Survey: Paralegals See More Jobs As Economy Forces Legal Departments To Cut Costs
May 21, 2009
By the Best Paralegal Schools Content Team – Find Top Paralegal Programs Today!
The in-house legal departments of corporations across the country are cutting the fat and changing the structure of their offices, resulting in an increased use of paralegal jobs as companies increase the use of non-attorney support staff.
The data comes from the ninth annual survey by the Association of Corporate Counsel, a professional organization serving attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations and other private-sector organizations.
More than half the respondents in the survey said they're being forced to decide where cuts must occur due to the tough economic situation. About 80 percent of the respondents to the poll have taken steps to control costs. These include creating better cost/time efficiencies and/or generating value for their department.
One major step has been increasing the use of paralegals and support staff, which over half of the respondents said they did.
Chere Estrin, CEO of Estrin Education and founder of KNOW, The Magazine for Paralegals, also points to an article that appeared on Law360.com which says paralegals are being hired in law firms as well, taking over responsibilities from associates as law firms cut costs.
This may be just the right time to get a paralegal degree.
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Related Article Topics: Paralegal Career
