How To Become A Certified Paralegal: What It Is and Career Path

What is a certified paralegal and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average certified paralegal salary is $54,126. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an legal support services major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a certified paralegal. Certified paralegals with a Certified Paralegal (CP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 14% and produce 49,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCertified ParalegalUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,126

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.40%

Asian 5.62%

Black or African American 8.91%

Hispanic or Latino 20.68%

Unknown 4.79%

White 59.58%

Gender

female 83.45%

male 16.55%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a certified paralegal

Explore certified paralegal education requirements

Most common certified paralegal degrees

Bachelor's

43.4 %

Associate

36.2 %

Certificate

9.6 %

Start to develop specific certified paralegal skills

Skills	Percentages
Litigation	17.30%
Legal Research	13.84%
Pleadings	10.24%
Trial Preparation	6.16%
Real Estate	5.25%

Complete relevant certified paralegal training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New certified paralegals learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a certified paralegal based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real certified paralegal resumes.

Research certified paralegal duties and responsibilities

Assist patent attorneys by managing invention disclosure documentation and relate correspondence with outside counsel and USPTO.
Prepare and file pleadings for litigation cases, create trial notebooks and prepare extensive exhibit documentation and photography.
Draft interrogatories and requests for the production of documents.
Assist probate department in setting up estates and establishing LOA.

Prepare your certified paralegal resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your certified paralegal resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a certified paralegal resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable certified paralegal resume templates

Build a professional certified paralegal resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your certified paralegal resume.