Loving the Law: Deadlines, stress fuel paralegals affinity for job

By Marla Caceres
Tribune Media Services

Emilia Evans' workdays are filled with stress — and she loves it.

Evans is a paralegal at Fuerst Humphrey Ittleman, a law firm in Miami. She says her deadline-challenged days keep her motivated, invigorated and on her toes.

"I love the legal field. I love the drama and the high-end crisis that happens when we are going to trial," says Evans.

Evans had been working as a legal assistant for two years when she entered the University of Miami's paralegal program. After graduating from the three-and-a-half month-long, boot camp-style program in September of last year, Evans began working at Fuerst Humphrey Ittleman.

"The most challenging things are the deadlines," Evans says. "Being given an assignment and told we have to have it done by the end of the day. I close my door and throw myself into the project."

Experts say that job prospects for paralegals have always been good, and that they will continue to be promising. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment for paralegals is projected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through 2014.

On the rise

Demand for paralegals is increasing as employers, in an effort to reduce costs, hire paralegals to perform tasks that have traditionally been carried out by lawyers.

"It is not a clerical position any more," says Mark Workman, president of the South Florida Paralegal Association. "We are more involved in the actual legal processes."

In South Florida, the demand for paralegals is highest in fields of law related to the area's strongest industries.

"Though the South Florida real estate market has slowed down, real estate paralegals are still in very high demand. The demand for real estate paralegals is so high law firms are hiring students who have yet to complete their studies or have no background in the real estate legal field," says David Lecón, associate director of the paralegal studies program at the University of Miami. "The same is true of immigration paralegals — always in high demand in South Florida, as well litigation and corporate paralegals."

Paralegals say that the ability to choose a specialization is one of the perks of their career.

"There are a lot of areas of law, and attorneys are becoming more specialized," Workman says. "Likewise, paralegals are becoming more specialized as well."

Success stories

Good paralegals share a few things in common. They are detail-oriented, independent, organized and able to multi-task, Lecón says.

They also have to be willing to embrace the fact that they work in a constantly changing field, Workman says.

"[Successful paralegals] have to have the ability to adapt and grow. You need to be on top of the ever-changing areas of law and how they affect your specific area," he says. "You also have to keep up with the changes in technology in the profession."

Paralegals also face workplace challenges that are unique to their field.

"The challenges paralegals face are directly related with the industry they work in," Lecón says. "Paralegals work long hours in a demanding environment. In addition, many have the same billable hour requirements attorneys have."

Paralegals who work in corporations and the public sector usually do not face the same obligations, although, in most instances, their pay is significantly lower, Lecón says. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, private law firms employed seven out of 10 paralegals and legal assistants in 2004. Most of the remainder worked for corporate legal departments and various levels of government.

Despite the challenges of her job, Evans says she is very happy as a paralegal, and excited to see where her career takes her.

"I am able to be an asset to a firm. I feel very valuable. It's really rewarding," Evans says.

Posted with permission of (Chicago)Tribune Media Services.