Legal

Facing soaring overhead, tort reforms and competition, employers are changing how they delegate legal services. These changes have opened doors of opportunity for those with or without a juris doctor – including paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries. In turn, ambitious paralegals in turn may be groomed for future advancement within the firm.

Also, advances in information technology ramp up the learning curve for many types of workers in a firm or corporate legal department. Through 2012, jobs for certified court reporters will grow 25 percent as trials demand confidential real-time transcripts. Crime scene investigators are also in demand for their highly technical expertise.

Even as paralegals take on more legal work, demand for attorneys is greater than ever. The spectrum of high-demand practice areas has expanded over the years, such as intellectual property, patent and immigration law. Over 25 percent are self-employed as partners or in a solo practice, making the career attractive to analytical-entrepreneurial types.