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Paralegal Careers

Paralegals support lawyers by completing many of the tasks required in a legal setting, with the explicit exception of offering legal advice to clients. If you are interested in a career as a paralegal, you should understand what paralegals do, common paralegal requirements and resources by state, different types of paralegal careers, and salary and job outlook information for paralegals. If you wish to join this growing profession of over 366,000 paralegals, continue reading.1

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What Is a Paralegal?

Paralegals are skilled professionals who play a vital role in supporting attorneys and enhancing the efficiency of legal services. Their expertise spans various industries and areas of law, adapting to the specific needs of each setting. Paralegals typically:

  • Work under the supervision of licensed attorneys
  • Cannot provide legal advice or represent clients in court
  • Assist attorneys with tasks like legal research, document preparation, and case management
  • Are employed across diverse environments, including law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies, and nonprofits
  • Often specialize in a particular area of law, shaping their responsibilities:
    • Administrative law paralegals: Compile case law, prepare expert witnesses, and analyze legislation for agencies
    • Criminal law paralegals: Frequently attend court to file documents or take notes during trials
    • Family law paralegals: Focus on drafting and reviewing legal documents, including wills, trusts, and partnership agreements
    • Litigation paralegals: Prepare documents and coordinate meetings for dispute resolution methods like arbitration and mediation

Paralegal Job Description

A paralegal’s primary role is to support lawyers. They may work closely with one attorney or a team. In larger firms, their work tends to be more specialized, while in smaller firms, their responsibilities are more general. Larger firms typically offer more complex tasks and greater career growth opportunities. Regardless of firm size, accurate time tracking is critical, as law firms rely on billable hours for client billing and court submissions. Common paralegal tasks include:

  • Assisting attorneys with case research, document preparation, file maintenance, and trial preparation
  • Researching and analyzing case facts and legal issues
  • Organizing case files and legal documents
  • Interviewing witnesses to gather evidence
  • Drafting legal reports, memos, briefs, and procedural motions
  • Taking notes during attorney meetings or court proceedings
  • Collaborating with teams of paralegals, attorneys, and support staff on cases
  • Offering recommendations to attorneys
  • Taking on supervisory roles like paralegal manager, director of practice support, or senior paralegal. Under these roles, they manage legal staff, oversee recruitment and training, and delegate tasks within the legal team
  • Preparing for trials, drafting legal documents, and filing paperwork with the courts

Paralegal Career Information by State

For more specific information about your state’s employment outlook, pay, requirements, and career opportunities, click on your state below.

Types of Paralegal Careers

Paralegal careers include a range of specializations, each focusing on a specific area of the law. Below are some common areas of specialization within the paralegal profession.

Bankruptcy Paralegal

Bankruptcy paralegals specialize in bankruptcy law, an area that is both intricate and constantly evolving. Since individuals and businesses have different legal requirements when declaring bankruptcy, some paralegals choose to specialize in either personal or corporate bankruptcy law. Bankruptcy paralegals spend significant time preparing legal documents and gathering necessary materials, often involving forensic research or accounting tasks.

Corporate Paralegal

Corporate paralegals specialize in all aspects of corporate law, from monitoring for compliance with state and federal regulations to assisting corporations with legal matters such as lawsuits. Corporate paralegals may choose to specialize in areas like patent law, tax law, employment law, or mergers and acquisitions. Corporations frequently rely on skilled paralegals, either in-house or from external legal firms, to navigate complex regulations, providing strong job security in this field.

Corporate Paralegal Career Interviews and Advice

Criminal Law Paralegal

Criminal law paralegals focus on the legal processes related to criminal cases. They may work on either side of the legal system–supporting prosecuting attorneys or defense lawyers. Some criminal law paralegals specialize in specific types of crimes, such as violent crimes, financial crimes, or drug offenses, allowing them to build expertise and provide more valuable assistance to their employers.

