Paralegal Training

Paralegals benefit from a stable, secure career.. and with paralegal training, job security is a certainty considering the tremendous demand for quality paralegal work. There are many career options for paralegals – not only can they choose their own work environment, legal specialty, or business sector, they can even work for themselves in a freelance paralegal capacity.

Many other careers that don’t require extensive education have drawbacks like standing for a good portion of the day, such as, health care jobs like nurses, nurse assistants etc. Paralegals are mainly knowledge workers, so they are usually given a chair and desk to setup as their place of work. Paralegal duties can be very similar to that of attorneys depending on experience, so they must possess quit a bit of knowledge in law and the legal process. However, one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a paralegal is helping others with their legal matters and comforting them during a stressful time in their life. It is a great responsibility, and for the right person offers tremendous satisfaction.

Paralegal Education and Degree Programs

Attorneys who employ paralegals are mainly concerned with whether or not the paralegal candidate is adequately trained through a certificate or degree program, and preferably possesses at least 2 years of experience in a similar position. For those just beginning their career, a legal internship is the best way to acquire some semblance of experience that will look favorable on your resume. As for education, there are several directions aspiring paralegals can choose from. The most common is an associates degree from a community college. A certificate in paralegal studies is also offered, mostly for those who have already obtained a degree in another field, or who are retraining for a new career. There are even universities that offer bachelor’s and masters degrees in paralegal studies. Lastly, if an attorney is in a bind and doesn’t have highly qualified candidate resume’s to choose from, they can hire someone and train them on-the-job. However this not likely in competitive job markets like the one we’re experiencing now.

While paralegal training programs didn’t really exist prior to the 1960s, today there are more than 1,000 colleges, universities, law schools and career training schools that offer formal paralegal education programs. The American Bar Association (ABA) even lists roughly 260 approved paralegal education programs. Choosing from these options is a good idea for paralegal candidates as the ABA approval status will increase job opportunities. School requirements vary greatly, some require some college coursework to be completed while others require nothing more than a high school doploma. Still others have testing and interview requirements for acceptance.

Paralegal education programs are not all created equal, some offer enhanced opportunities like job placement services, while others don’t. Prospective paralegals should conduct a reasonable amount of due diligence when investigating various schools, and if possible interview past graduates to find out what their experience was, especially after graduation.

Many paralegal associations offer a variety of resources as well, including networking opportunities, continuing education, professional development help, seminars, conferences, and other tools to help paralegals excel on the job.

Paralegal Employment

While some employers are willing to train on the job, one should not expect to readily find opportunities like this, unless you have ancillary skills such as technical experience that is useful law firms, such as a tax preparation, extensive secretarial skills, or experience in another criminal justice position. For law firms that specialize in personal injury, nurse paralegal positions are available and in most cases demand a higher salary than traditional paralegals.

Paralegals need to understand legal terminology and have good research and investigative skills. Having a working knowledge in legal specific software, such as legal research, litigation support and legal practice management applications. they must stay on top of legal developments which is a regular part of the job, especially areas in law that are close to their specialization. Some states such as California require mandatory continuing education in general law or whatever area of practice is specific to the paralegal.

As with any position, more responsibility and higher salaries are offered to paralegals who have demonstrated excellent work and accrued more experience. Management positions are offered to senior positions within large law firms, government agencies and corporate legal departments. While advancement opportunities and managerial positions are available in these environments, again like with many other careers, it may be easier to advance after transitioning to another law firm or organization.