As defined by the American Bar Association, "A 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 paralegal studies program at the University of Cincinnati is designed to prepare graduates for a variety of paralegal job opportunities. The utilization of paralegals improves the efficiency, economy and availability of legal services. A paralegal performs substantive legal work under the direct supervision of an attorney. Paralegals must have knowledge and understanding of various legal concepts. Responsibilities most often assigned to paralegals include maintaining client files, drafting correspondence, performing factual research and legal research, monitoring deadlines, maintaining conflicts-of-interest systems, drafting, investigating and analyzing documents and acting as liaison with clients and others. Experienced paralegals often accompany counsel during trial and help with document management and organization, witness preparation and research. These tasks may be performed in a variety of legal areas that include probate, real estate, family law, bankruptcy, corporate, litigation and intellectual property. Prospective students should be aware that paralegal education is not the equivalent of a law school education. Graduates of paralegal programs are not qualified or eligible to take the bar examination. Academic credit for paralegal courses is not transferable for advanced standing in law school.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected the paralegal profession to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012. Employment growth stems from law firms and other employers with legal staffs increasingly hiring paralegals to lower the cost and increase the availability and efficiency of legal services. The employment opportunities for program graduates are excellent. Graduates of UC's program are currently working as paralegals in large and small law firms, corporate legal departments, governmental agencies, banks, real estate companies and legal publishing companies.