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

What is a Paralegal?

A paralegal is a person who assists the attorneys in the delivery of legal services. A paralegal is also known as legal assistant. A paralegal should be qualified through education and training to perform substantive legal work. Substantive work of paralegal includes recognition, evaluation, organization, analysis, and communication of legal facts. Paralegal cannot represent a client. Attorneys are responsible for the legal work delegated to paralegals. The attorney is held responsible for ethical violations committed by a paralegal. Paralegals are members of national and local associations and they should follow the ethical codes of those associations.

Paralegals are of great assistance to attorneys in that they help the attorneys to prepare complex cases. They are prohibited from practicing law without license. Paralegals are not allowed to give legal advice. All work performed by the paralegals must be under the supervision of an attorney. Paralegals can conduct interviews and maintain general contact with the client. They can locate and interview witnesses and draft legal documents and pleadings. Paralegals can conduct legal research and attend court or administrative hearings and trials with the attorney.

Paralegals generally work with attorneys, judges, prosecutors and public defenders. They also work with corporations, banks, consumer organizations, finance companies, accounting firms, real estate agencies, advertising agencies, engineering firms, government agencies and insurance companies. Paralegal may work as freelancers in private practice. Paralegals can also specialize in special areas such as health care, family law, civil litigation, environmental protection, personal injury and criminal law.

Most of the paralegals would have completed a bachelor?s degree in paralegal studies. A certified paralegal is one who has completed the voluntary certification program of a professional association. The American Association for Paralegal Education, National Association of Paralegals and National Federation of Paralegal Associations conduct different certification programs for paralegals. Paralegal is not a licensed profession in United States.

Paralegal provides detailed information on Paralegal, Paralegal Jobs, Paralegal Schools, Paralegal Training and more. Paralegal is affiliated with Notary Public Supplies

Important Points To Note For An Independent Paralegal

Despite the ever-increasing demand for legal services that far exceeds that which lawyers can provide, paralegals have their work cut out for them. Why? Because lawyers have always been firmly in charge and paralegals, whose work encompasses most of a lawyers duties, are naturally perceived as competition. More so with independent paralegals, who work without direct supervision from an attorney at law.

What is an Independent Paralegal?

An independent paralegal is called such precisely because he is independent of lawyer supervision. As a freelancer, the independent paralegal can expect his job to require a lot of tenacity, determination, thick skin, business knowledge and the means to sustain himself while still starting.

Nature of the Work

If you plan on becoming an independent paralegal yourself, then be prepared to do not only a paralegals job but also the responsibilities of a business owner, such as running a business and having assets, liabilities, insurance, employees, payroll, among others.

Those who are only starting a paralegal career are not advised to go immediately into independent paralegal work. Thats because, by its very nature, the paralegal profession requires extensive knowledge about substantive and procedural law, legal concepts, and other pertinent portions of the legal system. Someone who has no previous experience in paralegal work will have a hard time keeping up with all the challenges and changes going on.

Working on your own requires that you are already seasoned in paralegal work in the sense that you have good working knowledge of the nuances of the job, including knowledge of the law, office procedure and law office management.

The Drawbacks

One of the major drawbacks of working as an independent paralegal is the isolation you might feel. This is especially true if you came from a large office. You may find it an extremely novel experience working alone for the first time. Where before you had the advantage of that big law library in your office, now you will have to deal with whatever changes going on, such as rule changes, changes in legislation and changes in case law, on your own.

Another drawback is the fact that you are your own boss now, which means that if you want to earn more money, then you would have to put in more hours of work. Also, the lack of benefits could be discouraging no health insurance, vacation time or sick days.

The Advantages

While there are indeed many drawbacks to working as an independent paralegal, there are also several advantages. In the case of isolation in your work, this only occurs in the beginning. As you grow, you may find yourself hiring more people to work for you, from legal secretaries to law office clerks, office managers, and the like.

