The paralegal industry has changed significantly since the 1970's when paralegals, also known as legal assistants, first emerged as a bona fide career. Client demands, economic necessity and explosive growth have made paralegals a popular career choice and there has never been a better time to be a paralegal. The eight paralegal career advantages below outline several of the highlights of work in the paralegal field (to learn some of the drawbacks to a paralegal career, explore these Eight Worst Things about Being a Paralegal).