lawyer

Paralegals and legal assistants are professionals who work alongside lawyers (or sometimes in place of them in order to cut costs). They may be employed by law firms, corporations or government agencies. They are not the same as.

legal secretaries, but some legal assistants do routinely complete clerical duties. If this sounds interesting, a paralegal degree online could be for you.

Some of the typical duties of paralegals and legal assistants include:

• Drafting reports
• Researching laws or case facts
• Preparing contracts and formal documents
• Overseeing client communications (in addition to some administrative tasks).

Employment Data for Paralegals According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is expected to grow by 18% between and . [ii]
• Candidates for these positions should see another 46, 900 jobs added to the U.S. economy during this time period. [iii]
• Median Salary: $46,680 per year [i]

According to O*Net s survey, 44 percent of responding paralegals hold a bachelor degree. [iv] Bachelor degrees in paralegal studies may be great options for those who hope to work in mainstream office environments and/or advance to roles where general education is valued. Completing a bachelor degree is also a requirement for anyone who hopes to pursue graduate school, law school, or advanced paralegal studies.

If you already have a bachelor s in another subject, an online paralegal certificate may be a good option, as some programs only take a couple months to complete. [v] You can also earn your paralegal degree online, which typically combine courses in paralegal training with other academic subjects.

[i] bls.gov/ooh/Legal/Paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm#tab-1 [ii] bls.gov/ooh/Legal/Paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm#tab-6 [iii] bls.gov/ooh/Legal/Paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm#tab-6 [iv] onetonline.org/link/summary/23-.00 [v] bls.gov/ooh/Legal/Paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm#tab-4