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Aging Legal Team Creates Job Opportunities in Alaska's Law Department

By Lynne DeVenny

With all the discouraging news about recent mass layoffs in the legal field, and the extremely competitive job market for paralegals, would you move to Alaska for a paralegal or related job?

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that one-quarter of the Alaska Department of Law's attorney and paralegal staffers are currently eligible to retire. The aging workforce is creating a staffing shortage that the department is trying to prevent, with an aggressive internship and recruiting program, as well as a mentor program pairing experienced employees with younger colleagues.

The state dog is the Alaskan Malamute.

The State of Alaska has recently posted numerous legal and related support positions in its Online Recruitment System, including Court Services Officer, Office Assistant, Deputy Clerk, Program Coordinator, and Law Office Assistant. Some of the positions are available to Alaska residents only, while others are open to all applicants.Most of the positions are full-time with benefits, and do not require a paralegal degree or certification.

What do you think? Would you move to Juneau, Alaska, for a job in a state legal department that is likely to offer more job and career advancement opportunities as its current staff ages out?

If you know as little about Alaska as I do, or are now seriously considering moving there for legal employment, you might find Alaskan artist Elise Tomlinson's "Top 100 Things I Love About Living in Alaska" interesting. Tomlinson includes the sea food, clean air, blue grass festivals, ferry transportation, The Northern Lights, outdoors activities, no state income tax, home-brewing and avalanche-watching as major perks. Oh, and Alaskan residents get a yearly bonus from The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend - and there are no cockroaches there.

Sources:  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner; Workplace Alaska

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on March 19, 2011 (boomark / email).