporations are performing more of their legal work themselves. According to one of the former presidents of the American Corporate Counsel Association, "You are going to see more and more companies handling litigation in house-not just managing litigation, but actually handling it." Consequently, corporate legal departments (often headed by a vice president and general counsel) are hiring paralegals at unprecedented rates. Corporate paralegals assist with such activities as
- Real estate leases, purchases, and sales
- Labor regulations
- Employee benefits
- Contracts administration
- Franchising
- Trademark and copyright matters
- Environmental compliance
- Securities transactions
- Annual meetings and annual reports
- In-house litigation support
Students who research their target companies thoroughly and present a detailed internship proposal will often be well-received and used fully. The contacts that can be made and the experience that is gained can lead to positions in various departments of the corporation. It can also be useful for future employment in a law office that serves corporate clients.
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Other Law-Related Corporate Work
Law-related work is also performed in corporate offices other than the legal department by employees whose job title may not be "paralegal" but who nevertheless benefit greatly from paralegal training. Three examples follow:
- The personnel (or human resources) office may need someone to work in employee benefits and compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) rules in hiring and promotion.
- A separate office of contracts administration may need someone familiar with contracts law, commercial law, and the Uniform Commercial Code in preparing proposals, following through on negotiations, and developing costs and budget information.
- An office on government compliance may need someone skilled in understanding regulatory law and carrying out reporting procedures.
Law-related work in the corporate setting is by no means limited to the legal department. Students interested in the corporate sector must check the functions of numerous corporate offices where a great deal of law-related work is often being done.
Allied Fields
Allied fields include businesses, industries, and other enterprises that are highly regulated or that provide major law-related services. They include real estate businesses, insurance offices, banks, and many nonprofit activist or service organizations. You will rarely find the word paralegal as a job title in these fields, but that does not signal a lack of opportunities. On the contrary, the nature of their business often requires staff, who are educated in legal principles and procedures.
Increasingly, paralegal graduates are finding rewarding careers outside of the law office in these law-related fields. Not all schools permit students to intern in non-law-office settings, however. If one of these allied fields appeals to you, be sure to check with your program director before applying for an internship there.
The Real Estate Industry
Every time real estate is bought, sold, developed, mortgaged, managed, or leased, a myriad of legal procedures must be followed. Real estate sales offices, residential and commercial development companies, mortgage companies, and firms managing rental properties are examples of settings where a paralegal background is often useful. Many of these offices have begun to see the benefits of having on their staff someone with paralegal training. In states where title companies have legitimately replaced private practitioners in searching titles and preparing title abstracts, additional employment and internship opportunities exist and valuable skills can be learned. A resourceful student with an interest in real estate can often uncover-or even create- interesting internship opportunities in these areas.
The Insurance Industry
A highly regulated field whose professionals frequently interact with lawyers, the insurance industry has long offered alternate careers for paralegals. Claims representatives and adjusters, for example, benefit enormously from paralegal education in litigation procedures, torts, and personal injury law. Insurance sales personnel gain from the paralegal's familiarity with estate planning principles, including the laws of inheritance, taxation, and property.
Positions in the insurance industry often require specialized on-the-job training in addition to a college degree. Interning for an insurance company may lead to a trainee position faster and more surely than approaching an office after graduation, without that connection. You can help smooth the way by mentioning, in your internship proposal, that a certain trainee position is your goal.
The Banking Industry
The banking business, of course, consists of more than tellers and check handlers. Commercial banks, savings banks, trust companies, mortgage companies, credit unions, and savings and loans provide many law-related services for which paralegal training is a definite asset. Lending offices and mortgage departments require personnel who are knowledgeable about laws and procedures surrounding personal and real property. Many banks also have trust departments-usually headed or staffed by lawyers-serving as fiduciaries and managers for large trusts. Trust departments often help customers with their estate planning needs as well. Such operations require a thorough understanding of property law, estate planning, taxes, and the law of agency. Smaller, local banks are normally easier to approach about a possible internship than larger ones. Start by finding out who heads the department in which you want to intern and be well prepared with a list of related courses and sample assignments.
Nonprofit Organizations
Students who are activists at heart can put their paralegal training to valuable use in environmental protection groups, consumer protection organizations, health and counseling associations, senior citizen centers, labor unions, teachers' unions, and organizations promoting the legal and political rights of different segments of the population. In addition, nonprofit lawyer-referral programs and pro bono lawyers' networks-both of which may be sponsored by your state or local bar association-frequently welcome paralegal assistance. While gaining experience in screening complaints and referring cases, you can greatly expand your network of professional contacts in providing such services.
Nonprofit organizations typically depend on dues, donations, and grants for their existence, so resources are likely to be limited and internships in such settings are almost always unpaid. After graduation, however, a paid career in one of these settings is sometimes possible. For many, it is - 'a personal dream come true.'
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