Employment for Paralegals Outside of the Courtroom
- HR
- Bookkeeping and payroll
- Customer contracts
- Business contracts
- Lawsuit management
When you first decided to go to school to become a paralegal, you might have thought that you would spend your days after graduation working in a small law office in your area. However, if you are looking for a job in a big corporation, you should know that there are options out there. There is no reason to restrict yourself to a small-time job with a small salary and with few benefits when there are a lot of great corporate jobs out there for paralegals just like you.
These are a few job opportunities that you should consider looking into if you’re ready to work as a paralegal for a big company.
1. Human Resources
Handling human resources in a corporate setting is a big job. Big corporations have to make sure that they remain within the confines of the law while keeping employees happy and abiding by corporate policy.
As a paralegal, you can work in the human resources department of a big corporation. With this job, you’ll have the opportunity to look over employee contracts and more, all under the direction of a practicing attorney.
2. Bookkeeping and Payroll
If there is one thing that many corporations take seriously, it’s money. This is why many big corporations have both lawyers and paralegals working in their bookkeeping and payroll departments. A good tax lawyer will look over the bookkeeping and money management to ensure that it’s being done legally and in a way that helps the business. As a paralegal working in this department, it will be your job to help the attorney with tax paperwork and other similar documents.
3. Customer Contracts
In businesses in which customers or business partners have to sign contracts, corporations typically rely on lawyers to assist them with drafting these contracts and ensuring that they are fully legal in the state in which the corporation operates and that there are no loophole or other potential legal issues that might affect the company. In this type of job setting, you’ll be expected to work with attorneys on drafting and revising these contracts, and you may have to do some research in regards to contract law and changing laws in your state.
4. Business Contracts
Many corporations make business contracts on a daily basis. To ensure that these contracts are beneficial for the company, fair to the business partners, and fully legal, corporations typically have a team of lawyers and paralegals working on these contracts. This type of corporate job will involve studying business and contract law and working with lawyers to draft up contracts.
5. Lawsuit Management
Some corporations are prone to lawsuits for various reasons. For this purpose, many of them keep a team of lawyers on hand to provide advice about these situations. In this type of law, you will work with attorneys and other paralegals to provide guidance and to help with the next steps in the case of impending lawsuits. This can involve coming up with settlement options, working on court cases, and more.
Related Resource: The 19 Cheapest ABA Approved Online Paralegal Programs
You do not have to be stuck in a boring job in a boring law office. As a paralegal, you have a world of possibilities available to you. You can work in a huge corporate setting if that is what you prefer, and you can often enjoy a higher salary and better benefits from doing so. Whether you have already finished paralegal school or are thinking about attending, you should consider these five different corporate jobs that are available for paralegals. This can help you open yourself up to a world of job opportunities that will be perfect for you.
