Surprisingly, but after nearly 5 decades the paralegal profession still has no certification requirements. Although not required, certification does offer a competitive advantage to those that have the credentials behind their name. It helps primarily when it comes to securing a job and for that reason and because a high percentage of paralegals coming into the field today are graduates from some either a community college or university; a good percentage of graduates are taking the time to pass one of the many readily available certification tests, shortly after graduation.
Key factors to keep in mind when evaluating the quality of any paralegal program:
1. Teaching practical, usable job skills in combination with fundamental legal principals are an essential part of any quality paralegal schools curriculum. In addition, paralegal degree programs should also cover topics like contract law, legal research, business organizations and legal writing. A quality paralegal school will focus their courses towards the development of an overall higher quality, well-rounded student. This would be done by designing courses that develop students’ hypercritical thinking abilities, organizational skills and their emotional and mental capacity to handle delicate ethical issues.
2. The paralegal “dean” of curriculum must have the passion, experience and educational credentials to take the paralegal schools training program to the next level. Likewise, the faculty members from top to bottom must also have the credentials to provide the top notch training all students deserve. They must have the paralegal expertise and real-world experience in the subjects they are teaching and be able to pass that knowledge on to their students.
3. Distance learning, also called online learning is becoming all the rage but is getting your paralegal degree or paralegal certificate from an online paralegal school right for you? Online learning is clearly different than traditional campus based learning but regardless of how the information is delivered (i.e. interactive video, tele-courses, etc.) the student / teacher interaction isn’t the same. Plus, online learning takes more self-discipline and motivation than campus learning and you have to make the determination that you have what it takes to complete the assignments.
Clearly, pursuing a paralegal career isn’t for everyone but for those that enjoy research, have solid organizational and writing skills and can work under pressure this is a wide open and growing field that can offer financial security and professional satisfaction.