Immigration Paralegal

Immigration paralegals are experts in the complex and ever-changing area of US immigration law. They assist in navigating the immigration process and also support the enforcement of immigration laws. Immigration paralegals often participate directly in strategy meetings with attorneys, offering a unique learning experience compared to other paralegal specializations.

Litigation Paralegal

Litigation paralegals play a vital role in legal proceedings. Unlike other specialties where court appearances may be minimal, litigation paralegals are deeply involved in the court process. They specialize in understanding the rules, procedures, and requirements of local, state, and federal courts. Their expertise helps attorneys stay organized and meet critical deadlines, preventing errors that could jeopardize a case.

Litigation Paralegal Career Interviews and Advice

Personal Injury Paralegal

Personal injury paralegals specialize in tort law, which covers wrongs committed by one party against another’s person or property. These cases often involve civil claims, such as suing for damages following an injury, rather than criminal charges. Personal injury paralegals support cases that seek financial compensation or court orders to prevent harmful actions, making this a dynamic and consistently active area of law.

Additional Paralegal Career Interviews and Advice

Paralegal Salary and Career Outlook

According to recent reports from the BLS, there were approximately 366,200 paralegals employed across the United States.1 The BLS projects an increase of 1% in paralegal jobs from 2023 to 2033, which is slower than the average for all occupations at 4%.1 Many law firms have increased their reliance on paralegals to reduce costs, leading to a greater demand for paralegal professionals. Additionally, paralegal jobs are unlikely to be outsourced, as tasks such as filing important documents and attending hearings or dispositions often require a physical presence. Since many law firms are based in urban areas, job opportunities for paralegals tend to be more abundant in cities. Paralegal job applicants with a solid foundation in legal coursework and an area of expertise should fare competitively.

According to the BLS, the median annual pay for paralegals was $60,970, but salary can vary by location, education, and experience.1 The highest-earning 10% of paralegals earned more than $98,830, while the lowest-earning 10% earned less than $39,710.1 California had the highest employment level of paralegals and legal assistants, with 39,220 employed.2 Washington DC had the highest concentration of paralegal jobs and was also the top-paying state for paralegals.2

There are several channels you can use to look for paralegal jobs, including our national jobs board, state and local job boards, LinkedIn, and your state and local paralegal association. Students can find support and tips concerning paralegal education and the profession through professional organizations such as the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and NALA, the Paralegal Association.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between paralegals and lawyers?

Unlike lawyers, paralegals cannot provide legal services or advice directly to the public. Instead, they must work under the supervision of an attorney, who is ultimately liable for their work. Paralegals cannot be called “officers of the court,” cannot be “counsel of record” in court proceedings, and cannot sign court documents (except in limited circumstances, such as functioning as a notary).

Are paralegals licensed?

In the US there is no equivalent of a “licensed paralegal” like there is for a “licensed attorney.” Some states require paralegals to meet certain standards and become certified or registered at the state level, but most states do not regulate the profession. In all states, paralegals can seek voluntary certification from organizations such as NALA or NFPA. Pursuing voluntary certifications through these organizations can enhance paralegals’ credentials, increasing their value to employers and competitiveness in the job market by demonstrating professional competency and staying up-to-date with legal developments. You can read more about state and voluntary national certification on our how to become a paralegal page.

Do paralegals go to law school?

No. Unlike lawyers, paralegals and legal assistants do not have to go to law school. Most paralegals, however, do seek degrees in the field. You can read more about degree options for paralegals on our paralegal degrees guide.

Are paralegals in high demand?

According to the BLS, the job outlook for paralegals is below average.1 Compared to other occupations, employment of paralegals is projected to grow at a slower rate: 1% between 2023 to 2033, compared to 4% for other professions.1 Still, that amounts to about 37,300 average annual paralegal job openings over those 10 years.1

References:
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Paralegals and Legal Assistants: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages, Paralegals and Legal Assistants: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes232011.htm