What Is An Online Paralegal Bachelor's Degree Actually Worth?

Many people who choose to get online degrees as paralegals may be wondering how much they are worth in the job market. Most online colleges allow you to study for your Bachelor's degree as a paralegal. How much will the degree be worth when you graduate?

The employment of paralegals is expected to increase over the next eight years. Many law firms and other agencies want to reduce the costs of their services by hiring paralegals to assist them. Much of the work lawyers do is now carried out by paralegals. Competition for these types of jobs will continue and those who have formal training will have the best opportunities for quality employment.

Because of this, getting a Bachelor's degree from an online college will put students in high demand for employment. The amount that you will earn as a paralegal is dependent upon your education, and where you choose to work.

A student with a Bachelor's degree as a paralegal working in a large city or for the federal government can expect to earn as much as sixty thousand dollars a year. This is over half the income that the average American makes, and is above average.

Private law firms are the largest employers of paralegals. Despite this, more banks, corporations, insurance companies, and real estate firms are beginning to hire paralegals as well. This creates a large amount of employment opportunities for those who choose to pursue this type of career.

Paralegals who choose to specialize in areas such as bankruptcy or product liability will also have enormous employment opportunities. More corporations have begun setting up their own legal departments in order to save money. The market for paralegals will grow as large agencies and corporations assign paralegals larger and more important tasks.

People who choose to get degrees, as paralegals do not have to worry about such things as outsourcing, which primarily affects IT jobs. Being employed as a paralegal is stable in the sense that corporations and agencies will want paralegals working inhouse, and will not look overseas for this type of work.

However, paralegals maybe somewhat effected by recessions. Once business cycles decline, some paralegal services such as estate planning and other things maybe in less demand. Some paralegals maybe laid off or have their hours reduced during a recession. At the same time, the number of bankruptcies and other problems will increase, and this will give paralegals good employment opportunities even during a recession.

Despite this, the field of paralegals is expected to expand into the public as well as private sector. Community legal services, which help the poor, or elderly, will look to cut their costs by hiring paralegals. This presents even more employment opportunities for those who wish to pursue this field.

Getting an online Bachelor's degree as a paralegal is worth it, and an excellent investment in your future. It is a field, which is expected to grow for the next decade, and more and more different types of businesses will need paralegals. It is a field, which is protected from outsourcing and only moderately affected during a recession.

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Legal Assistants And Paralegals - The Future Is Bright

One of most common ways to become a legal assistant or paralegal is through a community college program that leads to an associate's degree. Another common route; primarily for those who already have a college degree, is through a program that leads to a certification in paralegal studies.

Many legal assistants and paralegals have associate degrees in paralegal studies or a bachelor's degree paired with a certificate in paralegal studies. Currently, a small number of schools offer bachelors' or masters' degrees in paralegal studies. A few employers train paralegals on the job, hiring college graduates with no legal experience or promoting experienced legal secretaries. Others have gained experience in a technical field useful to law firms, like tax preparation for tax and estate planning, criminal justice, nursing or health administration for personal injury practice.

With 250+ paralegal programs approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and an estimated 1,000 colleges and universities, law schools and proprietary schools offering formal paralegal training programs - the field is highly represented. Although many programs don't require ABA approval, graduating from an ABA-approved program can enhance one's employment opportunities - it's a credibility thing for some employers.

Program admission requirements vary greatly - from a few college credits or courses to a bachelor's degree for others, to high school graduates, those with legal experience, passing a standardized test, to simply having a favorable personal interview.

Many legal assistant and paralegal programs include 2-year associate degree programs, 4-year bachelor degree programs and certificate programs that can take as little as a few months to complete. Most certificate programs provide intensive and specialized paralegal training for individuals who already hold college degrees. On the other hand, associate and bachelor degree programs usually combine paralegal training with courses in other academic subjects.

Obviously, the quality of paralegal training programs can vary with the higher quality programs usually including job placement services.

