Paralegals?

Hi All,

Are there any paralegals out there, or just someone who knows about the field? I am considering going back to school for this and I'm not sure where to start. I have a BS in Accounting so I've taken a few law classes already, but I'm curious about the different requirements. Do firms only hire you if you have a BS in Paralegal Studies? What about a certification program? How long does this type of program take to complete? I wouldn't be able to go full-time... has anyone done this via night or weekend classes, or even online? I've seen a lot advertised about Kaplan online classes but not sure how common it is. Any tips or info would be greatly appreciated!

Re: Paralegals?

I've been a Paralegal for over 17 years now. I had my BA in sociology/human relations and then took the Lawyer's Assistant Program at Adelphi. It was 6 months, full time. I did it during the day but they had a night and part-time class, too. I don't know if they still offer it. It was an excellent program and from what I've been told over the years, that certificate program is very close to the first year of law school. It was ABA approved, which is important when looking for a program. I don't think the on-line programs have the respect in the field, overall. They don't seem to give you the same training. I worked with a woman who learned this way, and she was very limited in what she knew and wasn't taught much legal research or document preparation.

From what I have been seeing lately, the field is wide open for Bankruptsy and Foreclosure paralegals. I have been working in medical malpractice and personal injury my career and in Nassau County and the city, there are a great deal of jobs.

Having your undergraduate degree and the certificate from an ABA program will get you a better salary in most firms. Some require it, some don't. In NY, you do not need to be certified to work as a Paralegal and some firms train on the job, though, the problem with that is that you only learn the area(s) of expertise of that attorney and you do not learn other areas of law as you would from schooling.

Hope that helps - you can FM if you have any question.

PS - the office I am working in is looking for an intern (p/t) right now. This would give you some experience and and idea of how the job works.

Re: Paralegals?

I had my BA in Art History and then went and got my cert at CW Post.

Re: Paralegals?

Thank you so much for posting... it was very helpful. I will definitely look into Adelphi's and Post's programs to see if they would work for me. I would rather be able to take traditional classes, I just don't know how I'd swing it since I'd have to keep working F/T at the same time. Thanks for the info!

Re: Paralegals?

It is a great field especially if you can specialize. I know several bankruptcy paralegals who are being recruited non-stop right now.

Re: Paralegals?

I've been in the field for the past 10 years and I have a B.A. in CJ and an MPA in Public Administration. I never went on to obtain any type of certification...I've been hired based on my education and experience. If you can get your foot in the door and gain some experience, that should be sufficient enough. A lot of firms, especially the NYC firms, look mainly for experience and specialization. I was lucky...I started off as a litigation paralegal and went on to corporate M&A. I am very happy with what I do and I make good $$...I see myself going on to management though. Good luck and please feel free to FM me if you have any questions!

Re: Paralegals?