Personal Narrative: The Paralegal Profession

Words: 1161
Pages: 5

After working in the insurance industry for ten long years, I was laid off due to my job being outsourced. I had been given the option of taking a position with the new company, or taking a severance package. The job wasn’t very challenging, or satisfying, for that reason taking the package to start a new chapter was not a hard choice to make. Throughout my life, I have always had an interest in criminal justice. I wasn’t exactly sure what role I wanted, where to start, or how successful I would be in pursuing a new career. I knew I would have to go back to school again, but figured I would cross that bridge when I came to it. On my birthday, I found the job posting that would change my life, and set me on my current path. I applied for an entry …show more content…
Over time the profession has evolved, and paralegals have taken on more responsibilities. Law offices are looking for ways to reduce their costs, and increase productivity. Clients are pushing law firms for lower legal representation fees. Corporations find it more cost-effective to increase their internal legal team rather than retaining outside counsel.7 Paralegals make ideal candidates because they can do legal support work in addition to work entry level lawyers used to perform.7 With these changes, the demand for paralegals will continue to rise in various settings. Hospitals, corporations, law firms and government agencies will continue to hire more paralegals. The projected job growth for paralegals from 2016-2026 is expected to be 15%, that is much faster than other professions. Paralegals that are proficient with technology and have formal training will be more