Paralegal Course
The paralegal course came into prominence in the late 1960s when the demand for paralegal assistants came into being. With the rising volume of work, law firms began depending on legal assistants to help them deliver legal services to their clients.
Some Qualifications For Becoming A Paralegal Assistant
Today, in order to become a paralegal assistant, one must meet certain minimum qualifications. The following are some of the standards that qualify one as a legal assistant:
- Successful completion of the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA)certifying examination of the National Association of Legal Assistants.
- Successful completion of an ABA-approved graduate study program for legal assistants.
- Successful completion of a course of study for legal assistants.
- A Bachelor's degree in any field, plus six months of in-house training as a paralegal assistant.
- Minimum of three years of experience working under the supervision of a lawyer. This should also include a minimum of six months of in-house training as a legal assistant.
- Completion of a paralegal course of study, plus a minimum of six months in-house training as a paralegal assistant.
In-house training means providing legal education through legal training, and providing tutorial classes. The legal education would cover understanding the duties and the guidelines that a legal assistant should follow. The training is provided both in instructional and on-the-job formats.
Today there are various options available to those who are interested in pursuing a career as a paralegal assistant. There are around 600 paralegal study programs in the United States. Legal courses are offered by both private and public educational institutions. The duration of these study programs varies.
Qualifying Courses
One of the easiest ways to enter a paralegal career is by completing an Associate degree program. An Associate degree program is two years long. They are offered by universities, colleges and even business schools. An Associate degree study program usually comprises half paralegal courses and half general courses.
A bachelor degree program in paralegal studies is another way to become a paralegal assistant. A bachelor degree program is of four years duration. There are many universities that offer a paralegal study program as a major.
There are various certificate programs that focus on paralegal studies and training. Certificate programs usually range from 18 to 60 units. Certificate programs are usually taken by those who already hold a bachelor or associate degree.
Some universities are now even offering Master degree programs in paralegal studies. Some Master degree programs focus on law related areas such as legal administration, legal studies and many others.
The need for paralegal assistants is only going to grow in the near future. Besides private law firms, corporate legal departments, government institutions, insurance companies, real estate companies, banks and community service agencies are increasingly going to be hiring paralegal assistants in the future. In order to meet this demand, more and more paralegal courses are going to be offered to those interested in this field. With the right paralegal course, one can begin a successful career as a paralegal assistant.