How and Where to Find a Job as a Legal Assistant In America and Canada

A HubPages Question was asked that wondered about the number of relevance of Legal Assistant jobs in America during the 2010s, subsequent to the Recession of 2008 - 2010. The quick answer is that legal assisting and paralegal jobs began to increase again during the Spring of 2011 and are projected to increase faster than average through the year 2018.

In Canada, prospects for future employment in these positions also seem good in the 2010s and 2020s (see material about Canada provided further below).

A more detailed analysis of the outlook for these types of jobs and their prospects for increase begins here:

Major job search engines SimplyHired.com and Indeed.com gather all Internet-based job postings in USA, Canada, and several additional countries in an ongoing update process. During the middle to end of August 2011, approximately 3,400+ positions were open for legal assistants and 7,200+ for paralegals in America. Paralegal and Legal Assistant are often interchangeable job titles and perform similar duties.

LOCATIONS

Indeed.com lists job openings according to different parameters, one of which is location in the left sidebar on the site. The largest numbers of legal assisting jobs are available in the listings I examined at:

1. Washington DC
2. New York City
3. Chicago
4. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. Miami, Florida
7. Seattle, Washington
8. Tulsa, Oklahoma
9. Los Angeles
10. Tampa, Florida

Out of the Top 10 American Cities for legal assisting jobs, three out of 10 are located in Florida.

Paralegals and legal assistants are also in high demand in:

• Dallas, Texas
• San Francisco
• Houston, Texas,
• Boston, Massachusetts

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that job openings for Legal Assistant and Paralegal will increase much faster than most other jobs in the US. The following types of companies are predicted to hire the most new paralegals and legal assistants:

• Corporations
• Private Law Firms
• Title Insurance Companies
• Banks
• Community Legal Service Programs - sometimes called "legal clinics" during special events. These clinics are held at community centers, schools, universities, rec centers, county jobs offices, retirement centers, etc.
• Real Estate Companies

Training programs are available across the nation for paralegal and legal assistant training. Degrees offered range from the Associate's to the Master's. At the same time, some companies or law firms hire individuals for this type of work and train them in-house, on the job (OTC, on the job training).

Training and certification requirements also vary by US States and their different regulations. Links beiow feature major certification organizations.

The companies advertising the largest numbers of legal assisting jobs in the US are:

1. Kelly Law Registry - This is a division of the long-time Kelly Services srtaffing agency that used to be called Kelly Girl.
2. Robert Half Legal - This is another staffing and placement agency with a long history of success,
3. CACI International
4. Express Employment Professionals - I have worked through this staffing agency and found them professional, effective, and quick.
5. FM Talent Source
6. Lumen Legal
7. Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., LPA
8. Lockheed Martin
9. Law Dawgs
10. Texas State and City Governments

In Canada, employers find it very useful for legal assistants to be bilingual in English and French, particularly in Quebec Province, but also across the nation overall.

In Ontario Province, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada; they then have independent status in Ontario and need not be attached to an attorney. In fact, they are full-fledged practitioners and work on their own. See www.lsuc.on.ca. This site includes a directory of lawyers and paralegals.

At least 1,000 jobs in paralegal and legal assisting work are listed across Canada by the Canadian versions of SimplyHired and Indeed. Highest demand occurs in the following metro areas:

1. Toronto Ontario - Since Toronto, Ontario is the largest city in Canada, it follows that the most positions for legal assisting in the nation would occur here and this is true.
2. Calgary Alberta
3. Edmonton Alberta
4. Ottawa Ontario
5. Vancouver BC
6. Montreal Quebec
7. Mississauga Ontario
8. Regina Saskatchewan
9. Saskatoon Saskatchewan
10. Winnipeg Manitoba

1. Linds and Associates
2. ZSA
3. State Personnel LTD
4. Cartel
5. Groupe Montpetit Ressources Humaines
6. Urban Recruitment
7. Career Centre Canada
8. Robert Half Local
9. Simon Personnel/Simon Technology
10. David Aplin Recruiting