How to Become a Paralegal
Updated September 17, 2026
Most paralegal jobs need an associate’s degree or certificate in paralegal studies, not a law degree, though requirements vary by employer and state. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median paralegal salary at $62,890 in May 2025. Certification through groups like NALA is voluntary nationally, separate from any state-specific rules.
Lawyers would have a lot of trouble getting anything done without the help of a trusty paralegal. From conducting valuable research in legal cases to filling out and filing necessary paperwork, paralegals have a hand in almost every aspect of the justice system.
If you’re coming at this from a criminal justice background rather than a pre-law one, you’re not off track. A criminal justice degree covers legal systems, evidence handling, and courtroom procedure, which overlaps with paralegal work, though it doesn’t automatically satisfy every employer’s or state’s specific paralegal-studies requirement. You don’t need a law degree. What you need is the right combination of education and experience that fits your target employer and state, and that’s what this guide walks through.
What Does a Paralegal Do?
As a paralegal, you’ll support lawyers, law firms, corporations, government entities, nonprofits, or any other organization with a legal team. You won’t be able to work as a practicing attorney, but you can do many of the things lawyers do, such as:
- Conduct research: When lawyers build a case, they do extensive research about similar cases and related statutes. They often rely on paralegals to do a lot of the legwork.
- Communicate with clients: Most lawyers are incredibly busy, and they often don’t have time to talk with their clients about issues that aren’t pressing. You might relay information, explain procedures, and respond to clients who have questions (and refer them to the lawyer as necessary).
- Prepare for trials and hearings: This can mean any number of things. You might:
- Collect needed documents
- Draft or review new documents
- Organize files
- Locate and interview witnesses
Paralegals work everywhere from small, single-attorney private law offices to massive law firms and the legal divisions of major corporations. You can choose from several different career paths based on your interests and skills.
Career Paths for Paralegals
Skilled paralegals work in virtually any area of the legal field and in every environment that relies on a legal team.
Criminal Law
As a criminal law paralegal, you will work on either side of the criminal justice system, supporting prosecutors or defense attorneys. You’ll do much of the same work as other paralegals, but a lot of your workload will be dedicated specifically to building or refuting cases against people accused of crimes.
Litigation
In this type of career, you’ll be involved in the investigation of the facts and circumstances of cases involving one party taking legal action against another. You might organize evidence, prepare witnesses, and conduct research as the lawyers you assist attempt to maneuver their clients into the strongest possible position.
Personal Injury
As a personal injury paralegal, you will typically assist lawyers seeking compensation for injured parties or those who are defending clients against lawsuits. This often requires a fairly wide base of skills and knowledge. You’ll be expected to understand terminology, processes, records, and procedures that are unique to both the medical and legal fields.
Corporate
Corporate paralegal work will require you to assist attorneys through the legal maze that all businesses must navigate. That can include anything from major projects like taking a private company public or mergers and acquisitions to more run-of-the-mill legal work involving things like banking, finance, contract law, and insurance.
Family Law
Family law is among the most intimate and personal divisions of the legal system. You may assist in cases involving divorce, paternity, surrogacy and adoption, marriage and domestic partnerships, property settlements, child support, child protective proceedings, and juvenile law. Family law paralegals should be good at communicating with distressed clients in emotionally charged situations.
Debt and Bankruptcy
As with other fields, you can work as a paralegal on either side of debt and bankruptcy law. You might work with corporate lawyers to pursue the payment of a debt, with attorneys representing businesses or people who file for bankruptcy, or for a government agency overseeing the bankruptcy process.
Immigration
In this area, you would assist lawyers working to enforce immigration laws in the United States or for one of the many nonprofit, private, and corporate organizations that provide legal assistance to immigrants and their families. This specialized segment of the legal field requires knowledge of the laws and processes governing things like naturalization, deportation, and work visas.
