How An Online Paralegal Class Works

The information covered in the online paralegal programs are much the same as their traditional campus counterparts. In this article I will discuss how paralegal online courses work in detail.

Once enrolled in the class, the student is able to enter the online classroom anytime they want. Here you complete assignments, quizzes, and puzzles related to paralegal work. These assignments will have due dates, and it is the responsibility of the student to meet the deadlines.

The progress of students will be measured using student assessment and other charts, which allow students to see their progression throughout the course. Classes may often be held during the spring and fall seasons, and intensive courses are usually offered during the summer.

Each course may take up to eighteen weeks to complete, and upon completion the student will be awarded with three credits towards their degree. The summer courses are much shorter, only lasting about 6 weeks instead of 18.

When taking online courses, students pay per class instead of all at once in a large lump sum. This is excellent for people who work full time but don't have a lot of money. They can save up money from their job, and pay for their classes individually.

The cost of online paralegal classes is very attractive to many students. Some online colleges charge as littles as $78 per class, much lower than what you would pay attending a traditional institution.

Some paralegal online classes use distance education software. This is basically open source software that numerous colleges have chosen to use, and it lowers the costs in taking the classes. This software creates an interface, which is easy for students to navigate. They also have discussion forums and email, which is easy for students to use.

The students can get feedback from the instructor for each project they complete, and their grades can electronically be sent to them. Group areas of the course can be built where a number of students get together and work on various projects.

A lot of multimedia is used in online paralegal courses. Students may be able to log in and watch uploaded videos of their instructors giving lectures and explaining assignments. Students often have the option of taking fully online courses or taking some classes online while physically attending the college to take other courses.

Paralegal students may also purchase ebooks for their classes and download them onto their computers. Because the books are electronic, their costs are much lower. A student can expect to spend between 2 or 300 dollars for books required for 12 classes. This is very cheap compared to traditional hardback college books, which individually may cost over 100 dollars.

Online classes have excellent advantages over their traditional campus counterparts, and as the Internet continues to advance, online paralegal courses will become much more interactive.

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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: http://www.totalparalegal.com | http://www.eyeonnursing.com | http://www.total-transcription.com

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.