One example of the growing value of paralegals to legal firms can be found in San Francisco this week, where officials are clashing over funding for two part-time staff members. A report in the San Francisco Examiner says that Public Defender Jeff Adachi plans to stop accepting new homicide cases and some felony cases because of a high workload for defense attorneys that could jeopardize the rights of the accused. The situation began when Adachi approached city officials asking for $50,000 to fund two part time paralegals, arguing that they save time and money by handling various tasks and allowing attorneys to focus on other work. Officials rebuffed Adachi's request, and now accusations of wasteful spending and missed budget cuts are flying back and forth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, duties for paralegals can vary extensively depending on the organization one works for. Duties can range from monitoring government regulations and assisting with annual financial reports to conducting research and preparing legal documents. The BLS also envisions healthy growth prospects for paralegals, projecting a 22 percent jump in demand for them between now and 2016.  |