Courses range from introducing students to the legal applications of computers, including how to perform legal research on the Internet to more and more paralegal training programs offering internships to assist students in gaining practical experience by working for several months in the real world. Internships could be with a private law firm, the office of a public defender or attorney general, a bank, a corporate legal department, a legal aid organization or a government agency. Clearly, the experience gained is an asset when one is seeking a job after graduation and for many can lead to a job with the company they interned with.

Most employers don't require certification but earning a voluntary certificate from a professional society does have its advantages when it comes to finding a job. The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) has established standards for certification that requires various combinations of education and experience. Paralegals who meet their standards are eligible to take a 2-day examination, offered three times a year at one of several regional testing centers. Those who pass can then use the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) designation. NALA also offers an advanced paralegal certification for those who want to specialize in specific areas of the law.

The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam offers professional recognition to legal assistants and paralegals that have earned a bachelor's degree and have at least 2 years of experience. Once they pass this test they can use the Registered Paralegal (RP) designation.

Legal assistants and paralegals must have the ability to document and present their findings and opinions to their supervising attorneys. They also need to understand legal terminology, have good research and investigative skills and be able to do legal research using a computer and the internet. They also need to stay abreast of new developments in the laws that affect their area of expertise. The most common way many legal assistants and paralegals expand their knowledge is by participating in continuing legal education seminars.

Because legal assistants and paralegals deal with the public on an ongoing basis they need to be "shining examples" of ethical standards for the legal profession. The National Association of Legal Assistants, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations and a few States have established ethical guidelines for them to follow.

Employment Outlook
Legal assistants and paralegals held about 224,000 jobs in 2004 with about 70% being employed by private law firms; most of the remainder worked for corporate legal departments and various levels of government. Within the Federal Government, the U.S. Department of Justice is the largest employer, followed by the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A small number of paralegals own their own businesses and work as freelance legal assistants, contracting their services to attorneys or corporate legal departments.

As a whole, employment in this field is projected to grow much faster than average. The current trend of employers trying to reduce costs by hiring paralegals to perform duties formerly carried out by lawyers is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. As a result, employment opportunities are projected to grow much faster than average for the next 10 years or so.

As in all fields, compensation varies greatly due to the high number of variables but in general, salaries depend on education, training, experience, the type and size of employer and the geographic location of the job. As a whole, legal assistants and paralegals who work for large law firms or in large metropolitan areas earn more than those who work for smaller firms or in less populated regions. In addition to salary, many also receive bonuses. In mid 2004, the average salary for all legal assistants or paralegal was a tad over $39,000 per year.

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

Thinking About Online Paralegal Courses?

 

Thinking about online paralegal courses? You've decided to finally take charge of your career, by returning to school to earn your paralegal degree online. This is a big step and it's important that you research all of your options before committing yourself to an online college or university. Here is a brief guide to help you get started studying for your paralegal degree.

There are many advantages to studying for your degree through distance education, by choosing online paralegal courses. By enrolling in an online course, you can continue to work- and therefore earn- while being a student. There is also the additional benefit of being able to study and attend classes at your leisure, allowing your to work around your work and family schedules.

But where do you begin? With so many colleges advertising their programmes, you may need some help deciding which one is just right for you. There are several online databases, which list the various colleges which offer paralegal certification, like worldwidelearn.com, cyberu.com, elearners.com, geteducated.com.

Once you've decided on the programme from the many available online paralegal courses, it's time to consider securing the funds to begin studying. There are numerous financial aid packages available to those who quality, like Stafford Loans and Perkins Loans. It's important that you meet the application deadlines for these programmes, so make sure that you contact your financial aid advisor, for more information.

It is also important that you verify your college's accreditation. While there are many, many excellent colleges offering outstanding online education, there are those institutions which are nothing more than diploma mills. One of the best ways to ensure that you will be getting your money's worth out of your paralegal training is to conduct some due diligence on your new school. Try to contact some of their students and speak with some of your future instructors, so that you can get a better idea of what you can expect.

Getting your degree is an important step in your professional life and is a decision which shouldn't be made lightly.

Matt Norman is the founder of Easy Distance Learning a website providing information on learning online.