Tampa Paralegal Jobs Overview
Attorneys—especially those at bigger firms—can’t do it all on their own. Essential members of their teams often include paralegals. However, these roles should not be confused with legal secretaries, who only handle day-to-day admin duties and customer-service tasks.
As defined by the American Bar Association (ABA), a paralegal is a professional “who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.” Hence, paralegal jobs encompass a variety of work that’s more directly involved with supervising attorneys or lawyers, such as preparing affidavits and legal correspondence, filing pleadings, responding to discovery requests, researching case-related information, and recapping depositions and trial transcripts.
And now’s a great time to pursue this career. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is forecasting a 12% growth outlook over the next decade for paralegal jobs, which is faster than the average for all occupations, as law firms and other companies keep hiring more paralegals to increase productivity and cost-effectiveness.
You can expand your search for legal jobs by checking out these similar positions:
About Working in Tampa, Florida
Depending on who you talk to, Tampa is hot. The Calusa people named the city "Tampa," which means "Sticks of Fire" because the city experiences the most lightning strikes of any U.S. city with a population of at least 500,000. Tampa is in one of the hottest states in the U.S., but its temperature has never exceeded 99 degrees. Some think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hot. The team is named after the legendary pirate José Gaspar, who inspired Tampa's annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival. It's also a hot fact that the number of Tampa jobs in technology has put the city on a list of the top 20 tech towns outside California. And it's ranked as one of the hottest housing markets in the U.S.
If that lights your fire for jobs in Tampa, there are lots of cool places to start. Be sure to look at the smoking hot nearby cities of Clearwater, Largo, and Lakeland, as well.
Update Your Tampa Paralegal Resume
Your paralegal resume should open with a compact, hard-hitting objective. When writing this, think of it as arguing your case—a compelling opening statement, so to speak. You can also opt for a career summary instead, if you’d prefer. After that, it’s important that you give specific examples of your accomplishments and quantify your achievements (e.g., how big were your previous caseloads and how fast were you able to finish respective tasks?). Take a look at our paralegal resume sample for more pointers.
Additionally, try sending a persuasive cover letter with your application, as it will help your candidacy if you do it right. Need some guidance? Then review our example of a well-written cover letter for paralegals.
How Much Do Paralegal Jobs Pay in Tampa, Florida?
Got money on your mind? You should! Make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth. Our Salary Tools can help you understand what you can expect to make in paralegal jobs in Tampa, Florida, as well as the skills that can boost your value and what the next steps in your career might be. Right now, the median paralegal pay in Tampa is $42,248 per year, which is 7% lower than the national average.
Find Your Next Tampa Paralegal Job. Monster Can Help Get You Started
Are you prepared for a career in paralegal? If so, set up your profile on Monster for free and begin clicking on those paralegal jobs. When you sign up with us, you’ll receive custom job alerts and expert advice on how to negotiate your salary in Tampa, how to nail your job interview, and more.