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Career Development Denise Alexander
If you’re interested in earning a paralegal degree, you should be aware of the important and evolving role of technology in the legal field. Like many industries in the U.S. and across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the industry’s push toward more digitalized practices. This means that legal technology, which is a broad term to describe the use of technology and software to provide legal services, is more important than ever.
We asked David Steele, Public Safety Department Chair for Herzing’s Online Campus, what current and future paralegals can expect when it comes to using legal technology now and in the future.
Here are some ways technology is changing the way paralegals work:
In the last decade, there has been a push for law offices to transition to paperless. This has been facilitated through paperless billing, electronic communication and sometimes electronic document filing. Going paperless not only cuts down on costs but enhances the security of documents, improves productivity and saves time.
This trend toward paperless is expected to continue, and paralegals need to be aware of the major trends around it:
COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on how paralegals are being used across the nation. In some states, paralegals are considered essential workers but not in others. In short, some paralegals continue to work in offices while other paralegals are working virtually to help keep their practices in operation. This has caused an even greater need for legal technology.
“Paralegals are more important now than ever because attorneys increasingly look to them for technological solutions to the new challenges they are facing,” Steele said. “Paralegals are managing client files remotely, helping file court documents and emergency orders, and communicating with clients as cases continue.”
Some paralegals are also being asked to identify and introduce solutions that help onboard new employees and set up remote workstations.
“Paralegals need to be flexible and capable of thinking outside the box to solve unexpected challenges for the attorneys they support,” Steele said.
Paralegals are expected to keep up with advancements in traditional technological solutions to maximize the firm’s technology investments and profitability. A couple of examples:
For students preparing to become paralegals, Steele offers this advice:
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.
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