programs also offer an internship which can give you important There will be demand for paralegals who specialize in areas
practical experience and is an asset on your resume. such as real estate, bankruptcy, medical malpractice, and product
Paralegals must be able to document and present their findings liability. Community legal service programs, which provide assis-
and opinions to their supervising attorney. They need to understand tance to the poor, elderly, minorities, and middle-income families,
legal terminology and have good research and investigative skills. will employ additional paralegals to minimize expenses and serve
Familiarity with computers in legal research and litigation support the most people. Job opportunities also are expected in Federal,
also is important. Paralegals should stay informed of new develop- State, and local government agencies, consumer organizations, and
ments in the laws that affect their area of practice. Continuing legal the courts.
education seminars are helpful. Earnings of paralegals and legal assistants vary greatly. Salaries
Paralegals are usually given more responsibilities and less depend on education, training, experience, the type and size of
supervision as they gain work experience. Advancement opportuni- employer, and the geographic location of the job. In general, parale-
ties also include promotion to supervisory, managerial and other gals who work for large law firms or in large metropolitan areas earn
law-related positions within the firm or corporate legal department. more than those who work for smaller firms or in less populated
regions. In May 2006, full-time wage-and-salary paralegals and
legal assistants had median annual earnings, including bonuses, of
$43,040. The middle 50 percent earned between $33,920 and
$54,690. The top 10 percent earned more than $67,540, and the
bottom 10 percent earned less than $27,450. Median annual earn-
ings in the industries employing the largest numbers of paralegals
were:
Federal Government $56,080
Management of companies and enterprises $52,220
Local government $42,170
Legal services $41,460
State government $38,020
Employment
Private law firms employed 7 out of 10 paralegals and legal
In addition to earning a salary, many paralegals receive bonus-
assistants; most of the remainder worked for corporate legal depart-
es, in part, to compensate them for sometimes having to work long
ments and various levels of government. Within the Federal
hours. Paralegals also receive vacation, paid sick leave, a 401 sav-
Government, the U.S. Department of Justice is the largest employ-
ings plan, life insurance, personal paid time off, dental insurance,
er, followed by the Social Security Administration and the U.S.
and reimbursement for continuing legal education.
Department of the Treasury. A small number of paralegals own
General information on a career as a paralegal can be obtained from:
their own businesses and work as freelance legal assistants, contract-
ing their services to attorneys or corporate legal departments. Standing Committee on Paralegals, American Bar Association,
Rapid employment growth is projected, but competition for www.abanet.org/legalservices/paralegals
jobs is expected to continue.
For information on the Certified Legal Assistant exam, schools that
Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to
offer training programs in a specific State, and standards and guide-
grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2016, much faster than the
lines for paralegals, contact:
average for all occupations. Employers are trying to reduce costs
and increase the availability and efficiency of legal services by hiring
National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc., www.nala.org
paralegals to perform tasks once done by lawyers. Paralegals are
performing a wider variety of duties, making them more useful to
Information on the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam, parale-
businesses.
gal careers, paralegal training programs, job postings, and local
Demand for paralegals also is expected to grow as an expand-
associations is available from:
ing population increasingly requires legal services, especially in
National Federation of Paralegal Associations, www.paralegals.org
areas such as intellectual property, health care, international law,
elder issues, criminal law, and environmental law. The growth of
Information on paralegal training programs, including the pamphlet
prepaid legal plans also should contribute to the demand for legal
How to Choose a Paralegal Education Program, may be obtained from:
services.
American Association for Paralegal Education, www.aafpe.org
Private law firms will continue to be the largest employers of
paralegals, but a growing array of other organizations, such as cor-
Information on paralegal careers, certification, and job postings is
porate legal departments, insurance companies, real estate and title
available from:
insurance firms, and banks also hire paralegals. Corporations in par-
American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc., www.aapipara.org
ticular are expected to increase their in-house legal departments to
cut costs. In part because of the range of tasks they can perform,
For information on the Professional Paralegal exam, schools that
paralegals are also increasingly employed in small and medium-size
offer training programs in a specific State, and standards and guide-
establishments of all types.
lines for paralegals, contact: www.nals.org
S A L U D O S 33 H I S P A N O S
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98