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AN OPTION: Though movies and TV series like Law & Order tend to glamorise the profession, the job of a paralegal offers a considerable amount of variety and excitement and good career prospects.
Eulália Snyman
Unemployment being so high, every young and not-so-young person wants to know what are the latest “hot” careers, those that offer employment opportunities now and for the foreseeable future.
Which crystal ball can you trust? It’s not possible to predict with absolute accuracy which careers will thrive, but Emma Richards of online education company GetSmarter believes that becoming a paralegal practitioner is a “hot” career choice.
“There is a growing demand for skilled legal administrators, assistants and researchers – collectively called paralegals,” she says. “If you have an interest in the law, this career path could be for you.”
In an article in the SanDiego Source (www.sddt.com) this year, Henry de Vries wrote that paralegal employment in the US could see almost 30 percent growth before 2018. He quotes the University of San Diego as saying that employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 28 percent between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations.
In SA we may not have accurate statistics readily on hand, but Richards points out that paralegals can be seen working in the public service as well as in a variety of industries.
“Paralegals play an essential role in the South African legal system,” she says.
“Although they aren’t qualified to represent clients, paralegals perform various important legal tasks, provide advice to clients and internal members of staff, or perform administrative duties that require a broad knowledge of South African legislation and skills relevant to their field.”
Though TV series and movies tend to glamorise the profession, the day-to-day responsibilities of a paralegal offer a considerable amount of variety and excitement. As a paralegal, you may be directly involved in preparing legal cases. While you will not be qualified to argue in court yourself, you will assist the supervising attorney in researching the relevant laws and preparing the facts for presentation in court. Similarly, while you may not give legal advice, you may be responsible for interviewing clients.
“You will meet many interesting people and learn new things as you become more familiar with the law,” says Richards. “Note that not all paralegals work directly in solving crime; their core focus is on assisting attorneys with legalities that exist within their area of expertise.”
Paralegals are bound to thrive even if economic times aren’t great – this because individuals and companies are always looking for ways to reduce their legal costs and paralegals charge a substantially lower rate than attorneys.
Once they have done their share of the work, paralegals can escalate their cases to an attorney or advocate – this way legal work moves faster, more cost-efficiently and smoothly.
According to Richards, one of the things that makes paralegal an attractive career is that it is open to almost anyone, whether you are starting out as a young person or if you’ve qualified in another field of work.
You do not have to study for a law degree and sit the Bar exam and yet you get to do a fair share of the same legal work that attorneys do.
“Many administrative workers, like secretaries, PAs and office assistants, find it hard to advance in their careers,” says Richards.
“In addition, unemployed people or stay-at-home parents often feel like there simply are no opportunities for them to earn a living. Paralegal work can be the solution such people are looking for.”
On average, a paralegal earns much more than a general secretary and the opportunity for advancement is great, she says.
“Starting out, you may not earn much more than you did as an office assistant, but as you gain experience and the trust of your supervising attorneys, you will soon exceed any income you could have expected to earn as a secretary.”
It goes without saying that training is essential. There is a variety of courses available for those interested in pursuing paralegal work.
Consult the SA Qualifications Authority and the SA Institute of Legal Trainers to ensure you enrol for a course which enjoys recognition and accreditation. You can also contact other paralegals via the SA Paralegal Association page on Facebook.
Richards believes the GetSmarter and UCT (Law@Work) Paralegal Practitioner course is ideal for those needing to go the distance-learning route. The GetSmarter course is a 16-week, part-time course that is offered entirely online.
“The course teaches budding paralegals everything they need to know to start their careers in this growing legal field – from the basic principles of South African law to skills in research, writing and legal argument,” she says. “This course has been designed for existing and prospective paralegal practitioners, including support staff, legal assistants, personal assistants, legal secretaries and administrators working in a legal or commercial environment.”
For more information, visit www.GetSmarter.co.za.
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