What is a Paralegal?

A paralegal is a person, qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.

Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.

According to the Department of Labor, the demand for paralegals is expected to grow as an increasing population requires additional legal services. Paralegal and legal assistant positions are projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2024. Employment growth stems from law firms and other employers with legal staffs increasingly hiring paralegals to lower the cost and increase the availability and efficiency of legal services. The majority of job openings for paralegals in the future will be new jobs created by rapid employment growth, but additional job openings will arise as people leave the occupation. 

U.S. Department of Labor, Careers and Salary Information 

NOTE: This program is not designed for preparation for law school admission. Students should consult catalogs of law schools of their choice or a counselor when planning to attend law school.

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