2012 Job Analysis

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About Paralegals

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations. Review this area and the links below to learn more about the paralegal profession and NALA's role in leading the field.

Click here to read about the Paralegal Profession in the
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011

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A legal assistant or paralegal is a person qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. (Adopted by the ABA in 1997)

What do paralegals do? What are their typical duties and responsibilities across the various specialty practice areas. Check out this article: Typical Paralegal Duties published in the 2009 Career Chronicle edition of Facts & Findings!

News & Upcoming Events

Real Estate-Principles Released

The NALA Advanced Paralegal Certification Board has released the much anticipated Real Estate Principles course! Real Estate Principles is now available online . . .

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New Advanced Certification Course - Child Custody

A new Advanced Paralegal Certification (APC) course in Family Law – Child Custody, Support and Visitation is now available to paralegals seeking advanced certification in this specialty practice area ...

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Limited Practice Rule for Nonlawyers Approved June 15

June 15, 2012 Washington Supreme Court Order #25700-A-1005 Consistent with GR 25 (the Supreme Court rule establishing the Practice of Law Board), the rule establishes a framework for the licensing and regulation of non-attorneys to engage in discrete activities that currently fall within the definition of the "practice of law" (as defined by GR 24) and which are currently subject to exclusive regulation and oversight by this Court. The rule itself authorizes no one to practice. It simply establishes the regulatory framework for the consideration of proposals to allow non-attorneys to practice.

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Certifying Board Releases Job Analysis Report

The report is used by the Certifying Board to validate and update the Certified Paralegal exam as needed and ensure NALA has current information about the roles and responsibilities of paralegals.

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Need a product or service for your office?

The NALA Vendor Directory is a terrific place to start. This is a list of legal vendors offering a great range of help including deposition services, document services, and investigations. Click the link below...

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2012 Job Analysis Report

A report summarizing results of a major job analysis for the paralegal profession was released June 15, 2012.

Since 1986, NALA has conducted nationwide utilization and compensation surveys every two years. A portion of the survey looks at the duties and responsibilities of paralegals and later surveys have included a section used by the Certifying Board which presents the major areas of the Certified Paralegal examination and topics included within those areas. Respondents are asked to rate the importance of each skill/knowledge to their work and frequency of use of the skill/knowledge in their day to day work environment. The job task analysis study is conducted to:

Validate, and update as needed, the Certified Paralegal examination content specifications
Ensure that NALA has current information about the roles and responsibilities of paralegals

The survey was conducted by NALA in consultation with psychometric consultant Dr. Kurt Kraiger, Colorado State University, and Janice Moore, CEO, SeaCrest Consulting Company, LLC, Charlotte, North Carolina.

In February of 2012, an updated survey was released to NALA members and non-members who are included on our mailing list. The survey was sent electronically to more than 10,000 NALA members and non-members. There were 1,484 respondents for a 14 percent response rate, typical of surveys of this nature.

The survey consisted of three sections:

Demographic information
List of general skills and knowledge in the following categories:

Communications
Ethics
Legal research
Judgment and analytical ability
American legal system
List of skills and knowledge specific to the following practice areas:

Administrative law
Bankruptcy
Business organizations
Civil litigation
Contracts
Criminal law and procedure
Estate planning and probate
Family law
Real Estate

to download the entire survey report, in pdf format.

The report includes tables summarizing findings for each exam section.

Respondents were instructed to complete the importance and frequency ratings only for those areas in which the respondent has worked or has knowledge. In addition to the ratings of each item, respondents were asked to include comments about the exam subjects and suggest additional skills/knowledge the board may consider including in the tests. The board compared the importance and frequency ratings with the number of questions on each section of the examination, and reviewed the comments from respondents.

Extensive analysis of the 2012 Job Task Analysis data continued through 2012 and early 2013 with the Certifying Board working in consultation with PSI Psychometric Consulting Services. As a result of this analysis, the Certifying Board announced a change to the exam specifications, specifically to the Substantive Law examination section. The changes are described in an earlier section of this description. The new examination specifications are effective with the September 2013 examination.

The next detailed job tasks study is planned to be conducted in six years unless there are fundamental changes in the nature of the job such as changes in state laws that affect paralegal responsibilities.