Real Estate
As a real estate paralegal, you’ll assist lawyers on both sides of property and land sales. You might support attorneys working for homeowners or buyers, help businesses expand into new areas, or negotiate corporate office purchases or leases. Real estate paralegals work for government entities, nonprofits, and any other organizations that buy, sell, rent, and lease land and structures.
Intellectual Property
From music and movies to pharmaceuticals and agriculture, intellectual property law reaches into virtually every aspect of American industry. As a paralegal in this field, you’ll have to understand concepts such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, publicity rights, and proprietary information.
Paralegal Salary and Career Outlook
According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median annual salary for paralegals nationwide was $62,890. That’s the midpoint, not the ceiling, and location moves it a lot. The five highest-paying states and jurisdictions, per BLS state-level OEWS data, are:
| State | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $89,750 |
| Washington | $79,400 |
| Colorado | $78,190 |
| Massachusetts | $77,640 |
| California | $77,390 |
Nationally, the BLS projects little or no change in paralegal employment from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,800 openings a year driven mostly by workers leaving the field rather than new demand. That national figure looks different state by state, though. Based on 2024-34 ProjectionsCentral data, the five fastest-growing states are:
| State | Projected Growth (2024-34) |
|---|---|
| Colorado | +16.7% |
| Utah | +14.2% |
| Texas | +13.9% |
| Mississippi | +12.1% |
| Florida | +12.0% |
May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Paralegals and Legal Assistants. Long-term (2024-34) job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.
Paralegal Requirements
There are three pieces to becoming a paralegal, and none of them is a law degree.
- Education: The BLS lists an associate’s degree or certificate in paralegal studies as the typical entry credential. Some employers prefer bachelor’s-degree candidates, and others will consider a high school diploma plus experience.
- Experience: Some employers require it. The BLS doesn’t list related work experience as a standard entry requirement for the occupation, but many paralegal programs build in an internship as part of the coursework.
- Certification: There’s no single national paralegal license. A few states, California among them, set their own education and experience requirements to use the “paralegal” title. National certification through NALA, NFPA, or NALS is voluntary everywhere and separate from any state-level rule.
Education
Before exploring paralegal programs, decide which area of law interests you, and check what your state and target employers actually require. ABA approval is one marker of program quality, but it isn’t a universal requirement. Many programs without it are still accepted by employers and satisfy state-specific rules like California’s.
Associate Degree
You can complete an associate degree in two years at a community or junior college. It works as a standalone credential, and it can also satisfy the first two years of a bachelor’s program if you transfer. Coursework covers an introduction to the legal system, legal writing, and research.
Certificate
Certificate programs vary widely in length and structure. Some run about a year for people coming straight out of high school and cover entry-level fundamentals. Others are post-baccalaureate programs, often in the range of 18 to 45 semester hours, aimed at candidates who already hold a bachelor’s degree. How a certificate is weighed against a degree differs by school, by employer, and by state.
Bachelor’s Degree
A bachelor’s program usually takes about four years, or two if you’re transferring in a completed associate degree. You’ll take industry-specific courses like legal ethics, civil litigation, criminal law, and legal document preparation, alongside general education requirements.
Master’s Degree
A master’s degree in this field usually results in a Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) or a Master of Arts in legal studies, though some schools offer a master’s degree directly in paralegal studies. Expect coursework in advanced legal studies, legal research, contract law, and comparative justice. Some programs finish in as little as one year.
Online Paralegal Degree Programs
You can earn any type of paralegal credential, certificate included, entirely online in most cases. Programs that require an internship or other hands-on experience usually let you do that piece locally through a hybrid format.
Online degrees are the same credential as their on-campus equivalents, often taught by the same instructors, with comparable access to services and support.
Distance learning isn’t easier than traditional study, but it is more flexible, and that flexibility matters if you’re working while you study.
Paralegal Professional Certification
There’s no single national paralegal license, and requirements vary by state and employer. California is a notable exception: Business and Professions Code Section 6450 sets specific education, training, or experience requirements to use the “paralegal” title there, along with mandatory continuing education. Outside of state-specific rules like that one, national certification is voluntary. It’s a process where a professional association tests your knowledge and skills, separate from any state licensing requirement.