The lack of library resources can also be recompensed with todays Internet technology. Plus, there is nothing comparable to that feeling of owning a business which you made successful through your own efforts.

Read More On Independent Paralegal or click http://onlineparalegaltraininghomestudy.com/

History Of The Paralegal Profession

When you find the legal world appealing, you might as well get yourself acquainted with the history of the paralegal profession. It is not that ancient as it only started in the 1970s. However, court cases still need to be handled by a legitimate lawyer who passed the bar examination in order for the whole process to be complete.

You may call the history of the paralegal profession sort of a late bloomer but it was only in the year it begun where there was a great consideration of attorneys needing someone to assist them in their workloads. There were also some corporations who were looking for individuals to do legal typing services and those who are full- pledged lawyers have to carefully think of the impact it will bring to them if they resort to the job description.

Prior to such, plenty of law firms were also training their administrative staff to perform some routinary operations where it was then the dawning of independent paralegal companies. At present, paralegals are under the supervision of a legitimate attorney but they should be knowledgeable in the judicial system so they can properly armorbear their immediate head.

Over the years, there has been a lot of mushrooming private organizations that compose of legal assistants. Below, you will read a brief account of how they were formed.

History of the Paralegal Profession of AAFPE The American Association for Paralegal Education (AAFPE) was established in 1981. It took its roots when the American Bar Association (ABA) hosted the first conference for paralegal professors. AAFPE strives to accomplish the promotion of high criterions for paralegal education, provide a convention for professional improvement, offer technical assistance as well as consultation services, plan research on how to disseminate information on the occupation and cooperate with the American Bar Association as well as other institutions in developing an approval process for paralegal educational curriculums.

History of the Paralegal Profession of MPA The Metrolina Paralegal Association (MPA) was created during the winter between the years of 1980 to 1981. It was by a small group of people who deemed that the paralegal profession was becoming a reality in Charlotte as well as in North Carolina. Their first- ever meeting had the agenda of learning about the novel state association where they also presented a set of bylaws and rules. MPAs chief purpose is to further the continuity of paralegal education. Their original plan was to conduct a minimum of sis academic meetings in an annual basis then they advanced to having a whole- day seminar each year. It was held at the Central Piedmont Community College with the cooperation of the CPCC Paralegal Association.

Read More On Paralegal Profession or http://onlineparalegaltraininghomestudy.com/

Career As A Paralegal

The paralegal profession is currently experiencing a great deal of growth and prosperity. With the average USA annual salary averaging around $34,000 for local and state work, nearly double that for Federal Government work, and much more in the private sector, it?s no wonder this career field is growing. Let?s take a look at just a few reasons why a career as a paralegal is so rewarding.

Challenging Work

Attorneys pass much of their workload along to paralegals, also known as legal assistants. However, paralegals may not perform all of an attorney tasks, these tasks include setting legal fees, giving out legal advice, and presenting court cases. But they may play a role in virtually everything else.

Case preparation is part of a paralegals workload. Paralegals often help lawyers with background information and research, legal history, case studies, fact-finding investigations, document preparation and analysis, plea documents, folder, record and file handling. The work they perform is often involved with hearings, trials, closing comments, and corporate functions.

Jobs are available for paralegals in many types of companies and organizations. They work with employee benefits, labor law, criminal law, corporate law, government (at all levels), real estate and bankruptcy. And you?ll find them working in personal injury law and litigation as well.

Career Tidbits

The following list includes a few pieces of interesting information concerning paralegals:

- Paralegals usually work year round, although temporary paralegal work is available. Although 40 hours is average, heavy workloads are a possibility. Work isn?t always at the office; paralegals need to work in libraries and often travel in order to gather relevant information.

- In 2004, there were 224,000 paralegal jobs, with private practices employing roughly 7 out of 10 of them.

- Job opportunities for paralegals are expected to climb at a faster than average rate through the year 2014.

There?s no better time to check into being a paralegal than now!

