The demand for paralegals, particularly those who are formally trained and experienced, is growing significantly. During 2006 alone, paralegals held more than 200,000 jobs in the United States. Most of these worked within the private sector while corporate legal departments and many government organizations employed several. There were also a minute number of paralegals who began and ran their own businesses, working as freelance agents contracting their paralegal services to lawyers or other legal departments.

Paralegals are typically trained and educated in areas pertaining to real estate law, wills and probate and other legal matters. Their workday may consist of drafting documents, accompanying their employing attorney into court or a number of other tasks that require specific training and education. The earnings of these paralegals may vary greatly from region to region as well as from employer to employer. Typically, the size and type of the employing agency is a major factor concerning paralegal salary. Larger law forms or corporations located in major or large metropolitan areas may provide a higher full time wage as well as benefits. Smaller or more rural employers may provide a salary without benefits. Typically speaking, most paralegals employed have received some sort of bonus with regards to working longer hours than normal, as well as vacation and sick pay, 410 savings plans, life insurance, dental insurance and other benefits. Many employers also reimburse their paralegals for the costs of continuing education, which is typically required with many paralegal certification programs.

A degree from an accredited paralegal school, or at the very least taking several paralegal classes, can help with job placement in many areas. Those who receive their degree from paralegal colleges, who also go on to receive their certification from one or more organizations, tend to find job placement much easier. Currently thousands of colleges and universities offer studies in paralegal programs.

Of course, even with the rapidly growing employment opportunities that are projected for paralegals in the future, the competition for these jobs is also expected to rise. Those who are experienced, formally educated in paralegal studies and have paralegal certificates are more prone to be accepted in the job market. Employment in this career field is expected to grow at a much faster than average rate when compared with other occupations. Paralegals are now performing a much wider variety of tasks, which in turn makes them much more useful to attorneys and corporations.

In the future, it is expected that private law firms will continue to remain the largest employers of paralegals in the United States. There are however, a rapidly growing number of other organizations, insurance companies, title insurance firms, real estate agencies and banks who are beginning to see the need for a trained and educated paralegal. These businesses are expected to cause an increase in the number of paralegals hired during the next five years.

Even during a recession, businesses are much more likely to need the services of a paralegal to aid in matters such as bankruptcies, divorces and foreclosures. Certified paralegals may provide many legal services that attorneys provide at a lower cost so the outlook for employment for this field tends to fare much better even during difficult economic conditions.