What’s the old saying, “the only thing that’s constant is change” but in the world of the paralegal there is one small caveat to that old adage when it comes to certification. Like most professions, changes in technology, rules and regulations have dictated rather dramatic changes in how an individual is trained and that holds true for paralegals. However, the requirement to become certified has remained unchanged; which means there is no certification requirement. Of course, a good percentage of fresh faced paralegal school trained graduates do take one of the many certification tests available shortly after graduation but the fact remains it’s still not required.
Indispensable criterion to be aware of when investigating any paralegal program:
1. Paralegal degree courses must teach hands-on applicable job skills in addition to bottom-line legal theory. The curriculum should also emphasize legal writing, torts, legal contracts and research and legal ethics. Paralegal schools should advance a students’ discriminating thinking capacity along with communication, organizational skills and an aptitude to correctly handle ethical issues. An opportunity to gain real-world experience before graduation through internships or clinical experience is also important.
2. Who put together and who is running the paralegal program at the paralegal school you are committing your future career too? Do the teachers and the “dean” of the paralegal department have the required educational and field distinction you feel comfortable with? Are they considered “experts” in the subjects they are teaching or at least, do they have the experience and references to be top notch?
3. Are you looking for a traditional campus environment or online training? Online paralegal training is becoming increasingly popular but is an online learning environment right for you? In addition, you need to find out what type of training system will be used (i.e. interactive video or web-based, etc.) and how much interaction takes place between the teachers and you (the student). Additionally, if you’ve never taken online classes before, you need to decide if you have the motivation and discipline to do the assignments on your own.
Even if down the road your goal is to become a lawyer, starting your professional life in law as a paralegal is a wise initial step. Earning your paralegal degree will allow you to get a foothold into the legal field, which in turn will expose additional opportunities. And then, down the road you can make a more informed decision as to whether or not to pursue your law degree or to keep working as a paralegal. In any case, opportunities will be many.
