In addition to private law firms, other organizations in the private sector currently employing legal assistants include corporate legal departments, insurance companies, estate and trust departments of large banks, hospitals and health care organizations, real estate and title insurance companies, and professional trade associations. Job opportunities in the public sector are available in community legal services programs, consumer organizations, offices of public defenders, prosecutors and attorneys general, city attorneys, a wide array of state and federal government agencies and the judicial system. If you enroll in a legal assistant education program, you should avail yourself of the assistance of the school's program director and placement officer for help in securing appropriate employment. These individuals are in contact with members of the surrounding legal and business communities and should be able to furnish information about current job openings within the community. They should also be able to assist you in preparing resumes and application forms and arranging for interviews.
Most programs also offer seminars on job search, interviewing and resume preparation.
Another source of information on current job openings is your local or state paralegal association. Many paralegal associations maintain job data banks or referral services and can provide you with a listing of firms and agencies in which legal assistant positions are available. Compensation Earnings vary considerably depending upon such factors as size of the community, geographical location, size of firm, nature of practice, and the legal assistant's educational background and work experience. Some legal assistants work on a part-time or freelance basis handling overflow from firms and legal departments and are normally paid on an hourly or project basis. The American Bar Association has no information currently available on the starting salaries of legal assistants in different geographical areas of the United States.