See Monkey Do

Paralegals are served by a handful of organizations with two of best being, NALA (the National Association of Legal Assistants) and NFPA (the National Federation of Paralegal Associations). While both aim to serve their members best interests, they are in strange ways competitors. They compete to guide the shape and language of the profession. For example; NALA prefers to call members legal assistant while NFPA prefers paralegal.

Indispensable criterion to be aware of when investigating any paralegal program:

1. Paralegal schools should educate students with the primary objective being to development the entire student. This needs to be done by teaching usable, sensible workforce skills alongside a solid core of legal theory. The curriculum should encompass topics like torts and legal contracts, legal writing and contracts, litigation and legal research. Organizational and communication skills must be developed in addition to a student’s capacity to think critically and apply the legal theory into real world situations. A high quality paralegal school will also provide the opportunity to learn through programs like an internship or clinical experience.

2. Real world experience and unquestionable scholastic credentials are key character traits any high quality paralegal program director will possess. They must also have the desire to take “their” paralegal schools program to the highest level and the curriculum must be spot on for today’s paralegal work environment. Similarly, the teaching staff must possess both the field experience and the scholastic background to be considered “experts” in their classrooms.

3. Is the tried and true campus classroom learning model best for you or is the so-called “modern” online training environment a better fit? An essential question that needs to be answered before you take the plunge and decide to pursue your paralegal degree via the online learning model. Another key question includes how you’ll receive the training. Will it be through web based courses or telecourses or interactive video or something else? Furthermore, one of the most important questions is very simple, “Can you learn online?”

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 degree offers countless opportunities.