Dutchess Community College is now offering a two-year degree and a one-year certificate program for paralegals.

The paralegal field is experiencing rapid growth in employment opportunities. Although one might think paralegals work exclusively in law firms, they also work in a variety of other offices, including corporations, government agencies, and non-profit agancies. A paralegal normally works under the supervision of an attorney, performing such tasks as legal research, document preparation, client interviews, and maintaing legal records.

Paralegals may specialize in such areas as: litigation, corporate law, real estate practice, intellectual property law, and criminal law.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of paralegals through the year 2006 is expected to grow much faster than average in comparison to other occupations.