A paralegal usually works in law offices or for the government under the direction of legal staff. A Texas paralegal's duties include assisting lawyers in court cases through verifying the facts of a case, preparing legal arguments and motions for court filing and organizing trial documents. Paralegal duties can also include setting up trust funds, drafting contracts and preparing mortgage documentation.
No educational requirements exist for Texas paralegals, but anyone seeking to quickly penetrate the field can enroll in a certificate program. It takes up to a year to complete, with emphasis upon areas of the law that employers seek, such as bankruptcy or real estate. Enrollees are usually graduates from an associate's or bachelor's degree program in another field. Associate's degrees take up to two years to complete, and prepare students for employment in a legal office. A bachelor's degree paralegal program is for anyone desiring a management position or to attend law school.
Many paralegal programs offer internships, which allow students to train as paralegals in such settings as banks, government offices, law firms, or public defender's offices. Some legal employers prefer to train paralegals on the job, hire college graduates without legal experience, or promote from within.
In Texas, an applicant must have at least five years of experience under the supervision of an attorney, and three years of experience in a specialty area in which he wishes to be certified. These specialty areas include real estate, family and criminal law, civil trial law and estate planning and probate law. The applicant must also complete 30 hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) within the last three years before applying for certification. In addition to experience, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: graduation in any field with a bachelor's degree or higher; passing the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) exam; graduation from an American Bar Association-approved educational and training program for paralegals; completion of a paralegal program with at least 60 semester hours or quarterly equivalent, with at least 18 semester hours of legal courses, or a program with 18 semester credit hours of legal courses; and 45 semester credit hours of general college courses. An additional two years of experience under the supervision of an attorney also qualifies an applicant for certification.
As paralegals gain experience, more job responsibilities are added and less supervision is needed. Promotions to supervisory positions can happen; then paralegals can supervise or delegate work to office clerks or other paralegals. The average annual salary for a paralegal in Austin, Texas, as of 2010, was $47,000, depending on the type of company and level of experience, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.