There is a reason courtroom drama, cop shows, and big city law firms are so popular on television. The law is exciting. In the legal trenches on a daily basis, it may not be as glamorous as LA Law or satisfying as Judging Amy or cool as The Practice. And you don't usually see the heroes like Erin Brockovich whose work behind the scenes makes the difference between winning and losing a multimillion dollar lawsuit. But one thing is for sure, in the day in the life of a paralegal, there is never a dull moment.

What is a paralegal? A paralegal is someone who performs some types of legal work that is customarily done by a lawyer. The paralegal works under the direction of a lawyer, conducting legal research to be used in cases, writing reports and legal documents, and generally taking on any other assigned tasks that will free up the lawyer for activities that only a licensed lawyer can do. A paralegal has much of the same knowledge and does almost everything that lawyers do, but a paralegal is not a lawyer. A lawyer is licensed by their State Bar Association to practice law. A paralegal is not. A paralegal cannot set fees, accept clients, offer legal advice, or represent a client at trial. What a paralegal can do is interview clients, investigate cases, draft documents, and research the law.

There is also a lot of administrative work involved, such as maintaining case materials, updating law libraries, writing reports, preparing trial notebooks, and filing documents with the court. Paralegals are also known as legal assistants. The terms are used interchangeably in much the same way as attorney and lawyer. When this profession began (only 40 years ago) all paralegals were trained on the job. Today, it is still possible to rise from a position as legal secretary to paralegal with the guidance and training from your employer. But most employers prefer paralegals who hold either an associate or bachelor's degree and have graduated from a paralegal training program accredited by the American Bar Association.

Paralegals work wherever legal services are performed. The majority are employed by private law firms, but a growing number also work in corporate legal departments, government agencies, the court system, and non-profit legal services. The number of job openings for paralegals is growing tremendously. In fact, it is one of the top 10 fastest growing jobs for the 21st century. If you love the world of law, a paralegal career could be for you. You will learn how the legal system works and how a trial is run. You will meet with clients and interview witnesses. You will prepare for trial by researching the facts of a case and writing summaries and briefs. If you have an inquiring mind and would like the satisfaction of being an important member of a legal team, a career as a paralegal could be for you.