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Franchisor Trademarks and Display of Name Issues

Most franchising companies spend millions of dollars on promoting their brand-name. To insure that the brand-name use used correctly throughout the franchise system, the franchisor must specify to each and every franchised outlet how it must be used. Most franchisors discuss this issue at length during the initial franchise training and have large sections with the rules of the trademarks use in the confidential operations manual.

In our franchise company we took it one step further in that we decided to put in a clause in our franchise agreements prior to the commencement of the opening of the franchise and prior to the signing of the franchise agreements, all franchisees understood exactly how serious we were about this particular issue. I designed this clause, which I put into all of our franchise agreements below;

3.11.2 Display of Name

At the times during the term of this Agreement, Franchisee will use the Marks, in a form and manner approved by Franchisor, in all advertising promotions and communications involving the Franchised Business, including telephone yellow pages listings, Websites, signs, banners, business cards, stationary, promotional and advertising materials, forms, contracts and all other materials which identify the Franchised Business. Except as provided in this Agreement, Franchisee will not use or give others permission to use the Service Marks, or any colorable imitation of them, combined with any other words or phrases. Franchisee and their shareholders, officers, agents, partners, members or managers will not form or participate in the formation of any company, firm, corporation, or other entity having a name containing the words of the Service Marks. Franchisee may not combine or associate with any name or symbol of the Service Marks with any other name or word in any advertising or sign. The Service Marks must be used in exact conformity with specifications Franchisor sets in the Confidential Operations Manual.

All uses of the Marks by Franchisee must be prominently displayed and must clearly state that Franchisee is independently owned and operated. In the event that Franchisee is expressly permitted by Section 3.3 to own any business(es) other than the Franchised Business unless such business is also a franchise offered by Franchisor, neither Franchisee nor the personnel engaged in such other business(es) may conduct the same under any of the Marks or color schemes of the Franchised Business, or operate in any manner so as to cause confusion of origin or sponsorship between The Car Wash Guys related services and products and the services or products offered or rendered by such other business(es).

In doing so I insured the proper use of my federal trademark. It is advisable for all franchisors to consider an additional clause in their franchise agreements to address this issue also. Therefore you should talk with a competent franchise attorney on this specific issue. I hope you will consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow, a retired entrepreneur, adventurer, modern day philosopher and perpetual tourist.

Thinking About Online Paralegal Courses?

 

Thinking about online paralegal courses? You've decided to finally take charge of your career, by returning to school to earn your paralegal degree online. This is a big step and it's important that you research all of your options before committing yourself to an online college or university. Here is a brief guide to help you get started studying for your paralegal degree.

There are many advantages to studying for your degree through distance education, by choosing online paralegal courses. By enrolling in an online course, you can continue to work- and therefore earn- while being a student. There is also the additional benefit of being able to study and attend classes at your leisure, allowing your to work around your work and family schedules.

But where do you begin? With so many colleges advertising their programmes, you may need some help deciding which one is just right for you. There are several online databases, which list the various colleges which offer paralegal certification, like worldwidelearn.com, cyberu.com, elearners.com, geteducated.com.

Once you've decided on the programme from the many available online paralegal courses, it's time to consider securing the funds to begin studying. There are numerous financial aid packages available to those who quality, like Stafford Loans and Perkins Loans. It's important that you meet the application deadlines for these programmes, so make sure that you contact your financial aid advisor, for more information.

It is also important that you verify your college's accreditation. While there are many, many excellent colleges offering outstanding online education, there are those institutions which are nothing more than diploma mills. One of the best ways to ensure that you will be getting your money's worth out of your paralegal training is to conduct some due diligence on your new school. Try to contact some of their students and speak with some of your future instructors, so that you can get a better idea of what you can expect.

Getting your degree is an important step in your professional life and is a decision which shouldn't be made lightly.

Matt Norman is the founder of Easy Distance Learning a website providing information on learning online.