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Degree in Paralegal
While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, they often delegate many of their tasks to paralegals. In fact, paralegals—also called legal assistants—are continuing to assume a growing range of tasks in legal offices and perform many of the same tasks as lawyers.
One of a paralegal’s most important tasks is helping lawyers prepare for closings, hearings, trials, and corporate meetings. Paralegals might investigate the facts of cases and ensure that all relevant information is considered. They also identify appropriate laws, judicial decisions, legal articles, and other materials that are relevant to assigned cases. After they analyze and organize the information, paralegals may prepare written reports that attorneys use in determining how cases should be handled. If attorneys decide to file lawsuits on behalf of clients, paralegals may help prepare the legal arguments, draft pleadings and motions to be filed with the court, obtain affidavits, and assist attorneys during trials. Paralegals also organize and track files of all important case documents and make them available and easily accessible to attorneys.
In addition to this preparatory work, paralegals perform a number of other functions. For example, they help draft contracts, mortgages, and separation agreements. They also may assist in preparing tax returns, establishing trust funds, and planning estates. Some paralegals coordinate the activities of other law office employees and maintain financial office records.
In litigation involving many supporting documents, paralegals usually use computer databases to retrieve, organize, and index various materials.
Paralegals are found in all types of organizations, but most are employed by law firms, corporate legal departments, and various government offices. In these organizations, they can work in many different areas of the law, including litigation, personal injury, corporate law, criminal law, employee benefits, intellectual property, labor law, bankruptcy, immigration, family law, and real estate.
Paralegal Career Path
An associate degree in paralegal studies, or a bachelor’s degree coupled with a certificate in paralegal studies are the most common way to become a Paralegal Professional.
Associate degree in paralegal and bachelor’s degree in paralegal programs usually combine paralegal training with courses in other academic subjects. Certificate programs in Paralegal vary significantly, with some only taking a few months to complete. Most certificate programs in paralegal studies provide intensive paralegal training for individuals who already hold college degrees.
Career Outlook
Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employers are trying to reduce costs and increase the availability and efficiency of legal services by hiring paralegals to perform tasks once done by lawyers. Paralegals are performing a wider variety of duties, making them more useful to businesses.
Find paralegal degree programs offered online by accredited colleges and universities. Browse online paralegal degrees and request free school information from these online colleges and universities.
Associate Degree(s)
A.S. in Homeland Security
A.S. in Paralegal
Bachelor Degree(s)
B.S. Homeland Security
B.S. Paralegal
Master Degree(s)
Doctorate Degree(s)
Diploma(s)
Certificate(s)
Associate Degree(s)
A.A.S. in Paralegal Studies
Bachelor Degree(s)
B.S. in Paralegal Studies
B.S. in Paralegal Studies/Alternate Dispute Resolution
B.S. in Paralegal Studies/Office Management
B.S. in Paralegal Studies/Personal Injury
Advanced Start B.S. in Paralegal Studies
So You Want to Become a Lawyer? Law Educational and Career Planning
The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society, from buying a home to crossing the street. Lawyers, also called attorneys, act as both advocates and advisors in our society. As advocates, they represent one of the parties in criminal and civil trials by presenting evidence and arguing in court to support their client. As advisors, lawyers counsel their clients about their legal rights and obligations and suggest particular courses of action in business and personal matters. Whether acting as an advocate or an advisor, all attorneys research the intent of laws and judicial decisions and apply the law to the specific circumstances faced by their clients.
The more detailed aspects of a lawyer’s job depend upon his or her field of specialization and position. Although all lawyers are licensed to represent parties in court, some appear in court more frequently than others. Trial lawyers, who specialize in trial work, spend the majority of their time outside the courtroom, conducting research, interviewing clients and witnesses, and handling other details in preparation for a trial.
Lawyers may specialize in a number of areas, such as bankruptcy, probate, international, elder, or environmental law. Some lawyers specialize in the growing field of intellectual property, helping to protect clients’ claims to copyrights, artwork under contract, product designs, and computer programs. Other lawyers advise insurance companies about the legality of insurance transactions, guiding the company in writing insurance policies to conform to the law and to protect the companies from unwarranted claims. When claims are filed against insurance companies, these attorneys review the claims and represent the companies in court.
Most lawyers are in private practice, concentrating on criminal or civil law. Attorneys dealing with civil law assist clients with litigation, wills, trusts, contracts, mortgages, titles, and leases. Other lawyers handle only public-interest cases—civil or criminal—concentrating on particular causes and choosing cases that might have an impact on the way law is applied.
A significant number of attorneys are employed at the various levels of government. Other lawyers work for legal aid societies—private, nonprofit organizations established to serve disadvantaged people. These lawyers generally handle civil, rather than criminal, cases.
Lawyers increasingly use various forms of technology to perform more efficiently such as the Internet and legal databases. Software is used to search this legal literature automatically and to identify legal texts relevant to a specific case.
A career path to become a Lawyer
Becoming a lawyer usually takes 7 years of full-time study after high school—4 years of undergraduate study, followed by 3 years of law school. Law school applicants must have a bachelor’s degree to qualify for admission.
To practice law in the courts of any State or other jurisdiction, a person must be licensed, or admitted to its bar, under rules established by the jurisdiction’s highest court. All States require that applicants for admission to the bar pass a written bar examination; most States also require applicants to pass a separate written ethics examination
It's important to note that competition for admission to most law schools is intense
Career Outlook
Average employment growth is projected, but job competition is expected to be keen.
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