Notaries who also work as paralegals and legal assistants have good prospects in the job market during the next six years according to the Department of Labor, which reports that legal professionals are being hired in greater numbers by law firms and many other businesses.
Paralegal and legal assistant jobs are projected to grow 28 percent through the year 2018, according to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook for 2010-2011. While private law firms continue to be the largest employers of paralegals, many other kinds of businesses are hiring for in-house legal departments in order to save costs, including insurance companies, real estate and title firms, and banks.
“The wide range of tasks paralegals can perform has helped to increase their employment in small and medium-size establishments of all types,” the Handbookstated.
Experienced, formally trained paralegals and legal assistants are expected to have the best job prospects, with the Department of Labor predicting additional demand for workers who specialize in areas such as real estate, bankruptcy, medical malpractice and product liability.