Paralegal Programs – Finding the Right School
The field of law is a vast arena of rules and regulations but one key player; the paralegal is surprisingly exempt from one rule. Paralegals, after decades of existence are still not required to become “certified”. Clearly, it made sense backs in the 1960s when the profession first evolved out of a need for attorneys to free up their time from doing the “less lawyerly” activities like filling out documents, standard research and other office related paperwork. But you would think over the ensuing years that this would have been “corrected” but for some reason it has not. On the other hand, the marketplace has changed and more and more employers are now requiring that potential employees gain some type of certification before they will be considered for employment.
Key factors to keep in mind when evaluating the quality of any paralegal program:
1. Teaching applicable, useful work skills in conjunction with cornerstone legal theory is an indispensable aspect of any quality paralegal school curriculum. Additionally, a solid paralegal degree program should also embrace everything from torts and business organizations to ethics and legal writing. Furthermore, paralegal courses should focus on enhancing students’ critical thinking abilities, improve and hone communication skills and prepare them emotional and psychologically to handle ethical issues.
2. Who are the individuals making up the faculty and the administration of the paralegal school you are looking to attend? Does the curriculum program director have a law degree or minimally have they had solid field experience along with an advanced degree in some aspect of paralegal education? Are the instructors considered to be “experts” in their sphere of influence as a result of their field experience and educational background?
3. An increasing number of higher educational colleges and universities are now making paralegal courses and/or entire paralegal programs available online via the internet. Potential students need to find out what type of delivery system will be used and how much training will be provided in using the system whether it’s all web-based, video based or a combination of the two. Another key factor for one must ask themselves is if they are properly suited for online learning because it takes a strong level of commitment and discipline.
Even if long term you have aspirations to become an attorney, beginning your career in law as a paralegal is a smart first step. Becoming a paralegal will enable you to get your foot in the door of the legal field, which will open up additional opportunities whether you decided to pursue your law degree or continue to work as a paralegal. Regardless, a paralegal career offers countless opportunities.
