Paralegal Specialties
International law: Paralegals in this field may work for government agencies that deal with international trade or multinational firms. Expertise in foreign languages is preferred.
Corporate law: Paralegals in this field assist "with employee contracts, shareholder agreements, stock-option plans, and employee benefit plans. They also may help prepare and file annual financial reports, maintain corporate minutes' record resolutions, and prepare forms to secure loans for the corporation" (Paralegals, 2009, BLS).
Criminal law: In criminal law practice, paralegals are often given the task of identifying "appropriate laws, judicial decisions, legal articles, and other materials that are relevant to assigned cases" (Paralegals, 2009, BLS). They may depose witnesses, keep track of evidence, or more generally monitor the progress of cases through the criminal justice system.
Litigation: Litigation paralegals "analyze legal material for internal use, maintain reference files, conduct research for attorneys, and collect and analyze evidence for agency hearings. They may prepare informative or explanatory material on laws, agency regulations, and agency policy for general use by the agency and the public" (Paralegals, 2009, BLS).
Oil and gas law: Working in this specialty requires knowledge of current government regulations regarding environmental protections. Opportunities exist within both private, corporate practice and for government agencies.
Their work may encompass both private and commercial real estate.
Tort law: Tort law, or civil law, involves questions of financial damages rather than a loss of liberty. Paralegal's work (for either plaintiffs or defendants) may include assessing cases for settlement value, investigating claims, billing hours, and evaluating insurance policies (Bevans 2009).
Gaming law: Gaming law encompasses all aspects of the gambling industry, including the regulation of casinos, racetracks, and other forms of wagering. This is another field offering opportunities to work for government agencies that monitor and regulate the industry, as well as private firms. Private firms may be in-house for organizations involved in the field themselves, or for firms that represent such organizations.
Family law: Family law may encompass work for government agencies or private firms that deal with divorce and custody issues. Drafting documents such as separation agreements is a frequent part of work for private firms (Paralegals, 2009, BLS).
Contract law: Contracts are legally enforceable agreement. Paralegals must have in-depth knowledge of what constitutes a legally enforceable contract and remedies for breaches of contracts.
Labor and employment: For private agencies, labor…
