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During the past two decades, paralegals have become highly visible and valued members of the legal profession. Though paralegals cannot independently give legal advice to clients, represent clients in court, accept a case or set a fee, increasingly they are playing key roles in the legal services team, performing a wide variety of substantive legal work delegated by attorneys. By historic standards, though, "paralegal" is still relatively new as an occupational category distinct from the lawyer, law clerk, or legal secretary. In the early 1970s the American Bar Association gave a boost to the fledging legal assistant profession by endorsing the concept of non-lawyers aiding attorneys in the practice of law, and by approving the delegation to these "lawyer’s assistants" of many functions previously reserved to attorneys. Through its Standing Committee on Legal Assistants, the ABA adopted model guidelines for lawyers in the utilization of legal assistants or paralegals, and a definition of legal assistant or paralegal: "A legal assistant or paralegal is a person, qualified by education, training or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible."

The Plan for Certification of Paralegals in North Carolina was approved by the North Carolina State Bar and adopted by the NC Supreme Court in 2004. Certification will assist in the continuation of developing paralegal standards, raise the profile of the paralegal profession, signify a greater level of achievement and standardize the level of expectation of the public and other legal professionals.

Employment opportunities for paralegals are varied. While the majority (75 percent, according to most national surveys) work for private law firms, many find positions with corporations, banks, non-profit and government agencies. Responsibilities differ depending upon the kind of business or firm and its size and specialization. Training as a paralegal provides instruction in basic legal principles and skills which can be transferred to various occupational settings. Former paralegals have successfully translated their legal skills and experience to fields such as mortgage lending, human resources, trust and estate administration, municipal administration, purchasing, and property management, to name a few.

The job market for paralegals in North Carolina is excellent. Most Meredith Paralegal Program graduates elect to stay in North Carolina, but in recent years graduates ventured farther afield: to Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, South Carolina, and Washington, DC. Since paralegals are not required to pass a licensing examination in most states in order to practice in that state, paralegal skills and training are readily portable across state lines.