Nevada Paralegals

Paralegals work at the heart of Nevada's thriving criminal justice and civil court systems. Trade colleges and legal vocational schools throughout the state can prepare you to launch a lifelong career in the legal assisting and courtroom vocations.

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Nevada Paralegals
Trade Schools Put Nevada Paralegals to Work
by Gabby Hyman

Nevada Paralegal Opportunities
Vocational and trade schools in the Las Vegas and Reno areas of Nevada offer undergraduate training programs that qualify students a paralegals and legal assistants in a stable and growing profession. Like most technical schools, Nevada paralegal training programs focus on delivering fundamental entry-level skills in vocations that turn into careers. If you've wanted to thrive at the center of the state's vibrant courthouse professions, a paralegal trade program can put you to work in two years or less.

According to Martindale-Hubbell, a network of more than a million attorneys around the globe, there are currently 686 law firms in Nevada. Attorneys in private practice are the single-largest employer of paralegals and legal assistants in the country, although many paralegals take positions with corporate legal departments and governmental agencies throughout Nevada.

Training as a Paralegal in Nevada
Nevada paralegals are allowed by state law to handle much of the procedural legal work traditionally performed by attorneys. According to The American Association for Paralegal Education, more than more than 120,000 paralegals are working across the nation today.

Associate's degree paralegal programs that offer coursework between 60 to 70 semester units can prepare you for the paralegal profession as well as the 18 to 60 semester unit certification programs offered by many trade schools.

There are many associate's and baccalaureate degree paralegal programs offered on campuses and through online schools in Nevada. For example, a Las Vegas-area trade school currently offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal/Legal Assistant which prepares students with skills in:

• Legal research
• Pleadings and legal document preparation
• Client interviews and depositions
• Estate planning, wills, trusts, taxation
• Criminal law, liability, and criminal-punishment procedures
• Divorce, custody, community property, and adoption.

Earning Your Keep as a Nevada Paralegal
It pays to evaluate paralegal trade school programs before you enroll. Many offer immediate and long-term job placement assistance upon program completions. The Martindale-Hubbell website also allows paralegal school grads to search for law firms in Nevada, sorting by legal practice areas, including family law, intellectual property, taxation, bankruptcy, criminal law, labor and employment litigation, estates and trusts, and real estate.

Paralegal salaries vary across Nevada. Salary.com reports current entry-level annual wages for paralegals at between $39,086 and $53,074 in Las Vegas and between $38,515 and $52,299 in Reno. After several years in the trade, paralegals can earn between $61,798 and $81,944 in Las Vegas and between $60,896 and $80,748 in Reno.

Sources
Martindale-Hubbell
The American Association for Paralegal Education
Salary.com

About the Author
Gabby Hyman has created online strategies and written content for Fortune 500 companies including eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Microsoft Encarta, Avaya, and Nissan UK.


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