A Review of the Kaplan University Online Paralegal Degree

As more law firms and corporations seek to lower costs, paralegals will be in much higher demand. Kaplan University offers four accredited paralegal programs, which will give students the skills they need in order to thrive in this demanding market.

The first program that the Kaplan University offers is the Advanced B.S. in Paralegal Studies. If you already have your Associates Degree, and are looking to get even more education, this is the program for you. A Bachelor of Paralegal Studies will increase your income and will give you excellent employment prospects. Over the course of a lifetime, a Bachelor's degree will bring you increased earnings.

This program brings together the career focus of a two-year degree with the academic requirements of a four-year program. This program will enhance your communications and critical thinking skills; making you a valuable asset to any law firm you join.

The Kaplan University Advanced Bachelor's of Paralegal Studies is excellent for students who are either moving into the market place after finishing or continuing on to graduate level studies. The three primary areas of this program are Office Management, Personal Injury, and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

The second type of paralegal degree offered by the University of Kaplan is the A.A.S in Paralegal Studies. If you are looking to change to a new career or advance your skills as a paralegal, this would be an excellent program for you to take.

You will be taught how to communicate with your peers in the legal department, as well as understanding important legal concepts. You will also learn how to do proper legal research, and study criminal law as well as civil litigation. You will also learn about ethics, and how to make proper decisions.

The third type of degree available at the Kaplan University is the B.S. in Paralegal Studies. This degree is aimed at students who have a strong liberal arts foundation. Students who graduate from this program may become employed with private law firms or federal agencies. The student will gain analytical skills in specialized areas of law.

The fourth type of degree, which is available to students at the Kaplan University, is the Pathway to Paralegal Certificate. This program is good for students with an Associates or Bachelor's degree who are looking for entry level work as a paralegal.

The program increases you understanding of the paralegal field and also gives you an understanding of the legal system in America. Students will learn how to gather facts as well as manage cases and strategies. Students will also study litigation, and how to properly do legal research. Learning how to use this research in legal arguments is a prime goal of this program.

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Legal Assistants And Paralegals - A Closer Look

One of the most important tasks legal assistants and paralegals perform is to assist lawyers as they prepare for corporate meetings, closings, trials and hearings. Although the lawyers take ownership for the legal work, they will often delegate many tasks to legal assistants and paralegals. As a result, they continue to take on a growing range of tasks inside the nation's legal offices and perform many of tasks traditional done by lawyers.

On the other hand, they are still strictly prohibited from performing any duty that is considered to be the "practice of law" - such as setting legal fees, giving legal advice, and presenting cases in court. Legal Assistants and paralegals also do much of leg work like verifying and looking into the facts of cases to ensure that all points are thoroughly covered. 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. Should the decision be made to file a lawsuit, a paralegal may then be given the responsibility to help prepare the legal arguments, draft pleadings and motions to be filed with the court, obtain affidavits and assist the attorneys during trial. Paralegals also organize and track files of thee all important case documents and make them available and easily accessible to the attorneys.

In addition to preparatory work, legal assistants and paralegals also perform a number of other vital functions. For example, they help draft contracts, mortgages, separation agreements and instruments of trust. In addition, may assist in preparing tax returns or estate planning. Some may even be given the responsibility to coordinate the activities of other law office employees and maintain financial office records. Of course, additional tasks differ, depending on the employer.

Legal Assistants and paralegals are found in all types of organizations, but most are employed by law firms (about 70%), corporate legal departments and various government offices make up most of the remaining 30%. 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.

As the law has become more complex, legal assistants and paralegals have responded, like many professions, by becoming more specialized. And within specialties, functions are often broken down even further so that legal assistants and paralegals may deal with a specific area. For example, legal assistants and paralegals specializing in labor law may concentrate exclusively on employee benefits.

The duties of legal assistants and paralegals also differ widely with the type of organization in which they are employed. Those who work for corporations often assist attorneys with employee contracts, shareholder agreements, stock-option plans and employee benefit plans. They may also help prepare and file annual financial reports, maintain corporate minutes' record resolutions and prepare forms to secure loans for the corporation.

Legal Assistants and paralegals often monitor and review government regulations to ensure that the corporation is aware of any new requirements and to ensure they are operating within the law. In addition, an ever increasing number of experienced paralegals are taking on additional supervisory responsibilities like monitoring team projects and serving as a communications link between the team and the corporation.

The duties of legal assistants and paralegals, working in the public sector varies between agencies. However, as a general rule, they analyze legal material for internal use, maintain reference files, conduct research for attorneys and collect and analyze evidence for agency hearings. They may prepare informative or explanatory material on laws, agency regulations, and agency policy for general use by the agency and the public. Legal Assistants and paralegals employed in community legal-service projects help the poor, the aged and those in need of legal assistance by filing forms, conducting research, preparing documents and when authorized by law, representing clients at administrative hearings.

Legal Assistants and paralegals in small to medium-sized law firms usually perform a variety of duties that require a general knowledge of the law. For example, they may research judicial decisions on improper police arrests or help prepare a mortgage contract. On the other hand, those employed by larger law firms, government agencies or corporations are more likely to specialize in one aspect of the law.

Being computer literate has also become an essential skill of legal Assistants and paralegals. Using the internet to search legal literature and extracting vital information stored in computer databases and on CD-ROM is also an important skill set. In litigation involving many supporting documents, paralegals usually use computer databases to retrieve, organize and index various materials. Imaging software allows paralegals to scan documents directly into a database, while billing programs help them track hours billed to clients. Various software packages are also used to perform tax computations and explore different scenarios of various tax strategies for clients.

