Paralegals Getting More Specialized

CINCINNATI - It didn't take long for one of the fastest-growing career fields to become much like other fields.

In 1985, the Labor Department said the paralegal field was the nation's fastest-growing profession. And demand for paralegals did soar as law firms moved to cut litigation costs. But supply and demand are much more in sync these days.

Whether supply exceeds demand is debated.

"The market is totally flooded," said DeDe Colvill, president of Legal Plus, a temporary and permanent employment agency in Cincinnati that specializes in the legal market. "There are way too many."

Georgana Taggart, director of the paralegal studies program at College of Mount St. Joseph, said the school's paralegal graduates are finding good jobs. But she acknowledged that the field is not booming, and that, like other fields, the opportunities vary with the program and the person.

Paralegals do research, organize documents, draft basic legal documents and handle other tasks. They've now become part of the legal division of labor legal assistants, paralegals, associates and partners. And most law firms have learned that paralegals can do many of the tasks once done by lawyers and do them at a lower cost.

The push by law firms to become more efficient set off a brief boom in the market for paralegals. And the Labor Department still projects paralegals to be the 14th-fastest-growing profession.

Among the hot specialties are probate and estate work, environmental law and intellectual-property law, said Joanna Rini, legal assistant manager for Cleveland-based law firm of Thompson, Hine & Flory. Colvill lists corporate law, real estate and employee benefits as specialties in demand.

The paralegal profession has undergone many changes since the late 1960s, when the occupation was developed. Back then paralegals were given a limited number of routine duties.

Today's paralegal performs a variety of functions to assist lawyers in preparing cases, taking on much of the work that lawyers once did. In fact, depending on the size of the operation, a paralegal may take on all the duties of the lawyer except for setting fees, appearing in court, accepting cases and giving legal advice.

More corporations are hiring paralegals. Others work for governments. Some are contract workers who run their own businesses.

Carolyn Saenz, president of the Cincinnati Paralegal Association, tells paralegal students not to expect the ideal job right out of school.

"But I think that's true of any job," Saenz said.

Linda Elyce Newton, a litigation paralegal for the past six years with the Seattle law offices of Karen A. Willie, found her niche after serving nearly eight years in the Navy.

Following her stint in the military, she applied for and was hired as a legal-secretary trainee in a law firm with two associates, one of whom was fresh out of law school, and the other who had been practicing for only three years.

Newton had no experience in a law firm, but she learned quickly and found that she enjoyed the fast, unpredictable pace so much so that six months later, she was in Edmonds Community College taking paralegal courses. It's a career move she has not regretted.

"I have always been intrigued by law, even though I never aspired to be an attorney," Newton said.

Saenz and other paralegals stressed that the job can vary from setting to setting.

Paralegals should request challenging work and should explain why their time can be spent more efficiently doing other tasks, Saenz said. And they must prove themselves.

Saenz works for a lawyer who gives her a project and leaves her alone. "He trusts that I will do it from beginning to end and will come to him with questions," she said.

"Paralegals can do as much or as little as they make of the job," said Dawn Schneider, a paralegal with the law firm of Frost & Jacobs.

Good paralegals understand the importance of detail. They also must be persistent.

"You have to enjoy poking around and finding things," Saenz said. "You have to be a detail-oriented person."

Paralegals also need solid communication and organizational skills.

Karen Laymance, legal personnel coordinator for Frost & Jacobs, said private law firms and corporations are hiring more paralegals.

Paralegals face challenges similar to other fields, but the jobs can be found. It's an easier task if you have the right skills and the right credentials.

Seattle-area free-lance writer Linda Meachum contributed to this story.