Three national associations offer certification-related exams, though availability and structure change, so confirm current details before you apply:
- NALA’s Certified Paralegal (CP) exam has several education- and experience-based eligibility pathways, from completing an ABA-approved or accredited paralegal program to qualifying bachelor’s degrees or years of supervised experience. Eligible candidates take a two-part exam: a Knowledge Exam first, then a Skills Exam.
- The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) offers two credentialing exams: the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam (PCCE), which confers the Core Registered Paralegal (CRP) credential, and the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE), aimed at experienced paralegals, which confers the Registered Paralegal (RP) credential.
- The National Association for Legal Support Professionals (NALS) offers three certification levels, though as of this writing its individual CLP and Professional Paralegal (PP) exams are on hiatus while NALS revises them. Its former Accredited Legal Professional (ALP) exam is now the Certified Legal Support Professional (LSP) exam, currently administered to school groups rather than individual candidates. Check NALS’s certification page for current availability before planning around any of these.
Skills and Traits of a Successful Paralegal
Paralegals handle a wide range of tasks, but the good ones share a few habits.
Good paralegals are:
- Highly organized and meticulous; strict attention to detail is probably the single most important trait of a successful paralegal
- Skilled researchers
- Strong communicators, both written and verbal
- Discreet; you won’t be able to discuss the cases you’re working on with anyone outside the office
- Good at taking direction
- Hard workers, since paralegals often put in long hours under real pressure
Resources
These organizations offer resources and assistance to paralegal students and professionals throughout their careers. You don’t have to join to benefit from their free resources.
- National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA): Offers certification plus continuing education and professional development resources.
- American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc.: Formed by 11 paralegals in 2003, this member-based organization advances both the industry and individual professionals.
- National Association for Legal Support Professionals (NALS): Runs several certifications and offers education, training, and continuing education resources.
- National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA): Offers certification, professional development, career assistance, pro bono work, and its own publication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you become a paralegal with a criminal justice degree?
Often, yes. A criminal justice degree covers legal systems, evidence, and courtroom procedure, which overlaps with paralegal work. It doesn’t automatically satisfy every employer’s or state’s specific paralegal-studies requirement, though, so check your target employer’s preferences and your state’s rules (California, for example, has its own statutory requirements) before assuming it’s a direct substitute.
Do you need a law degree to be a paralegal?
No, and that’s the whole point of the role. A law degree qualifies you to practice law and represent clients, which a paralegal cannot do. Most paralegals hold an associate or bachelor’s degree, sometimes with a paralegal certificate layered on top.
Is paralegal certification required?
There’s no single national license, so it depends on where you work. Certification through NALA, NFPA, or NALS is voluntary nationally, but a handful of states, California among them, set their own education and experience requirements to use the “paralegal” title. Check your state’s rules and your target employer’s preferences rather than assuming certification is optional across the board.
How long does it take to become a paralegal?
An associate degree takes about two years, a bachelor’s about four (or two if you transfer in an associate degree), and certificate programs run anywhere from about a year to longer post-baccalaureate formats. Add exam prep time on top if you’re pursuing a national certification, which most candidates handle in a few months once they’re eligible.
Key Takeaways
- No law degree required – Most paralegal jobs call for an associate or bachelor’s degree, not a J.D.
- A criminal justice degree can help – The coursework overlaps with paralegal work, though it won’t automatically clear every employer’s specific requirement.
- Regulation varies by state – There’s no single national license. California and a few other states set their own requirements to use the “paralegal” title.
- Pay varies sharply by state – The gap between the highest- and lowest-paying states and jurisdictions runs tens of thousands of dollars a year.
- Growth is uneven – National employment is projected to see little or no change, but states like Colorado, Utah, and Texas are projected to add jobs well above that.
Whichever degree path you choose, the paralegal role rewards people who can research fast, write clearly, and stay organized under deadline pressure. Start with the education section above, match it against what your state and target employer actually require, and go from there.