Some are courses of study that are as long as a four-year baccalaureate degree program. Others are only a few weeks long, depending on the amount of previous education and experience the students possess. Community colleges and private career colleges serve as the primary locations for the majority of those being prepared to enter this profession. The NALA has established the minimum standards to determine an individual s qualifications as a legal assistant or paralegal. Two years of in-house training as a legal assistant.
Legal assistants can expect to work in a variety of settings.
Most will be employed in law firms where they will report to one or more attorneys. Some work as independent contractors with offices in their homes although this number is not significant. Compensation for legal assistants has been increasing as the profession has gained recognition and as law firms have increasingly sought ways to provide more cost-effective services. The highest salaries were made by paralegals living in the west, with the lowest salaries in the Rocky Mountain region. Generally, the more attorneys in a law firm, the higher the compensation paid to paralegals.