Use A Paralegal Professional And Save Legal Fees

It is true to say that in the year 2007, the cost of legal aid has become so expensive that it is fast becoming out of the reach of most individuals and small businesses. This introduces significant problems to people and small companies which find themselves in the situation where they need to get expert legal advice. One option is the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach. This approach might work well when remodeling the house or servicing your car, but is fraught with dangers and difficulties when you need to deal with something as complex as the law. Getting it wrong can end up costing you, or your company, a lot of money. It can lead to bankruptcy, or worse still - a conviction and jail term.

Another solution is to use the services of those legal professionals who are not lawyers or attorneys but are still well trained in all aspects of law - the Paralegals. To enter the legal profession, paralegals undergo thorough training, often at law schools and universities, and need to register with various legal authorities who then issue them with a license permitting them to practice.

A common misconception is that you, the prospective client, cannot engage the services of a paralegal directly and need to first consult with lawyers or attorneys. This is just not true. There is nothing stopping you from seeking the assistance of a paralegal in the first instance.

Paralegals can do pretty much everything which attorneys and lawyers do except appearing in court and providing legal opinion. In fact when you engage the services of lawyers or attorneys, the chances are that they will have outsourced much of the research work to a paralegal anyway. Go direct to the paralegal and save!

As in the case of any legal professional consultation, the paralegal will meet with the client to conduct a preliminary interview. At the conclusion of this interview, the paralegal may decide that he/she is not suited to help you and would refer you to an attorney or lawyer for assistance. The very last thing a paralegal wants is to get into a situation where he can be sued by you for negligence. In this case it is best to cut your losses, pay the paralegal fee, and seek expert advice from a lawyer or attorney.

But if the paralegal decides that he can help you, you can be assured of getting expert legal advice for the fraction of the cost of the same advice from the more expensive lawyer or attorney.

Russell Clark is a freelance legal consultant. He owns and operates http://www.paralegal-course.com

Do You Need A Paralegal Certificate?

Paralegals are an integral part of any law office, corporation or government agency that must work with lawyers. Paralegals keep the paperwork under control by indexing, photocopying, and organizing documents. Paralegals may also help draft legal documents, conduct hearings, and interview witnesses. The work of a paralegal depends both on experience, additional educational specialization, and the environment in which the paralegal works.

The National Federation of Paralegal Associations recommends that most paralegals have a bachelor?s degree. Although a survey indicated that only 50 percent of paralegals had a bachelor?s degree in 2001, the four-year degree is quickly becoming an expected standard in this rapidly growing field.

Paralegal certificate programs are offered by most colleges and universities, as well as online. Before enrolling in any program, make sure the program is approved by the American Bar Association. Paralegal certificate programs typically require a bachelor?s degree, strong critical thinking and communication skills, a secure understanding of law ethics, a legal vocabulary, experience in a law office, and the ability to conduct legal interviews and research. Some programs also require a minimum college GPA.

Paralegal certificate program participants can choose a variety of classes, such as management, public administration, policy-making, ethics and public responsibility, interviewing and research techniques, writing, and introductions to criminal, commercial and government law and litigation. The courses may also provide the foundation for a bachelor of arts degree in justice.

Though California is currently the only state to have educational requirements for paralegals, many employers require similar standards, including certification. Paralegal certification may be granted by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), by examination, and by the NFPA, by examination. Both of these programs require educational requirements to take the examination, which is why a paralegal certificate program may help a paralegal become certified. NALA has different combinations of education and experience to qualify for the test, and NFPA requires bachelor?s degree with at least two years paralegal experience.
 

Paralegal Certification - Pros and Cons

Paralegals and Legal Assistants (the terms are interchangeable) back in 60's and 70's received much of their training on the job via real world experience. However, since that time things have changed and now most paralegals enter the field by going through the certification process. Although certification is not required to get a job, in fact it's still not a licensed profession, a paralegal that's been certified is generally considered to be a better trained, more qualified candidate than a paralegal that hasn't been certified.

The certification process for paralegals is a bit like becoming an attorney; it requires an individual to pass a test from a qualified paralegal organization. Just like gradating from law school doesn't make someone a lawyer - they must first pass the bar exam, and with paralegals, completing a certified training program doesn't make them a certified paralegal; they must first pass the exam in order to earn certification.

Even after certification many paralegals choose to continue their training by specializing in particular niches of the law like: estate planning, criminal law, commercial law and so on.

There is a wide array of certification programs out there so when searching for the best program for you to either further your education and training or to begin your paralegal career, you will have to spend a little time and weed out those programs that don't fit your situation.

Some organizations claim that they've been approved or that they are compliant with the American Bar Association but the only way to verify their claims is to check with your state bar association.

Explain to your state bar association representative that you are looking for reliable information about either entering the paralegal field or that you are seeking continuing educational training. While most states don't require paralegal certification, your states bar association should be able to connect you with the top certification and training organizations and programs in your area that they feel are reputable.

You can check with your states better business bureau or attorney generals office if you are looking into online certification or correspondence courses, to see if any complaints have been filed about the companies offering the courses.

Although, the paralegal certification selection process will take a bit of time and research, a positive off-shoot of the whole thing is that it will probably pay off down the road by helping to ensure that you find the best possible certification training available in your area or online. It should also help you avoid the time, expense and frustration of choosing the wrong training program; perhaps one that isn't recognized and then having to deal with the realization that you having nothing to show for your efforts.

In addition, the whole research process will prepare you for the type of research you will be required to do as a certified paralegal.

If the allure of a paralegal career is calling you, check out the links below.

Visit paralegal schools or paralegal career or paralegal training for more information on a Paralegal Career.