How to Go Back to School to Get a Paralegal Certificate
Paralegals, also called legal assistants, complete job tasks delegated to them by their supervising lawyers. Although paralegals can’t practice law or provide legal advice to clients, they can investigate facts of a case, draft pleadings and help lawyers with cases. Paralegals typically have an associate degree in paralegal studies. However, if you already have a four-year degree in another field, you don’t have to pursue another bachelor’s or a two-year degree in paralegal studies. Instead, you can return to school to pursue a paralegal certificate. A certificate provides intensive training in paralegal studies and may take less than a year to complete.
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Instructions
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Obtain funds to pay for the paralegal certificate. Save enough money to cover the tuition cost of the school. Also, you can search for grants or scholarships that you can use to pay for your education.
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Investigate the types of schools that offer a paralegal certificate. Approximately, 1,000 universities, law schools, proprietary schools and colleges offer formal paralegal training programs as of June 2011, explains the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, not all are approved by the American Bar Association. The ABA has a directory of its approved paralegal education programs on its website (see Resources).
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Study the admission requirements of the paralegal programs you’re interested in attending. Admission requirements vary according to the school. Some postsecondary schools require you to complete at least one legal studies course, take a standardized test or complete an interview with the admission committee.
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Eliminate schools based on the type of formal training offered. For example, don’t attend schools that aren’t accredited or that do not offer an internship. An internship provides you with paralegal training under the supervision of an experienced paralegal at a law firm or legal department.
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Apply to the paralegal training program. You may have to submit official transcripts along with any other admission requirements.
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Take paralegal training courses. Once you are accepted into the program, you typically take courses such as legal research.
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Tips & Warnings
If you’re having trouble picking schools, check out the paralegal program's employment success rate of recent graduates. You don’t want to waste your time obtaining a paralegal certificate from a school that won’t help you obtain a job. Review the American Bar Association's "Directory of ABA Approved Paralegal Education Programs" to see which approved programs are available where you live.
The mean salary for paralegals was $49,640 a year as of May 2010, reports the BLS.
You can file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to secure money for school but you may not be eligible for any grants or loans unless you are accepted into a degree-seeking program. Usually a paralegal certificate doesn’t count towards a degree, like a bachelor’s or associate degree.
References
Resources
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