Paralegal Classes

Paralegal classes comprise both substantive legal knowledge and professional skill classes. These classes aim at the development of core skills in legal research techniques. Studies involve compilation and analysis of data, understanding legal vocabulary, preparation of legal documents, and law office management. A certified paralegal program coordinator can conduct paralegal classes. Only approved institutions can conduct paralegal classes. Paralegal regulations may vary with each national association.

Various kinds of public and private institutions offer paralegal classes. These include business colleges, community colleges, universities and proprietary institutions. These institutes award associate degree, bachelor?s degree and advanced degree in paralegal education. The classes cover paralegal topics, general education and related areas. The duration of associate degree classes is up to 70 semesters. Bachelor?s degree classes include paralegal and related courses. The duration is up to 130 semesters. Very few institutions conduct master's degree classes or advanced classes for paralegals. Some universities conduct advanced degree classes for legal administration and legal studies.

The paralegal education classes also comprise certain legal topics. They are substantive law, legal office management, procedural law, law office related environments, delivery of legal services, paralegal profession, legal research, legal writing, computer skills, legal interviewing, legal investigation, ethics and other areas of legal practice. General education related to paralegal classes focus on topics such as critical thinking, communication skills, computer skills, ethical understandings, organizational skills and computational skills. The general education classes also ensure basic understanding of history, business and political systems.

Various institutions conduct paralegal certificate programs. These programs are conducted for those students who already hold an associate or bachelor?s degree. The duration of paralegal certificate classes may be from 18 to 60 semesters. Paralegal education programs offer student services. This includes career information, placement assistance, academic counseling, paralegal associations and continuing legal education.

Some institutions provide both campus and online paralegal classes. After completion of the online course, certificates are issued to the student. The campus students and online students get the same certificate.

Paralegal provides detailed information on Paralegal, Paralegal Jobs, Paralegal Schools, Paralegal Training and more. Paralegal is affiliated with Notary Public Supplies.

The Picture of In-House Paralegals

Inhouse paralegals are type of paralegals who often work with the legalities of a corporation. They are common in cities where many corporations are headquartered. Corporations have long used inhouse counsel to take charge on their legal needs. And now other legal staff have been added to the corporate legal team they are the inhouse paralegals.

Paralegals are quite different in terms of the job nature compared to that of paralegals working in law firms, since inhouse paralegals clients are primarily corporations. Unlike in law firms, paralegals work is not assigned by attorneys, instead, caseloads are dictated by litigation that comes into the company and falls under the corporations insurance policies. Also, paralegals no matter what department, do a lot more of their own daily work without administrative assistance, as such inhouse paralegals are often trained in both the professional and clerical tasks of their trade.

According to Marge Dover, Executive Director of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), more and more corporations of today employ inhouse paralegals. Insurance companies, financial institutions, medical corporations and research firms are just a few areas that increasingly prefer to hire inhouse paralegals instead outsourcing legal tasks. Companies are becoming very creative about using the skills of the paralegals.

Multi tasking and being able to handle complex projects are just some of the paralegal skills that are being utilized by the corporations. Paralegals often perform copious diverse tasks and communicate with different people every day. A paralegal may have little supervision, however they may report to more than one supervisor, such as the corporations inhouse counsel and the department head.

House paralegals may either perform the majority of the corporations legal work or specialize in one particular field. Some of the areas that hired inhouse paralegals participate in are contract compliance, litigation and intellectual property law. Inhouse paralegals may also work for the human resources department. Daily tasks of paralegals may include writing reports to corporate clients, corresponding with other corporations, attorneys, and clients, docketing and file maintenance and inhouse training of employees. Inhouse paralegals also serve as liaison between legal department and the rest of the company. The other duties of inhouse paralegals include: * Filings of company profiles. * Creating and distributing company board books. * Maintaining legal department files. * Maintaining company and subsidiaries corporate minute books. * Maintaining and coordinating files for employees personal trading files and * The general paralegal duties such as filing, having agreements signed and distributing to appropriate parties.

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Locating the Best Online Paralegal Degree

 

There are many aspects to keep in mind when deciding on the best online paralegal degree for you. What are your main goals to earning your degree; are you looking for a program that fits into your busy schedule or is affordability your main concern? What type of degree are you looking for? Are you flexible with relocation or do you plan on searching for employment in a specific area? What will your future employers be looking for from your education with an Online Paralegal Degree?

While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work they often delegate many of their tasks to Paralegals. Since Paralegals continue to assume a growing range of responsibilities and perform many of the same tasks as a lawyer the demand for qualified Paralegals is continuously increasing. With the increased demand for paralegals you will need to ask yourself what your goals are when it comes to earning an online paralegal degree, and keep those goals in mind to help guide your decisions.

Many online paralegal degrees offer incredible convenience and flexibility. You can complete your assignments essentially anywhere there is a computer with Internet access. Some programs may require you to perform cooperative assignments that will require you to schedule some time away from your computer. So if a busy schedule does not afford you the luxury of attending a session in court during business hours, you may want to consider a program that offers alternatives.

The affordability of a paralegal degree may be your top concern when investing your options. Online degree programs typically cost less per course than traditional campus-based learning, and have been known to be on average up to $100 to $150 less per credit hour. You can earn a paralegal degree through online learning that will save you money, and at the same time is able to facilitate a substantial growth in your income.

There are two types of online paralegal degrees you can earn: an Associate’s Degree and a Bachelor’s Degree. The type of associate or bachelor degree you receive will depend upon the online school you have chosen to earn you degree from. One of the most practical ways to determine what degree that will be required is to contact the employers in your area and inquire what their paralegal degree requirements are.

Career Opportunities for Online Paralegal Degree Graduates

With an online paralegal degree you have the opportunity to search for employment in a variety of industries including:

• Private law firms
• Title companies
• Local, state, and federal government agencies
• Corporate law departments
• Law enforcement agencies
• Banks
• Prosecutors
• Private and Corporate Business
• Community Agencies

When registering for an online paralegal degree program you must ensure that the school you have chosen has Specialized Accreditation status. In order to assure future employers that your degree can comply with the most current guidelines for professional conduct they will require that the online school where you earned your paralegal degree has been accredited by the American Bar Association (http://www.abanet.org/index.cfm). So make sure you do your research and investigate multiple programs and schools.

 

To obtain a list of programs and schools to research, go to http://www.OnlineDegreeReviews.org and click on Paralegal, under the Law and Criminal Justice section of the homepage. You also have the ability to research Online Paralegal Degrees by reading reviews and talking to former students in the online forums.

Steve Rawlinson is the founder of Online Degree Reviews, a website where students review online degrees.