Paralegal Program

The Legal Assistant program prepares motivated students for a exciting career in the Law. Classes are taught by an elite faculty of experienced attorneys or judges. Students completing the Legal Assistant (Paralegal) AAS Degree will be eligible to sit for the National Association of Legal Assistants certification exam.


	Legal Assistant Program at Blinn College

What is the definition of a legal assistant?

Legal assistants, also known as paralegals, are an essential group of persons who assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services.

Through formal education, training and experience, legal assistants gain knowledge and expertise in the law and the legal process. This qualifies them to do work of a legal nature under the supervision of an attorney. The terms legal assistant and paralegal are used interchangeably, much like the terms attorney and lawyer.

What types of functions would a legal assistant perform?

A legal assistant may perform any duty delegated by an attorney, including but not limited to the following:

Attend trials with an attorney. Assist in Testimony Preparation, deposition, real estate closings and will executions.
Locate and interview witnesses
Conduct client interviews and maintain client conduct
Conduct investigations and statistical and documentary research.
Draft legal documents, correspondence and pleadings.

What are the job opportunities for this occupation?

Legal assistants have become an integral part of a team striving for better and more efficient delivery of legal services. Experts predict the legal assistant career field will grow tremendously through the year 2008. Since the early 1980's this profession has been considered one of the fastest growing career fields. In addition to working in private law firms, legal assistant positions may be found in:

Courts
Corporations
Insurance Companies
Governmental Offices
Administrative Agencies
Banks-trust departments

Experienced legal assistants may also establish their own businesses, working for attorneys on a contract basis. The Bureau of Labor Statistics included legal assistants and paralegals as one of the ten fastest growing occupations for the years 1998-2008. Based on a 2008 survey conducted by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), the average national salary of a Legal Assistant with an associate's degree is between $46,696 and $49,402, but the amount varies based on geographic region and years of experience. The report of the survey findings may be found on the web at www.nala.org. There is no charge for the survey report.

For more information contact Program Coordinator Robert Stanberry at (979) 209-7399 or robert.stanberry@blinn.edu

Page last updated: June 19, 2008

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