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The Good Prospects For Paralegals

08.21.2009 · Posted in Home and Garden Articles

Times are tough for many people right now, but one profession that is seeing a lot of growth is paralegals who have a good work history and education. It might even be the case that paralegals are in demand precisely because times are hard right now. Paralegals do most of the behind the scenes work for lawyers. The kind of work that must be done but isn’t necessarily the best way for the lawyer to spend his time. nnIn other words, it costs a lot to retain a good lawyer, and when things start getting difficult, fewer people can afford those services. And that means that lawyers, just like people in any other industry, have to make a lot less money go a lot further. They can do this by delegating a lot of work to their paralegals.nnReally, all the work that goes on in the background is the responsibility of the paralegal. Their duties are varied and can include the following: drafting contracts like separation agreements or mortgages, drafting affidavits, motions, or pleadings. They also might investigate case facts, find relevant case law, and prepare legal briefs. They can also help with varied documents for cases that don’t require actually going to court. nnParalegals cannot, however, do anything that would be considered “practicing law.” What this means is that there are a number of activities that only a fully certified lawyer can legally perform. A paralegal cannot, for example, give legal advice, set legal fees, or present a case in court.nnParalegals have many more opportunities than seems obvious at first. When you get a paralegal studies degree, you have the skills to work in any industry that does document supervision, litigation preparation, legal research or just plain interviewing. All these skills are such that they can be used in more industries than you think. nnThe typical career path for a paralegal would be to go to work for a private law firm. This is natural and there’s nothing wrong with it, as most paralegal jobs are at places like that. But paralegals shouldn’t get the idea that their skills couldn’t be utilized elsewhere as well. Many places such as corporations, federal agencies, banks, and others, require the type of skills that paralegals have. nnObtaining a paralegal degree is a relatively easy task. Whether you choose to go with the online certification route or the total master’s degree both will have some credibility. Different jobs might take different education levels, but generally, you can get started as a paralegal with little experience compared to other jobs. nnCurrently and in to the future, law firms and corporations are going to really start requiring more out of their paralegals. From more education to more smarts and abilities to take on harder tasks, they will become more demanding. But that will only make the industry more fulfilling and the rewards greater than they were in the past.

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