Career Opportunities
Paralegal
Paralegals are highly trained and experienced in law and the legal system. Although paralegals are not lawyers, they work under the close supervision of lawyers, and assist them in the delivery of legal services to the public.
Paralegals generally do the preparatory work for lawyers involved in closings, hearings, trials, and corporate meetins. Paralegals investigate the facts of cases, ensuring all relevant information is uncovered. They conduct legal research to identify the appropriate laws, judicial decisions, legal articles and other materials relevant to assigned cases.
After organizing and analyzing the information, paralegals may prepare written reports attorneys use in determining how cases should be handled. Should attorneys decide to file lawsuits on behalf of clients, paralegals may help prepare the legal arguments, draft pleadings and motions to be filed with the court, obtain affidavits; and assist attorneys during trials. Paralegals also organize, track and make available to attorneys all files, documents and correspondence important to cases.
For those trained as paralegals, many opportunities exist for employment in traditional private law firms, federal, state governmental agencies, law departments of corporations, banks, insurance companies and other businesses, such as title companies, mortgage companies, law libraries, law office managers, legal service/legal aid offices, legal clinics, law offices handling criminal defense or prosecution work, and law departments of special interest groups or associations.
The earnings for paralegals vary greatly. Salaries depend on education, training, experience, the type and size of employer and geographic location of the job.
$30,000 - $45,000 per year with an associate's or bachelor's degree
Employment of paralegals is expected to grow much faster than average - ranking among the fastest growing occupations in the economy through the year 2006.
Criminal Justice
Students who major in criminal justice will discover that career opportunities can be found in law enforcement, corrections, and juvenile justice, as well as within organizations at the local, state, and federal levels of government. For example, there are thousands of law enforcement careers within federal agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Moreover, criminal justice students can take advantage of opportunities in the multitude of private security firms that have been expanding at a rapid rate in the last thirty years and that are always in the market for good candidates. Finally, there are a number of criminal justice careers available within military service. Each branch of the service has a military police unit that provides law enforcement duties on military bases. Also, there are elite agencies in the military that perform sensitive and often international investigation work. Regardless of the particular military assignment, civilian criminal justice agencies often prefer to hire individuals with military experience.
Beginning salary, depending on education, experience and the employer, caries greatly. Total earnings for local, state and special agents frequently exceed base salary due to benefits, including overtime pay, paid vacations, sick leave, medical and life insurance, department allowances and liberal pension plans.
Employment for police officers, detectives and special agents is expected to increase faster than average through the year 2005. At the local and state levels, growth is likely to continue as long as crime remains a serious concern.
Turnover in police, detective and special agent positions is among the lowest of all occupations; nevertheless, the need to replace employees who have retired, transferred or stop working will be the source of most new job openings.
