Best Legal Assistant and Paralegal Jobs In America and Canada
Legal Assistant Jobs Increasing
A HubPages Question was asked that wondered about the number of relevance of Legal Assistant jobs in America during the 2010s, subsequent to the Recession of 2008 - 2010. The quick answer is that legal assisting and paralegal jobs began to increase again during the Spring of 2011 and are projected to increase faster than average through the year 2018.
In Canada, prospects for future employment in these positions also seem good in the 2010s and 2020s (see material about Canada provided further below).
A more detailed analysis of the outlook for these types of jobs and their prospects for increase begins here:
In the USA or America
Major job search engines SimplyHired.com and Indeed.com gather all Internet-based job postings in USA, Canada, and several additional countries in an ongoing update process.
Paralegal and Legal Assistant are often interchangeable job titles and perform similar duties.
During the middle to end of August 2011, approximately 11,000 jobs were open for legal assistants and paralegals in America. By the end of 2013, at least 15,000 of these job openings were posted in a large increase.
LOCATIONS
Indeed.com lists job openings according to different parameters, one of which is location in the left sidebar on the site. The largest numbers of legal assisting jobs are available in the listings in the following cities:
- Washington DC
- New York City
- Chicago
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Miami, Florida
- Seattle, Washington
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Los Angeles
- Tampa, Florida
Out of the Top 10 American Cities for legal assisting jobs, three out of 10 are located in Florida.
Paralegals and legal assistants are also in high demand in:
- Dallas, Texas
- San Francisco, California
- Houston, Texas,
- Boston, Massachusetts
Many Legal Assisting Jobs Are in Florida
Salaries in Legal Professions in America
- Careers in Law and Paralegal Professions
A review of legal professions in America. - Best Well Paid Careers: Top 15 Criminology and Legal Jobs in NYC
The New York Police Department has instituted a long-term internship program the trains college men and women in cadet training before they graduate from school and enter the police academy. In addition, the department has a variety of other position - Paralegal Salaries - Paralegal and Legal Assistant Salaries
Paralegal Salary Survey results from the most recent survey information compiled by LAT magazine. Results include: national and regional average paralegal salary, national and regional patterns in salary, salaries by legal environment and specialties
Hiring Outlook In America to 2018 and 2020
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that job openings for Legal Assistant and Paralegal will increase much faster than most other jobs in the US. The following types of companies are predicted to hire the most new paralegals and legal assistants:
- Corporations
- Private Law Firms
- Title Insurance Companies
- Banks
- Community Legal Service Programs - sometimes called "legal clinics" during special events. These clinics are held at community centers, schools, universities, rec centers, county jobs offices, retirement centers, etc.
- Real Estate Companies
Training programs are available across the nation for paralegal and legal assistant training. Degrees offered range from the Associate's to the Master's. At the same time, some companies or law firms hire individuals for this type of work and train them in-house, on the job (OTC, on the job training).
Training and certification requirements also vary by US States and their different regulations. Links beiow feature major certification organizations.
Professional Organizations and Training Programs
- NALA
NALA is the leading paralegal association in the US. Its mission is to provide continuing education and professional development programs to all paralegals. - Legal Training Course | NALS...the association for legal professionals
The basic and advanced legal training courses help paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries perfect their skills and advance their careers. - NFPA - National Federation of Paralegal Associations
Hiring Companies
The companies advertising the largest numbers of legal assisting jobs in the US are:
- National Paralegal Network
- Robert Half Legal - This is another staffing and placement agency with a long history of success.
- Special Counsel
- CACI International
- Express Employment Professionals - I have worked through this staffing agency and found them professional, effective, and quick.
- Kelly Law Registry - This is a division of the long-time Kelly Services staffing agency that used to be called Kelly Girl.
- FM Talent Source
- Lumen Legal
- Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., LPA
- Lockheed Martin
- Texas State and City Governments
- Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Legal Assisting and Paralegal Professions in Canada
In Canada, employers find it very useful for legal assistants to be bilingual in English and French, particularly in Quebec Province, but also across the nation overall.
In Ontario Province, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada; they then have independent status in Ontario and need not be attached to an attorney. In fact, they are full-fledged practitioners and work on their own. See www.lsuc.on.ca. This site includes a directory of lawyers and paralegals.
Training Programs and Diplomas
- Canada Paralegal and Legal Assistant College Programs and Courses
Find schools in all provinces.
Largest Canadian Metros for Legal Assisting/Paralegal Jobs
Top 10 Canadian Metros For Legal Assistant Jobs
At least 1,000 jobs in paralegal and legal assisting work are listed across Canada by the Canadian versions of SimplyHired and Indeed. Highest demand occurs in the following metro areas:
- Toronto Ontario - Since Toronto, Ontario is the largest city in Canada, it follows that the most positions for legal assisting in the nation would occur here and this is true.
- Calgary Alberta
- Edmonton Alberta
- Ottawa Ontario
- Vancouver BC
- Montreal Quebec
- Mississauga Ontario
- Regina Saskatchewan
- Saskatoon Saskatchewan
- Winnipeg Manitoba
Canadian Job Search Links
- Working in Canada
Working in Canada provides job and labour market information tailored to an occupation and location: jobs, wages, skills, qualifications, and more. - Workopolis
Workopolis is the authoritative source for finding jobs in Canada. Search for job opportunities in all fields. Start planning your career and post your resume.
Hiring Companies
- Linds and Associates
- ZSA
- State Personnel LTD
- Cartel
- Groupe Montpetit Ressources Humaines
- Urban Recruitment
- Career Centre Canada
- Robert Half Local
- Simon Personnel/Simon Technology
- David Aplin Recruiting
Comments
I like your article, very useful and inspiring. thank you.
Having worked in the legal field for over 20 years, your hub is extremely help and well-thought out. You earned getting voted up!
To guide a job seeker, is the great job of humanity. I appreciate this kind of help you provide to the needy persons. Thanks to humanity.
Although I'm not looking for a job and especially as a legal assistant, this article is really good...so comprehensive, as usual.
Very informative hub! I'm glad to see Seattle is #7 on the list of open positions. I've applied to a handful of legal assistant positions in the Seattle area recently. Thanks for the info!
Great and useful Hub. It definitely shows that you did a lot of in-depth research and answered most of the questions in one hub.
When I wanted to go to college I was thinking of becoming a Paralegal, I ma not sure why I though t it was a good idea at the time but I stuck with Administration. I am thinking that maybe if I had chosen to be a Paralegal I would have been better off and maybe advancing into Law.
Good hub. One thing I would note is that the terms legal assistant and paralegal tend to be interchangeable only in the smaller law firms. In larger law firms and corporate law departments, you will find that paralegals are considered higher level positions with greater skills and more responsibility than legal assistants.
I was just searching the web for an article exactly like this. Thank you.
Great hub! I'm a legal assistant currently looking for work. Hopefully I can use some of these tips and find a job soon in my area.
- AUTHOR
I am very happy that this is useful to you, Theresa and thanks for the comments!
This was an incredibly useful and interesting hub, thank you. Interesting to see that 3 of the legal assisting places are in Florida, since I have been assisting a Florida injury attorney with website marketing on and off for two years now (communication all via email as I am in South Africa.) I hadn't heard of the two sites SimplyHired.com and Indeed.com and will definitely be going to visit them and have a look through them. A helpful hub, thanks.
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