Choosing to become a paralegal and working in the field of law can present our students with a diverse range of opportunities to make a difference, both in their local area and to the profession as a whole. While many people are aware of the activities of famous paralegals, such as Erin Brockovich and Merrell Williams, thousands of paralegals across the U.S. devote their time and effort every day to making a difference to their community, their profession, and to people in need.   The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), suggests that paralegals should aspire to contribute 24 hours..

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual wage of a paralegal in Nevada is approximately $54,700, putting Nevada in the top ten states for paralegal earnings. The wage range over the course of an average career is between $31,153 and $64,385, including benefits, profit sharing, and bonuses.   The amount that you can earn as a paralegal is affected by a number of factors, such as your experience, qualifications, field of work, and whether you are certified or not. Understanding how these factors affect your potential wages is an essential step in maximizing your earning potential. Factors..

Mr Yoosuf Nazeer, who lives in Sri Lanka, said that "Legal Ethics" in the United States is generally understood to primarily apply to lawyers, while codes of professional responsibility also apply in a derivative sense (directly) to non-lawyers who work with lawyers, such as paralegals or private investigators. In the United States, the practice of law is regulated by the governments of the individual states and territories. As a whole, federal law does not control legal ethics.   Each state or territory has a code of professional conduct dictating rules of ethics. These may be adopted by the respective state..

With clients putting pressure on law firms to keep rates low and associate salaries on the rise at many firms, firm leaders are increasingly looking to adjust their staffing models, oftentimes placing more responsibilities on their paralegals. More firm leaders are looking to nonlawyer staff members, such as paralegals, to take over duties that may have once fallen on first-year associates, industry observers said. It has allowed them to lower the costs for clients and in many cases increase the firm's profit margin. But as those tasks fall on other professionals, firms will likely hire fewer new lawyers to fill..

Linchpin is defined as follows:   Something [someone] that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together.   This truly defines the role of a paralegal in today’s ever changing legal field.   Often, what comes to mind when you think of the role of a paralegal are things like drafting documents, scheduling meetings, and taking notes. But that's so 20th century, and the role of paralegals is rapidly evolving, with traditional responsibilities being augmented or even replaced by new focus areas and opportunities for advancement, thanks in large part to the rise of E-Discovery.   More and more,..

Highly successful investment companies don’t just create large profits for the business itself; they also ensure that each investor has a healthy-sized portfolio.  There will always be highs and lows in the investment market, but proving that you have knowledgeable staff and secure methods will help you to retain your clientele.  In addition to hiring attorneys to review and revise business contracts as needed, there has to be a support system in place to deal with the day-to-day dealings.   Perhaps you don’t need several lawyers, legal interns, paralegal and legal secretaries to work at the helm of your company,..

Northwest Career College’s Paralegal Studies Program offers legal courses in specialized areas of law, to include a Wills, Trusts & Estates course; whereby, we discuss various aspects of Probate Law, specifically drafting and reviewing such documents as trusts, wills, and power of attorneys, just to name a few. Students research probate laws and procedure within the Nevada Revised Statutes, as well as the Uniform Probate Code (UPC).   We discuss actual matters in this area of law, in that, students present weekly current events and draft case summaries on such matters as the recently-publicized Busch Estate matter.   Here is..

Northwest Career College’s Paralegal Studies Program offers students the hands-on experience in legal research and writing necessary for their absolute success in our program and in the legal field. Specifically, our students gain experience in drafting various legal pleadings, correspondence and other documents. Students are also provided with the essentials to the development of their research skills, whereby they have direct access to such tools as WestlawNext, researching cases related to their legal matter they will be presenting and for use in matters during our class lectures and assignments. Students also research the applicable Nevada Revised Statutes, Court rules, United..

When I was in paralegal school, the teachers and the dean gave the impression that when we graduated we would all be carrying briefcases, working in a high-rise building, wearing suits, going to court and have our own assistant to do our filing and typing. Of course, we also would be earning a lot of money. However, none of this is true when you first graduate paralegal school. Just as with any profession, unless you are related to the person whose name is on the front door or at the top of the letterhead, you will have to pay your..

Changing times: Are paralegals the answer? As members of the legal profession we have been very careful about who gets to practice law - licensed attorneys and only licensed attorneys. Attorneys are licensed by the state, and the way in which attorneys obtain their license and maintain their license is carefully prescribed by state regulations. Additionally, every state has a statute prohibiting the “unauthorized practice of law.” We discuss UPL extensively in each of our courses with our Paralegal students to ensure their understanding of what is appropriate and expected as a Paralegal.   The “practice of law,” under the..