To be or not to be a paralegal, that is the question. If that’s the question you’ve been asking yourself then continue reading and your decision will become clear.
The National Federation of Paralegal Associations estimates that over 80 percent of current paralegals have gone through some type of formal paralegal education.
In today’s paralegal market, the NFPA recommends as a bare minimum that wanna-be paralegals have a two-year degree with an emphasis in paralegal studies. However, a bachelor's degree is recommended.
As a paralegal, your responsibilities will vary widely based upon what type of business or organization you end up working for.
If you would like to learn more of the details behind this exciting career opportunity
then check out our home page where
you'll find a complete Paralegal Career Overview
section but if you're ready to apply at one of the top schools in the country then take a look
at best paralegal school resources in the country at the top of this page.
Online Paralegal Certificate
In the land of liberty, paralegals owe a great debt of gratitude to a couple of organizations. Of course, there are other professional organizations that have contributed to the evolution of the paralegal as a prominent career in the field of law, but the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) have stood out. Boasting tens of thousands of members between them, these competing organizations' have helped sculpt and influence the language of the paralegal (also called legal assistant by NALA) field for decades.
Crucial benchmarks to gauge when examining the standard of a paralegal program:
Paralegal schools should educate students with the primary objective being to development the entire student. This needs to be done by teaching usable, sensible workforce skills alongside a solid core of legal theory. The curriculum should encompass topics like torts and legal contracts, legal writing and contracts, litigation and legal research.
Organizational and communication skills must be developed in addition to a student's capacity to think critically and apply the legal theory into real world situations.
A high quality paralegal school will also provide the opportunity to learn through programs like an internship or clinical experience.
The paralegal "dean" of curriculum must have the passion, experience and educational credentials to take the paralegal schools training program to the next level. Likewise, the faculty members from top to bottom must also have the credentials to provide the top notch training all students deserve. They must have the paralegal expertise and real-world experience in the subjects they are teaching and be able to pass that knowledge on to their students.
Is the tried and true campus classroom learning model best for you or is the so-called "modern" online training environment a better fit? An essential question that needs to be answered before you take the plunge and decide to pursue your paralegal degree via the online learning model. Another key question includes how you'll receive the training. Will it be through web based courses or telecourses or interactive video or something else? Furthermore, one of the most important questions is very simple, "Can you learn online?"
Fine, your goal is to become a lawyer, but rather than take the so-called "traditional route" of going directly to law school, why not get your paralegal degree first. The benefits are many; like making contacts within the industry, getting a feel and an understanding for the field of law before you plunk down big bucks and 4 years of life and who knows; you may like being a paralegal so much that you'll never want to leave. Think about it!
