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About Paralegals
Paralegals (also known as legal assistants) perform a variety of tasks depending on the organizations where they are employed. Tasks include, but are not limited to:
- researching legal issues
- investigating facts
- drafting documents
- interviewing
- attending corporate transactions, depositions, hearings and trials
Experienced paralegals can perform almost any task an attorney performs, but may not give legal advice or represent clients in a court of law. The majority of paralegals work in the litigation field, but may also work in other areas such as:
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Paralegal education
To prepare for a career as a paralegal, an individual may choose to attend a four-year bachelor's degree program, a two-year associate's degree program or a paralegal certificate program. While the first two options may be best for students who have not earned a degree or are considering applying to law school, certificate programs have the advantage of focusing the entire education experience on paralegal skills. Certificate programs offer the highest quality of paralegal education at an affordable cost.
Please note that the Rice program requires that applicants hold a bachelor's degree. According to a 2004 survey conducted by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), paralegals who have graduated from post baccalaureate certificate programs, such as the Rice program, are among the highest-paid individuals in the field.
|
Education
|
Average Salary
|
Average Compensation
|
Responses
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Certificate |
45,221
|
48,076
|
174
|
| Post Baccalaureate Certificate |
48,386
|
51,165
|
186 |
| Associate's Degree |
43,171
|
45,521
|
422
|
| Bachelor's Degree |
41,603
|
44,090
|
120
|
| Master's Degree |
52,000
|
52,750
|
2
|
| Other |
44,933
|
47,386
|
153
|
| None |
43,778
|
46,284
|
218
|
Source: NALA, 2004 National Utilization and Compensation Survey Report, October 2004.
2008 Annual Compensation Survey for Paralegals/Legal Assistants and Managers
ALM Research and the International Paralegal Management Association surveyed more than 363 organizations (285 law firms and 78 law departments), representing a total of 14,216 paralegal positions.
Among the results of the survey were the following:
- The compensation of paralegals in U.S. law firms and corporate law departments showed solid increases over the previous year, above the rise in the cost of living.
- Paralegals working in law firms received somewhat higher increases than their law department peers, For exempt paralegals at firms, salaries increased by an average of 4.9% compared to 3.8% in corporate law departments.
- Within law firms, the highest paid paralegals are litigation support/technology managers who earned a median annual base compensation of $115,000.
- The average billing rate for paralegals was more than $150 per hour, with rates for most positions exceeding $175. Paralegal case managers in law firms averaged 1,642 billable hours, followed by senior paralegals at 1,530.
Click here for more information about this survey.
Paralegal examinations
NALA and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) each offer a voluntary examination for a fee. However, no state requires that a paralegal take any exam, and most paralegals choose not to take either exam. Students that have a bachelor's degree in any field and have graduated from the Rice Paralegal Certificate Program are eligible to sit for either exam. Contact NALA or NFPA for the most current requirements to sit for those examinations.
ABA approval
At this time, Rice does not plan to seek American Bar Association approval for its paralegal program. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of paralegal programs offered by colleges, universities, law schools and proprietary schools do not have ABA approval; in fact, only about 260 of the estimated 1,000 paralegal training programs are ABA approved.