Paralegal Careers and Salaries

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Paralegals are the bridge between the law office and the courtroom. They perform a great deal of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into preparing and presenting cases, including research, fact-checking, preparing arguments, interviewing witnesses, and helping to manage the office.

Paralegal degree programs cover much the same ground as law school, but they are not as rigorous and demanding.

Paralegal graduates have a lot of the same knowledge and skills as law school graduates, but they can't sit for the bar exam. They are not lawyers, and as such cannot give legal advice or defend cases in the courtroom. However, they are in all other ways equal to lawyers, and lawyers depend a great deal on their paralegal and legal secretary teams.

Knowledge Required

Paralegals need to have strong computer skills, since so much of the research for and preparation of cases is done on computers. They also have to write a lot of legal documents. And finally, paralegals need a good grasp of legal theory, legal history, and current and upcoming court decisions -- it's absolutely imperative that they present factual information to their bosses.

Careers

A job in the field is fast-paced, exciting, and ever-evolving. It's also constantly stressful.

Successful paralegals are able to juggle several tasks at once, effectively delegate responsibility, communicate with others, and stay organized.

Most paralegals are required to take continuing education courses. They are also responsible for keeping the law office's library and software programs up to date.

Salaries

Salaries vary considerably. Paralegals working for large firms in big cities or for the federal government make more than those working for smaller private firms or state government.

Experience also counts for a lot. And certain branches of law pay better than others.

According to the latest numbers, the median salary for full-time paralegals across industries is $43,040 (including bonuses). In recent years, the top 10 percent eared more than $67,540, and the bottom 10 percent earned less than $27,450.