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The new decade will be a good one for paralegals and legal assistants, with significant job growth expected over the next eight years in those careers. The 2010-11 edition of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook projects that the number of these positions will balloon by 28 percent from 2008 through 2018, nearly triple the average growth for all occupations.

Growth is being fueled by a trend among law firms and other employers to cut costs by increasingly assigning tasks traditionally handled by associate attorneys to paralegals. Additionally, the report said, growth is anticipated in the field of law in general as an expanding population demands more legal services. About seven in 10 paralegals and legal assistants are employed by law firms. But they can also roll up their sleeves wherever lawyers work – such as banks, insurance companies, government bodies or legal departments of private companies.

“This is the age of paraprofessionalism,” said Chris Wittstruck, an attorney who coordinates the paralegal studies program at Hofstra University in Hempstead. “When you go to the dentist, it’s the dental hygienist that takes the X-rays and cleans your teeth. The dentist only does the highly skilled work, whereas about 30 years ago, no one touched your mouth but the dentist.”

Paralegals can do anything under a lawyer’s tutelage that a lawyer can do except represent clients in court or give legal advice. “You will see paralegals at the head of the table at a closing, in a trial prep room until 11 p.m. or conducting online research,” Wittstruck said.

As a litigation paralegal for the Garden City law firm Scully, Scott, Murphy & Presser, Norbert Sygdziak said he is involved in cases from beginning to end. A senior-level paralegal, Sygdziak regularly handles document discovery, prepares exhibits and other materials for depositions, drafts materials, does research and oversees junior staff.

Even though the current economy has created a surplus of available talent, it remains challenging for law firms and others to find the right candidate to fill open positions.

“It’s hard to find a paralegal that fits the criteria of the office,” said Frank Scahill, managing partner of Picciano & Scahill, a Westbury law firm that employs about 35 paralegals and legal assistants. Scahill said landing a skilled attorney is easier. “There are more attorneys out there,” he said. “A skilled paralegal can be just as valuable or more valuable to a law firm than an attorney.”

Legal assistants perform many of the duties of paralegals but generally do not have the professional certification.

In the current climate, competition for paralegal and legal assistant positions is keen, particularly at the entry level, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects competition to continue even with the projected growth in jobs, as additional candidates enter the field.

“Compared to when I started nine years ago, there is a greater expectation for paralegals to already have experience when they are hired,”
Sygdziak said. “In the past, it was a lot easier to get started and earn your stripes through experience.” In recent years, there has been an
increase in nonsalaried internship programs that allow paralegal candidates to gain practical experience as part of their studies.

Because of the nature of the work, certain practice areas provide more opportunity for paralegals. “The use of paralegals in litigation, transactional work and trusts and estates is particularly common,” said Adam P. Silvers, a partner in the corporate and securities department and intellectual property group at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, a Uniondale-based law firm. Since the economy went south, Wittstruck said most of the inquiries his department has received have been for positions in the areas of mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcy and trusts and estates.

The starting salary for paralegals on Long Island is generally $35,000-$40,000, said Mary M. Feder, director of college relations and publications for Suffolk County Community College, which offers a paralegal certificate program.

“Salaries can go up to $85,000 or $90,000 with experience,” Feder said. According to Scahill, paralegals typically earn $50,000 to $60,000 with three or four years of experience, or more at large firms. There are 20,860 paralegal and legal assistant positions in the New York metropolitan area, with an average salary of $60,670, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“We rely heavily on our paralegals throughout all of our practice areas,” said Charles M. Strain, managing partner of Farrell Fritz, a Uniondale-based law firm with about 30 paralegals in its employ. “Advances in technology have allowed firms to pass more complicated tasks off to paralegals in order to deliver more cost-effective services to their clients.”

Individuals, who may or may not be college graduates, can earn a paralegal certificate from a professional program, such as the six- or eight-month program that Hofstra offers. Others opt to study for an associate’s degree in paralegal studies.