Employment

Paralegals and legal assistants held about 256,000 jobs in 2010. Private law firms employed 70 percent; most of the remainder worked for corporate legal departments and various levels of government. Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 18.3 percent between 2010 and 2020. Employers are trying to reduce costs and increase the availability and efficiency of legal services by hiring paralegals to perform tasks once done by lawyers.