Paralegal Salary Range

Apart from careers in medical and engineering, many people nowadays are opting for a career in legal services. Certainly, lawyers and attorneys are not common people. These are the ones that fight for justice and therefore have a different level of respect in the society. Now, career in law is not just becoming a lawyer, rather there are many other career opportunities which not only have an excellent career outlook, but also are high earning. Paralegal is one such career option.

The concept of paralegal services started developing somewhere in the 1960s, when lawyers strongly felt the need of trained legal assistants, that would help them in providing prompt and efficient legal services. Therefore, paralegals can be defined as well educated and trained professionals that render legal assistance services and also perform law related work under the supervision of lawyers. However, they are not licensed to pursue legal practice and provide direct legal advice to people. Now, this definition is just a glimpse of what paralegals do. Actually they are responsible for many more things.

Paralegal Job Description

We've already seen the definition and therefore got an idea of what exactly is the duty of paralegals. The following text is just an elaboration on the same, speaking about the job description of paralegals.

• The most important duty of paralegals is to assist the lawyers in legal work. However, besides this, they are expected to perform any law related work, assigned to them by the lawyers.
• Other duties and tasks performed by paralegals are, conducting research on legal cases under the supervision and guidance of the lawyer.
• Maintaining all the legal documentation and case files pertaining to the cases of lawyers.
• Initiating correspondence with the clients, pleading and also preparing drafts of legal documents.
• Explaining the case to the witnesses and also interrogating with them on a primary level. Maintaining contacts with the clients.
• Looking after the administrative and clerical work of the lawyer's office.
• Be present with the lawyer at the time of court hearings, trials, execution of wills, real estate closings etc.

Paralegal Educational Requirements

Paralegal has now become a recognized occupation and therefore many people are increasingly opting for paralegal jobs. Today, there are many colleges and institutions imparting training on paralegal services and taking care of all the certifications associated with it. Most of the people, go for a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies, while some other continue studying up to the master's level. These programs should be approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and also the candidate must clear the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) exam conducted by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). Besides, formal education, paralegals should also possess effective communication skills, deep knowledge and understanding of legal procedures and must be efficient with computers. Formal education is followed by 'on the job training' in the lawyer's office.

Salary Range for Paralegals

Although paralegals always remain assistants to the lawyers, the profession turns quite high earning with knowledge and practical experience. The lowest 10 percent of paralegals earn around USD 27000 - USD 30000, whereas the middle half earn somewhere around USD 35000. Salary range of the most experienced paralegals exceeds USD 65000. These are all approximate figures and it should be noted that the salary range depends upon the organization's size, volume of business and your understanding of the subject.

The career outlook for paralegals is excellent as their jobs are not confined to the lawyer's office. In fact, many multinational corporations, private firms and government offices, also require paralegal services for their lawyers and certainly, the pay scale in such ventures is quite high.