Questions for paralegals or those familiar with the profession.?

1. I'd say it pays well, since you often don't need a 4 year degree. Paralegals around here can make $50-70,000 a year; in big cities they can easily make six figures (with experience).

2. No.

3. I think it depends. Bigger practices will pay paralegals more. Practices that require their paralegals to do more (like witness interviews, trial prep, etc) may also pay more. My suggestion would be to do something that you LOVE (if that's doing deals, reading docs for litigation, etc.) more than the area that pays the best.

4. I don't know... the paralegals I knwo like their jobs.

5. I think it depends. Litigation paralegals who are on a "trial team" are expected to work through the trial just like any attorney... so they work LONG hours. Generally, transactional paralegals wouldn't. Most smaller firm paralegals wouldn't work as long either. Depends.

I've heard now from two paralegals that what they like is the interaction in the legal community (reading documents, helping plan case strategy) but without the "ultimate responsibility" of signing names on pleadings and actually making the arguments and winning or losing. I think a paralegal would make an EXCELLENT attorney--especially a litigator--if he were to go to law school after a few years' paralegal work.

you've, regrettably, been interpreting to get right into a field it extremely is glutted and by no potential going to boost. Paralegals are an truly large danger to regulation companies by way of fantastic line of what's and what isn't any longer the practice of regulation. also, there are a ways too many presently-approved legal specialists on the pastime market, and for only somewhat more advantageous money a company can get a duly approved lawyer, who has a intensity and breadth of legal know-how a paralegal in basic terms does no longer, and who can practice regulation. once you've fairly sturdy skills at "secretarial artwork" you would stumble on a job as a secretary in a regulation agency. The rosy photo painted with the help of the paralegal learn colleges is faulty contained in the bright!

Hey there! Where are you from?!?! I'm about to get my associate's in paralegal studies. I want to make that money! I figured around here, I'd be doing good to average 35,000.