About the profession
What is a paralegal?
The American Bar Association (ABA) defines a paralegal, or legal assistant, as "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 and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible."
NOTE: In many states, paralegals and legal assistants can carry out any function that lawyers perform with three notable exceptions: setting legal fees, giving legal advice to clients, and representing clients in court proceedings. Paralegals and legal assistants work directly under an attorney’s supervision, unless otherwise authorized by statute, court rules or agency regulations permitting paralegals to provide assistance directly to the public.
What do paralegals do?
The terms "paralegal" and "legal assistant" can have different meanings to different legal organizations. To be clear about KCC's curriculum, we have opted to call it the "Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies" program. In essence, paralegals can carry out any function that a lawyer can perform with three notable exceptions:
•setting legal fees
•giving legal advice to clients
•representing clients in court proceedings
A well-trained paralegal can be extremely effective in terms of legal research and writing, drafting basic pleadings and motions, gathering and maintaining case information, and assisting attorneys during trials. Because they have been trained to perform many of the routine tasks for which attorneys have also been trained, they can provide these same services to a client for a lower price than that of an attorney.
Please note, however, that paralegals work directly under attorney supervision. Paralegals who engage in activities without such supervision are engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. This program is designed to train paralegals to assist attorneys with a variety of tasks--but the tasks must always ultimately be supervised by an attorney.
Where do paralegals work?
Employment opportunities exist in the judicial system—working for judges, or in the offices of the state's attorney or public defender. Employment also can be found at private law firms, banks, title insurance companies, corporations, or hospitals with corporate legal departments. In addition, opportunities are available in legal aid organizations and in state agencies.
Satellite branches of national and regional law firms also offer employment for paralegals and legal assistants. Such firms can be found in metropolitan areas such as Peoria, Champaign, Bloomington and Joliet. Chicago-based law firms offer the greatest number of employment opportunities for paralegals, and Loop-area firms are easily accessible by the Metra Electric Line that originates in University Park.
What do paralegals earn?
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security's 2018 annual reporting data, the statewide average entry-level salary, with any level of education, is $17.72 per hour, or $36,863 annually. In the Kankakee Metropolitan Statistical Area, these numbers are comparable. The average entry-level salary, with any level of education, is $17.36 per hour, or $36,113 annually.
The U.S. Department of Labor O*NET database reports the national median salary for paralegals at $24.24 per hour, or $50,410 annually, with 34,700 job openings projected through 2026. O*NET's Illinois data reports 1,300 projected annual job openings annually through 2026, a 16% increase from 2016-2016. (Projected annual job openings refers to the average annual job openings due to growth and net replacement.) These figures are informative; completion of the KCC program does not guarantee that your starting salary will fall within these ranges.
In 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that Illinois had the fifth-highest employment level of paralegals, with 12,070 statewide and an annual mean wage of $49,020. The BLS notes that Chicago, Joliet, and Naperville had the highest concentration of paralegals, with an annual mean wage of $49,430.
While KCC cannot guarantee employment upon graduation, we have a variety of resources to help you in your job search. In addition to the internship, our Office of Continuing Education and Career Services can help you with a resume review, interviewing tips, and referring you to job postings that KCC has received.
Is ABA approval important?
The American Bar Association is the premier professional organization for attorneys in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the ABA also has a Standing Committee on Paralegals, which advocates the role of the paralegal in the legal organization and which also establishes guidelines for approval of paralegal training programs.
Colleges and universities can opt to participate in the ABA approval process; it is not mandatory. The ABA will review programs for approval that have been in operation for a minimum of two years and that have graduated students.
KCC's Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies Program is approved by the American Bar Association