Legal Articles

While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, they often delegate many of their tasks to paralegals. In fact, paralegals—also called legal assistants—are continuing to assume a growing range of tasks in legal offices and perform many of the same tasks as lawyers.

Most entrants have an associate degree in paralegal studies, or a bachelor’s degree coupled with a certificate in paralegal studies. Some employers train paralegals on the job.

Paralegals and legal assistants held about 238,000 jobs in 2006. Private law firms employed 7 out of 10 paralegals and legal assistants; most of the remainder worked for corporate legal departments and various levels of government.

May 2006, full-time wage-and-salary paralegals and legal assistants had median annual earnings, including bonuses, of $43,040. The middle 50 percent earned between $33,920 and $54,690. The top 10 percent earned more than $67,540, and the bottom 10 percent earned less than $27,450.

Court reporters usually create verbatim transcripts of speeches, conversations, legal proceedings, meetings, and other events. Sometimes written accounts of spoken words are necessary for correspondence, records, or legal proof, and court reporters provide those accounts.

The amount of training required to become a court reporter varies with the type of reporting chosen. It usually takes less than a year to become a novice voice writer, although it takes at least two years to become proficient at realtime voice writing.

Court reporters held about 19,000 jobs in 2006. More than half worked for State and local governments, a reflection of the large number of court reporters working in courts, legislatures, and various agencies. Most of the remaining wage and salary workers were employed by court reporting agencies.

Wage and salary court reporters had median annual earnings of $45,610 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $33,160 and $61,530. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $23,430, and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $77,770.

Private detectives and investigators assist individuals, businesses, and attorneys by finding and analyzing information. They connect small clues to solve mysteries or to uncover facts about legal, financial, or personal matters.

Most private detectives and investigators have some college education and previous experience in investigative work. In most States, they are required to be licensed.

Private detectives and investigators held about 52,000 jobs in 2006. About 30 percent were self-employed, including many for whom investigative work was a second job. Around 34 percent of detective and investigator jobs were in investigation and security services, including private detective agencies, while another 9 percent were in department or other general merchandise stores.

Median annual earnings of salaried private detectives and investigators were $33,750 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $24,180 and $47,740. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $19,720, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $64,380.

Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates had median annual earnings of $101,690 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $53,920 and $135,010. The top 10 percent earned more than $145,600, while the bottom 10 percent earned less than $29,540.

Overall employment is projected to grow more slowly than average, but varies by specialty. Judges and magistrates are expected encounter competition for jobs because of the prestige associated with serving on the bench.

A bachelor’s degree and work experience usually constitute the minimum requirements for judges and magistrates, but most workers have law degrees, and some are elected. Training requirements for arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators vary.

Judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers apply the law and oversee the legal process in courts. They preside over cases concerning every aspect of society, from traffic offenses to disputes over the management of professional sports to issues concerning the rights of huge corporations.

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Physician assistants (PAs) practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. They should not be confused with medical assistants, who perform routine clinical and clerical tasks.

About 21 percent of architects are self-employed - almost 3 times the proportion for all occupations. Architecture graduates may face competition, especially for jobs in the most prestigious firms.

financial planning market will grow much faster than other industries-30% between 2008 and 2018. Though this may be cheering news for financial planners, it also signifies that the market will be filled with competition. Under the circumstance, make use of a variety of marketing tools to help get you business a step ahead than your competitors.

Database administrators work with database software to identify user needs, set up computer databases, and test systems.

Atmospheric science is the study of the atmosphere - the blanket of air covering the Earth. Atmospheric scientists study the atmosphere's physical characteristics, motions, and processes, and the way in which these factors affect the rest of our environment.

Civil engineers design things. These might be roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, or water supply and sewage systems.

A college degree in engineering is needed for almost all beginning engineering jobs. College graduates with a degree in a science or mathematics may get some jobs.

Changing careers is always a challenge. During economic boom times, we can at least find another job if things don't work the way we intended to. But during a prolonged recession, many of us find ourselves without options.

City planners figure out the best way to use the land in cities and neighborhoods. They report on the best location for houses, stores, and parks.

Education is an important part of life. The amount and type of education that individuals receive is a major influence on both the types of jobs they are able to hold and their earnings.

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Most biological scientists need a Ph.D. degree in biology or one of its subfields to work in research or development positions. A period of postdoctoral work in the laboratory of a senior researcher has become common for biological scientists who intend to conduct research or teach at the university level.

An associate degree or a certificate from an accredited community college or technical school is generally required to qualify for occupational therapist assistant jobs. In contrast, occupational therapist aides usually receive most of their training on the job.

Budget analysts held 62,000 jobs throughout private industry and government in 2006. Federal, State, and local governments are major employers, accounting for 44 percent of budget analyst jobs. Many other budget analysts worked in manufacturing; financial services; management services; professional, scientific, and technical services; and schools.

Mathematical ability, problem-solving and analytical skills, an inquisitive mind, imagination, and initiative are important traits for anyone planning a career in physics or astronomy.

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are financial recordkeepers. They update and maintain accounting records, including those which calculate expenditures, receipts, accounts payable and receivable, and profit and loss.

Automotive service technicians and mechanics held about 773,000 jobs in 2006. Automotive repair and maintenance shops and automotive dealers employed the majority of these workers - 29 percent each. In addition, automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores employed 7 percent of automotive service technicians.

* Most jobs in this occupation require a college degree preferably in communications, journalism, or English, but a degree in a technical subject may be useful for technical writing positions. * The outlook for most writing and editing jobs is expected to be competitive because many people are attracted to the occupation. * Online publications and services are growing in number and sophistication, spurring the demand for writers and editors with Web or multimedia experience.

Training requirements for teacher assistants vary by State or school district and range from a high school diploma to some college training. Increasingly, employers prefer applicants with some related college coursework.

Civil engineers design things. These might be roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, or water supply and sewage systems.

Geoscientists held about 31,000 jobs in 2006. Many more individuals held geoscience faculty positions in colleges and universities, but they are classified as college and university faculty.