How Much Does a Paralegal Make in Today’s Job Market?

As the legal profession comes under constant pressure by clients to lower the cost of legal services, lawyers and law firms are constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency and lower overhead.  In many cases that could mean hiring more paralegals that perform the some tasks that previously, only a lawyer would perform.  Further, many larger corporations have internal legal teams that also have begun to rethink their processes and project staffing requirements and started using paralegals for much more than simple administrative functions.

What do Paralegals do?

Paralegals provide a variety of support functions for lawyers and law firms that include administrative, organizational, investigative, research and drafting legal documents.  They perform this work to help lawyers and law firms prepare for hearings, trials and corporate meetings.  In some firms, paralegals also have a lot of direct contact with clients and help attorneys with interviews, data collection, meeting scheduling, exhibit collection and organization before and during trials or meetings.

What is the Job Outlook for Paralegals?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Paralegal employment is expected to grow 17% between 2012 and 2022.  This is faster than the projected growth total of all occupations and even faster than the growth total for legal occupations.

The competition for these positions will be tough since this job field attracts so many applicants.  Formally trained paralegals with strong organizational skills, computer skills and database management skills will have the most success seeking employment in this field.

How Much Does a Paralegal Make?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – Occupational and Employment Wages Webpage, Paralegals earn about $75,410.00 per year in the top 10% of all paralegal positions and around $29,420.00 in the bottom 10% with a Median earnings level of $46,990.00 or $22.59/hour.

How to become a paralegal…

There are a couple of different ways to become a paralegal. Some people enroll in a career college paralegal program to earn an associate’s degree or paralegal certificate. On the other hand, some employers hire entry-level paralegals without any experience or paralegal training and then train them on the job.  Most of these jobs however, will require a bachelor’s degree or a certain amount of on the job experience to be considered.

For more information about a career in the paralegal field, or to speak with an admissions representative and apply for career training, contact Centura College today by visiting our Paralegal Law Webpage.  You can also learn more about Centura College at our Consumer Information Disclosure page, Your right to know.

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SOURCES:
[tabs slidertype=”simple”] [tab]Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor/Occupational Outlook Handbook – from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/Legal/Paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm#tab-1, tab-4, tab5 & tab 6 (visited 1/31/2014)[/tab]  [/tabs]

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