Although attorneys remain primarily responsible for all legal work they perform in connection with professional practice, paralegals assume a lot of the workload. This largely depends upon on the specific type of case and the amount of preparation necessary for its proper presentation in court, corporate conferences, or realty closings.
Paralegals conduct much of the behind-the-scene research and investigations into factual and legal aspects of cases, in addition to compiling and organizing pertinent information, and locating ancillary legal materials like law review articles to assist attorneys in preparing various written and verbal arguments. All such tasks are taken into account by prospective attorney-employers when establishing specific paralegal salary levels.
Other common paralegal tasks include drafting contracts, initiating mortgage applications, trust fund establishment, tax return preparation, and estate planning on behalf of clients. In addition, they keep important files and documents properly organized in order to ensure that they are easily accessible for further review and analysis by the lawyer. When information is organized, analyzed, and researched ver well, it is much easier for attorneys to isolate the pertinent facts and legal precedents that apply to specific cases. Paralegals may also be involved in overall office management, law firm financial records maintenance, and staff supervisory positions. Such duties are sure to have major impact upon the level of paralegal salary that one may realistically expect.
Paralegal Training and Education
Associate’s level degrees are a very common academic credential aspiring paralegals to attain. Such studies are typically offer by local junior or community colleges. As of this writing, more than 1,000 law schools, universities, and local colleges offer formal paralegal studies programs. Upon completion, graduates receive degrees and professional certification to qualify for entry-level paralegal positions.
Many large law practices and legal associations also provide apprenticeships and practical paralegal training on-the-job. New college graduates without any prior paralegal experience may be hired, or legal secretaries can be promoted for further training. This is very beneficial for law firms, because it allows them to hire trained personnel at a lower paralegal salary level than more experienced applicants could command.
Worksite Atmosphere
The majority of professional paralegals work 40 hours per week in governmental agencies, corporate legal departments, or law firms. A lot of these employers hire paralegals who possess varying levels of experience and expertise in personal injury, domestic relations, corporate, criminal defense, labor law, real estate law, employee benefit, or immigration law. Thus, their professional duties will vary widely. Professional subspecialties in complicated legal fields also exist in specialized practice niches. Examples include divorce or bankruptcy law. Such positions often offer higher starting paralegal salary ranges.
Occupational Outlook and Wage Level
Per the US Dept. of Labor, paralegal employment is expected to grow faster than average through the year 2018. Job competition is also expected to increase accordingly. Paralegal salary ranges will thus vary widely, with specific annual wages being largely dependent upon an applicant’s individualized training, education, and experience level. Employer type and size, as well as geographical location are also major factors that heavily impact average paralegal salary. As of 2008, full-time paralegal pay averaged between $36,090 and $59,314 per year. The top 10 percent of paralegals earned over $73,000 annually.