Paralegals and Secretaries - An Exploration of Earnings

Income for paralegals and legal assistants varies, depending on education and training, work experience, geographic location, and the employer by size and type. Typically, paralegals working for large metropolitan law firms earn more in salary and benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Labor in May 2004, ?full-time wage and salary paralegals and legal assistants had median annual earnings, including bonuses, of $39,130. The middle 50 percent earned between $31,040 and $49,950. The top 10 percent earned more than $61,390, while the bottom 10 percent earned less than $25,360.? In addition to their salary, many paralegals receive bonuses. It is unclear whether bonus reporting was included in the statistics; if not, those earnings would rise even higher.

Continuing with the Department of Labor statistics: ?Median annual earnings of legal secretaries were $36,720 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $29,070 and $46,390. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,270, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $56,590.?

Thus, by comparison, paralegals have greater opportunity to earn a higher salary than legal secretaries.

Do legal secretaries earn approximately the same as other types of secretaries? No, it is higher. Referring back to Department of Labor compilations: ?Medical secretaries earned a median annual salary of $26,540 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $21,980 and $32,690. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $19,140, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $39,140. Median annual earnings of secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive, were $26,110 in May 2004.?

Let?s compare the median annual salaries:

Paralegals - $31,040 to $49,950
Legal Secretaries - $29,070 to $46,390
Medical Secretaries - $21,980 to $32,690
Secretaries (Except Legal, Medical and Executive) - $26,110

Which type of position is more attractive based on salary?

It is highly advisable for young people to earn college educations. Competition for jobs is fierce, and particularly with current technological advances, higher education is just plain required to land career jobs. Players in the game of Life who go straight to work rather than the college route, in reality, may wind up with dead-end jobs and victims of the saying, ?he worked until the day he died.?

With paralegal salaries registering at a higher rung than the other office positions, it is reasonable that legal assistants would more than likely require the most education and training. Employers hiring any of the above positions may consider candidates with general course work, but specialized training would naturally be given greater consideration. Specialized training suggests a new hire will pick up the work ball already running. This may also be less costly to the employer during in-house training.

Explore your opportunities for higher education, and consider a career as a paralegal. Salaries are good. The work is interesting. With advancement potential, a paralegal career is an excellent choice. Is it the right one for you?

Are you fascinated by trials? Do you like helping people? A career as a Paralegal is challenging, rewarding, and NEVER boring. Sign up for free newsletters that show you how to step into this exciting career. Adventures await you....

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Laura McDonald is a paralegal. She is a member of NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations). Laura is experienced in the areas of personal injury, civil litigation, family, environmental and corporate law, estate planning and bankruptcy. She works for Michael L. Hawkins & Associates, P.L.L.C., located in Frankfort, Kentucky. The firm's website is http://www.mlhlawky.com

The Picture of In-House Paralegals

Inhouse paralegals are type of paralegals who often work with the legalities of a corporation. They are common in cities where many corporations are headquartered. Corporations have long used inhouse counsel to take charge on their legal needs. And now other legal staff have been added to the corporate legal team they are the inhouse paralegals.

Paralegals are quite different in terms of the job nature compared to that of paralegals working in law firms, since inhouse paralegals clients are primarily corporations. Unlike in law firms, paralegals work is not assigned by attorneys, instead, caseloads are dictated by litigation that comes into the company and falls under the corporations insurance policies. Also, paralegals no matter what department, do a lot more of their own daily work without administrative assistance, as such inhouse paralegals are often trained in both the professional and clerical tasks of their trade.

According to Marge Dover, Executive Director of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), more and more corporations of today employ inhouse paralegals. Insurance companies, financial institutions, medical corporations and research firms are just a few areas that increasingly prefer to hire inhouse paralegals instead outsourcing legal tasks. Companies are becoming very creative about using the skills of the paralegals.

Multi tasking and being able to handle complex projects are just some of the paralegal skills that are being utilized by the corporations. Paralegals often perform copious diverse tasks and communicate with different people every day. A paralegal may have little supervision, however they may report to more than one supervisor, such as the corporations inhouse counsel and the department head.

House paralegals may either perform the majority of the corporations legal work or specialize in one particular field. Some of the areas that hired inhouse paralegals participate in are contract compliance, litigation and intellectual property law. Inhouse paralegals may also work for the human resources department. Daily tasks of paralegals may include writing reports to corporate clients, corresponding with other corporations, attorneys, and clients, docketing and file maintenance and inhouse training of employees. Inhouse paralegals also serve as liaison between legal department and the rest of the company. The other duties of inhouse paralegals include: * Filings of company profiles. * Creating and distributing company board books. * Maintaining legal department files. * Maintaining company and subsidiaries corporate minute books. * Maintaining and coordinating files for employees personal trading files and * The general paralegal duties such as filing, having agreements signed and distributing to appropriate parties.

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Types of Program for Paralegal Education

 By background aspect, paralegals, also known as legal assistants, are those individuals who render assistance to the lawyers in delivering legal services. Unless directed by their superior, they cannot practice or give legal advice to clients. For most states, this act is punishable or can be imposed with equivalent penalty to those persons caught in an unauthorized practice of law. By concise definition provided by National Association of Legal Assistants, legal assistants or paralegals, are a distinguishable group of persons who assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services. A paralegal is qualified by his or her formal education, substantial trainings and experience in related practice, possessing extensive knowledge or expertise in field of legal system and procedural law.

