An Overview of the Paralegal Profession

The paralegal profession began so that law firms could bill the paralegal's time at a much lower rate than an attorney. As you can imagine, a firm can charge less by having a paralegal prepare the first draft of legal documents and then have the drafts reviewed by an attorney later.

Even though paralegals are not allowed to give legal advice or present cases in courts of law, there is much behind the scenes work that must be done for virtually any type of legal situation.

Most paralegals have either an associate's degree in the paralegal studies or a bachelor's degree in a different field along with a paralegal certificate. Currently, there is no set education standard for paralegals, but usually the more education you gain, the more you earn.

Formally trained paralegals with experience tend to earn more and have the best chances of gaining the top positions. So although this field in experiencing rapid growth, there is competition.

Some statistics on the paralegal profession include:

• Over 50% of all paralegals have Bachelor's Degree
• Nearly 70% have taken a form of approved Paralegal Studies
• Nearly 70% are employed at a law firm
• Average salary is over $44K
• Over 90% of all individuals in the paralegal profession were female in 2003
• Average age of an individual in the paralegal profession is 40