What is a paralegal?

Because most of us really don’t know what the word “paralegal” means, there could be a tendency to gloss over this as a career choice. Don’t make this mistake! A paralegal is defined by the American Bar Association – the leading national voice for the legal profession – as follows:

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.

If you are interested in law but not sure you want to go through three additional years of law school after college, this is a great career option. As a paralegal, immediately after earning your degree or certificate, you can work in a variety of settings – public or private, criminal or civil – and be involved in legal issues ranging from investigation, meeting with clients, writing legal documents, or doing factual or legal research.

Employers value this degree

Although there are no degree or certificate requirements from New York State to call yourself a paralegal, many employers see value in a four-year degree. In particular, they see it in terms of writing skills and more. At Daemen, earn a bachelor of science in paralegal studies. If you already have a degree, enroll in the certificate program. It is just 21 credits. Daemen is the only ABA-approved program in Western New York. In addition, it ranks 17th in the country!

Job growth for graduates

As an ABA-approved program, the professors in Daemens’ paralegal studies program must be practicing attorneys. They teach law to undergraduates as they wish it was taught to them! Paralegal studies is basically law and legal skills at the undergraduate level.

Graduates of our paralegal program – both the certificate and bachelor’s degree – have quickly found jobs in a variety of fields ranging from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Neighborhood Legal Services, Family Court, Center for Elder Law and Justice, and law firms small and big specializing in real estate, medical malpractice, criminal defense, and civil litigation.

The best news? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job prospects for paralegals are rosy! The rate of hiring paralegals is above-average. This is a job where the demand has been steadily increasing both locally in Western New York and nationally.

So if you love the law – think paralegal. Think Daemen!