The Department of Labor predicts a growth rate of 22% for the paralegal field by the year 2016. That sounds pretty good in an economy that’s struggling to create new jobs and get Americans back to work. This prediction is based on a variety of factors: a spike in the retirement rate as the current workforce ages; an increase in positions at non-traditional employers such as banks and real estate firms; a growing need for legal services by an expanding and aging national population; a trend toward assigning paralegals more tasks once reserved for licensed attorneys.