Necessity of legal assistants were started in the 1960s when practitioners and law firms decided it was high time to obtain assistance to improve efficiency and cost effective delivery of legal services. Later on, demands were still growing dramatically because of the incessant increase in workload of the lawyers basically because of the equivalent upsurge of legal remedy-seekers. Because of the mounting of paralegal necessity in the field, different paralegal programs were provided by paralegal schools. Each paralegal school provides special courses in paralegal studies. Aside from paralegal studies, a paralegal has certain minimum requirements to meet that include paralegal training. Paralegal trainees receive adequate and reasonable instructions from lawyers or attorneys.

Paralegal education programs are offered in several types of formats and lengths. An individual can have paralegal program of Associate degree, which also has options for students to choose from a two-year paralegal program, or four-year degree. A paralegal bachelor degree program is different from the 4-year paralegal associate program in the sense that bachelor programs were offered by 4-year colleges and universities and that student were awarded with a baccalaureate degree at the end of the program. Also, this type of paralegal program allows the students to earn units both from minor, major, and major concentration in paralegal and related courses. Paralegal certificate programs grant an additional paralegal certificate to those who already earned paralegal degree. Another advanced degree in paralegal studies is the paralegal masters degree programs. Paralegal colleges and paralegal universities offer this paralegal program for an additional enhancement in the students legal administration and legal studies expertise.

Paralegal education can be obtained through paralegal online classes or through traditional paralegal school. Online paralegal schools have their own advantage for students who got no time for full-loaded classes. Whatever preference a student decides on, paralegal education can be obtained through numerous paralegal schools widespread in the country. Prestigious universities and colleges had a lot to offer for paralegal matters. Most paralegal program comes with a paralegal package consisting of classroom meeting and paralegal training for the students comprehensive know-how and expertise in the field. If a student is having second thoughts over which paralegal school offer the best and top paralegal certificate, paralegal program, paralegal studies, or any paralegal education, resources and information are located right in the internet. Here, traditional paralegal schools and paralegal online schools are in abundance and one can get to compare a paralegal school to another.
Online entrepreneur Sara Jenkins, is dedicated to helping others and their needs to succeed in life by offering free tips everyday. To learn more about her free tips program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to articles and FREE bonus how-to books and resources, visit www.TipsEveryDay.com


What Paralegal Program Fits Your Need Sara JenkinsIf you enjoyed doing research and writing up its results, possesses good communication and organization skills, you will be good in paralegal profession. And with the right paralegal education, paralegal training as well as good background of experience, professional paralegal status may be just achieved. As paralegals become more and more in demand because of the apparent escalation in the workload of law firms, organization, government agencies, and even non-profit organizations, more paralegals are seeking different path to grow faster in terms paralegal careers.

Different paralegal schools are also in proliferation to aid these individuals who need to nourish their basic knowledge in legal matters. A paralegal position may seem a simple and easy job, these, however may not seem so uncomplicated. More and more lawyers and attorneys convey their job to paralegals or legal assistants. Though, they are not allowed to do legal practices, still their job is job that needed sharp skills and formal paralegal training in order to obtain and carry on with tasks on their shoulders.

Different paralegal programs offered by different paralegal colleges and universities in the country can only enhance such knowledge an expertise in paralegal matters. These institutions provide services that meet important factors in evaluating a paralegal program. First, the reputation of the institution must hold up with the general public and legal community for higher education information. Another factor to consider is how these services are being provided. The paralegal program should have proper orientation, excellent tutoring, academic counseling as well as career information counseling, financial aid, and placement assistance. Also, they should have information ready regarding the placement rate and job satisfaction of the alumni of such paralegal institution.

Another factor to be considered is the facilities that have direct concerns to a legal research library, computer libraries, suitably furnished classrooms for all students. Paralegal activities should enable the students to participate in the legal community while paralegal education and as well as paralegal associations should always be prepared whenever a student needs one. Also more important to consider is its content and nature of paralegal programs curriculum which will adhere with relationship to legal research and writing, ethics, contracts, business organizations, and litigation as well. While each paralegal program may differ in the offering of courses, a student should be able to develop and hone their critical thinking, communication, organizational skills, competency to handle ethical concerns, and computational. Paralegal training and experiential learning elements will include internship, clinical experience, and practicum.

If these standard factors have met by paralegal programs like paralegal associate degree programs, paralegal bachelor degree programs, paralegal certificate programs, and/or paralegal masters degree programs of paralegal school/college/university, students will sure make it a long way in the field after completing paralegal certification or paralegal degree. Most of these programs are now offered in a delivery system that utilizes interactive broadcasting to different sites. These are called the distance education program wherein paralegal online schools have taken its numerous advantages. Web-based paralegal education will provide easier and more accessible learning using the internet as the medium.
Online entrepreneur Sara Jenkins, is dedicated to helping others and their needs to succeed in life by offering free tips everyday. To learn more about her free tips program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to articles and FREE bonus how-to books and resources, visit www.TipsEveryDay.com