If you’ve ever considered a legal career, now is a good time to get paralegal training. Also known as legal assistants, paralegals are one of Georgia’s hottest occupations through 2018.
“Jobs are beginning to bounce back and we’re seeing good graduates get positions, especially inside the beltway of Atlanta,” said Virgil Costley, program director for paralegal studies at Georgia Piedmont Technical College (formerly DeKalb Technical College).
Paralegals assist attorneys with many of their duties. They aren’t allowed to practice law and they can’t set legal fees, give legal advice or present cases in court, but paralegals can help with research, preparing documents and interviewing witnesses.
Because they perform many of the same tasks as lawyers at a lower hourly cost, paralegals are in demand at law firms, insurance companies and government agencies. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for paralegals to grow by 22 percent from 2008 to 2018.
Most people enter the field with an associate or bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies. Career changers with a bachelor’s degree in another field often take a six-month certificate program, which is offered at many Georgia colleges.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College offers an associate degree program that takes about two years or six semesters to complete. Students can enroll during any semester for day or evening courses.
Tuition for a 15-hour load is about $822 per semester. Many students are eligible for financial assistance through the Hope scholarship, Pell grants, federal loans or Workforce Investment Act funding.
“We began this program in 2002, and have been working steadily since 2006 on the evaluation process to earn American Bar Association approval,” Costley said.
The school achieved the ABA mark of excellence this year, becoming one of only six colleges in Georgia to hold the distinction. Fewer than 25 percent of U.S. paralegal programs hold ABA approval.
“Being ABA-approved gives our program a boost. Not only will we be able to attract better students, but our graduates will have a leg up on the competition,” Costley said.
Paralegals need to be able to read and write well, he said.
“It helps to have good cognitive skills, since they’ll be taking abstract theory and applying it to concrete situations,” Costley said. “Employers also look for people with strong work ethics.”
The students in Georgia Piedmont’s associate degree program learn about the ethical obligations of legal professionals and how to research state and federal law. They practice preparing legal documents and correspondence and take courses in family law, property law, criminal law and procedure, civil litigation, tort law and contract law. They also study wills, trusts and probate.
“We expose students to all types of law to give them broader experience,” Costley said. “Some of our students have gone to work for state agencies or insurance firms, but about 80 percent go into law firms.”
The average starting pay for paralegals has decreased slightly during the recession. “We’re seeing entry-level salaries starting at $28,000 in small towns and about $42,000 in Atlanta,” he said. “There are great opportunities for advancement.”
For information, call Costley (770-786-9522, ext. 5309) or go to www.gptc.edu.
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