As you can see becoming a Legal Assistants and paralegals profession is an exciting and ever-demanding field that requires a wide range of skills and knowledge. If you're looking for a career, not just a job and you have the willingness to push yourself then this field is ripe for the picking.

This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.: Kevin Erickson is an entrepreneur and writer. For other articles he's written visit: Legal Assistant | Travel Nursing | Medical Transcription

Types of Program for Paralegal Education

 By background aspect, paralegals, also known as legal assistants, are those individuals who render assistance to the lawyers in delivering legal services. Unless directed by their superior, they cannot practice or give legal advice to clients. For most states, this act is punishable or can be imposed with equivalent penalty to those persons caught in an unauthorized practice of law. By concise definition provided by National Association of Legal Assistants, legal assistants or paralegals, are a distinguishable group of persons who assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services. A paralegal is qualified by his or her formal education, substantial trainings and experience in related practice, possessing extensive knowledge or expertise in field of legal system and procedural law.

Necessity of legal assistants were started in the 1960s when practitioners and law firms decided it was high time to obtain assistance to improve efficiency and cost effective delivery of legal services. Later on, demands were still growing dramatically because of the incessant increase in workload of the lawyers basically because of the equivalent upsurge of legal remedy-seekers. Because of the mounting of paralegal necessity in the field, different paralegal programs were provided by paralegal schools. Each paralegal school provides special courses in paralegal studies. Aside from paralegal studies, a paralegal has certain minimum requirements to meet that include paralegal training. Paralegal trainees receive adequate and reasonable instructions from lawyers or attorneys.

Paralegal education programs are offered in several types of formats and lengths. An individual can have paralegal program of Associate degree, which also has options for students to choose from a two-year paralegal program, or four-year degree. A paralegal bachelor degree program is different from the 4-year paralegal associate program in the sense that bachelor programs were offered by 4-year colleges and universities and that student were awarded with a baccalaureate degree at the end of the program. Also, this type of paralegal program allows the students to earn units both from minor, major, and major concentration in paralegal and related courses. Paralegal certificate programs grant an additional paralegal certificate to those who already earned paralegal degree. Another advanced degree in paralegal studies is the paralegal masters degree programs. Paralegal colleges and paralegal universities offer this paralegal program for an additional enhancement in the students legal administration and legal studies expertise.

Paralegal education can be obtained through paralegal online classes or through traditional paralegal school. Online paralegal schools have their own advantage for students who got no time for full-loaded classes. Whatever preference a student decides on, paralegal education can be obtained through numerous paralegal schools widespread in the country. Prestigious universities and colleges had a lot to offer for paralegal matters. Most paralegal program comes with a paralegal package consisting of classroom meeting and paralegal training for the students comprehensive know-how and expertise in the field. If a student is having second thoughts over which paralegal school offer the best and top paralegal certificate, paralegal program, paralegal studies, or any paralegal education, resources and information are located right in the internet. Here, traditional paralegal schools and paralegal online schools are in abundance and one can get to compare a paralegal school to another.
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What Paralegal Program Fits Your Need Sara JenkinsIf you enjoyed doing research and writing up its results, possesses good communication and organization skills, you will be good in paralegal profession. And with the right paralegal education, paralegal training as well as good background of experience, professional paralegal status may be just achieved. As paralegals become more and more in demand because of the apparent escalation in the workload of law firms, organization, government agencies, and even non-profit organizations, more paralegals are seeking different path to grow faster in terms paralegal careers.

Different paralegal schools are also in proliferation to aid these individuals who need to nourish their basic knowledge in legal matters. A paralegal position may seem a simple and easy job, these, however may not seem so uncomplicated. More and more lawyers and attorneys convey their job to paralegals or legal assistants. Though, they are not allowed to do legal practices, still their job is job that needed sharp skills and formal paralegal training in order to obtain and carry on with tasks on their shoulders.

Different paralegal programs offered by different paralegal colleges and universities in the country can only enhance such knowledge an expertise in paralegal matters. These institutions provide services that meet important factors in evaluating a paralegal program. First, the reputation of the institution must hold up with the general public and legal community for higher education information. Another factor to consider is how these services are being provided. The paralegal program should have proper orientation, excellent tutoring, academic counseling as well as career information counseling, financial aid, and placement assistance. Also, they should have information ready regarding the placement rate and job satisfaction of the alumni of such paralegal institution.

Another factor to be considered is the facilities that have direct concerns to a legal research library, computer libraries, suitably furnished classrooms for all students. Paralegal activities should enable the students to participate in the legal community while paralegal education and as well as paralegal associations should always be prepared whenever a student needs one. Also more important to consider is its content and nature of paralegal programs curriculum which will adhere with relationship to legal research and writing, ethics, contracts, business organizations, and litigation as well. While each paralegal program may differ in the offering of courses, a student should be able to develop and hone their critical thinking, communication, organizational skills, competency to handle ethical concerns, and computational. Paralegal training and experiential learning elements will include internship, clinical experience, and practicum.

If these standard factors have met by paralegal programs like paralegal associate degree programs, paralegal bachelor degree programs, paralegal certificate programs, and/or paralegal masters degree programs of paralegal school/college/university, students will sure make it a long way in the field after completing paralegal certification or paralegal degree. Most of these programs are now offered in a delivery system that utilizes interactive broadcasting to different sites. These are called the distance education program wherein paralegal online schools have taken its numerous advantages. Web-based paralegal education will provide easier and more accessible learning using the internet as the medium.
Online entrepreneur Sara Jenkins, is dedicated to helping others and their needs to succeed in life by offering free tips everyday. To learn more about her free tips program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to articles and FREE bonus how-to books and resources, visit www.TipsEveryDay.com