Online Paralegal Degree



             


Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Paralegals and Pearls - A Match Made in Fashion Heaven

Paralegals wear suits to work. Their jobs are professional in nature and it is important to dress appropriately with that sense of that business world. Ladies, carefully consider how you accessorize with jewelry for the office. A legal assistant?s jewelry should be simple yet elegant.

What is the perfect jewelry selection for work? Pearls.

Resting among the oldest and most universal of gems is the pearl, shining in its many splendors. Pearls are symbolic of purity and chastity, the ultimate of feminine charm. Ancient Romans considered pearls a symbol of wealth and social standing. Pearls were also held in high esteem by the Greeks.

Fair maidens during the Dark Ages believed there was magic in the lustrous gems which would protect them from harm. These maidens often graced a favored noble knight with a strand. Knights thus favored would even wear those strands of pearls into battle. The royal courts of Europe were adorned with pearls. At one time, several European countries ordered that only nobility were allowed to wear pearls.

Pearls are available in the entire color spectrum making them easily adaptable to any outfit. Rose' and silver/white pearls better compliment lighter skin tones. Pearls with a creamier hue or gold-tone flatter darker skin tones.

Sharp business fashion is satisfied by stranding pearls in two different ways. The first way combines pearls of the same size and shape. The second option is a necklace of similarly shaped pearls, but graduating in size to the middle of the piece. A tip: wear necklaces no greater than 16-18? in length. This keeps another?s focus automatically pulled upwards, toward the face, which is best for work communication. Another tip for paralegals when wearing pearl necklaces: add just a touch of gloss on your lips. A pearl necklace captures focal point attention, moving upwards, first to the subtle lip shine and upwards again to shining eyes.

Pearls are beautiful jewelry staple for office wear. They are also very adaptable to many occasions in a woman?s life. The petite gems are often a ?rites of passage? gift for young ladies, such as a 16th or 21st birthday. Pearl necklaces can be either store-bought for such gifts, or hold the sentimental value of being handed down family generations.

Pureness is symbolized in weddings by white gowns, white lace?and pearls. The luminescent beads are worn by brides, ladies in the wedding party itself, and mothers of the bride and groom. Female wedding guests may also wear pearls.

Pearls are just as appropriate for other occasions, such as church services, or an evening at the opera. Add a pearl necklace to a social mixer outfit and the outfit is complete. Tiny pearl earrings can be worn anywhere for any occasion.

Pearls are quite literally gems that a woman can infuse into her wardrobe for many occasions in her life. Versatility of color hue makes mixing and matching a breeze. Combined with the pearl?s history of symbolic purity and wealth, what better accessory is there for a paralegal to wear?

A paralegal will greatly benefit from simply adding pearls to her wardrobe. The benefits are both in the sense of appropriate business fashion, and to her as a beautiful woman. A woman?s pearls shine, just like her eyes do, as she succeeds both professionally and personally. If you have not done so already, add pearls to your wardrobe today.

Are you fascinated by trials? Do you like helping people? A career as a Paralegal is challenging, rewarding, and NEVER boring. Sign up for free newsletters that show you how to step into this exciting career. Adventures await you....

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Laura McDonald is a paralegal. She is a member of NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations). Laura is experienced in the areas of personal injury, civil litigation, family, environmental and corporate law, estate planning and bankruptcy. She works for Michael L. Hawkins & Associates, P.L.L.C., located in Frankfort, Kentucky. The firm's website is http://www.mlhlawky.com

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Paralegal Degrees

Paralegal degrees are considered an added advantage in the contemporary legal field. With paralegal degrees, individuals become qualified to analyze the facts needed for legal disputes and prepare documentations.

Paralegal degrees include Associate in Science, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Science in Paralegal Studies. Associate degree courses are of two years duration. Bachelor degrees take four years to complete. These are well suited for those persons who are keen on getting jobs in large organizations or continuing education at law schools. All these paralegal degrees are available through various colleges, schools, and universities as traditional or online courses. Online degrees are beneficial for those individuals who want to learn at homes and other convenient places. These are also well suited for individuals doing full or part time jobs.

There are certain things to consider before opting for paralegal degree courses. The institutions offering paralegal degrees should have approval from the American Bar Association (ABA). You have to check the credentials of the degree granting institutions before applying for the course, especially online.

Paralegal degrees help individuals to specialize in a particular field in law. Individuals can specialize in different areas such as family law, corporate law, personal injury, health care, estate planning, civil litigation and civil rights, immigration, real estate, environmental protection, and criminal law.

Paralegal degrees are beneficial for students who want to begin a career as paralegals. Individuals in non professional legal positions can secure job advancements with these degrees. Degree holders can work in law firms, court houses, government agencies, banks, and insurance companies. They can work with attorneys, prosecutors, judges, and public defenders. Moreover, these degrees have great recognition in the legal field as well as in the business world.

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

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Monday, March 3, 2008

All You Need To Know About Freelance Paralegal

Like any other profession, individuals who have already experienced working in a law firm for a couple of years begin to be a freelance paralegal for a variety of reasons. A lot of them say that they get the advantage of having a flexible schedule because they owe their time and they do not have an immediate boss who will lord it over them. In other words, their very selves are their direct supervisors.

A freelance paralegal as defined by the National Federation of Paralegal Association (NFPA) is just the same with a traditional legal assistant who is retained on an as- needed basis by their director be it a lawyer or manager, depending on the nature of work. He or she should have undergone formal schooling and have been trained to execute loads of in the field of law.

You may have heard of an independent paralegal who is referred to as a forms practitioner or document preparer. There is actually a huge disparity between them and a freelance paralegal. This is because they continue their tasks sans an attorney overseeing them. Most of the time, it is not considered as legally substantive but clerical in scope. It is also delivered immediately to the customer or client.

In the new millennium, freelance paralegal work has taken shape in many successful grounds be it in the corporate jungle, business world or legal arena. It does not mean that when you are tied up in the study of judicial process in your college years, you will exclusively end up in such. There are actually plenty of other avenues such as: - Developed companies who feature performing an administrative work and at the same moment, train employees for them to have an actual practice themselves. - Partnership dealing who offer diversity of services such as legal typing, court assistance and many others. It would be best if they are accredited with the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), if they are based in the United States, for a board verification of their career. - Disparate environments like becoming a software salesperson, computer instructor or academic professor can be your job description. Another is that you will be assigned in a placement firm where you will screen those who would apply.

However, it is not just as simple as what you think it is for it is also coupled with several responsibilities to the paralegal profession, to the lawyers as your boss and to the lawyer clients who you will also be closely working with. You are also required to comply with taxation laws, federal regulations and commerce laws. What usually happens is that the time you spend in your work is also the same as that of a legitimate attorney.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2008

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

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Sunday, January 6, 2008

Paralegal How to Get Certified

In today's economy everyone is looking for a way to get the advantage over other job seekers, looking for a career that is almost recession proof. Fortunately, there is one profession that is never going to fade away, and that is lawyers. While the though of going to school and becoming a lawyer may not thrill you, becoming a paralegal might.

A paralegal does work that is delegated to them by a lawyer that they are working with. They can do some of the same tasks that a lawyer can do, but may not have time for. They cannot however, present a case in court or give any legal advice of any type. What paralegals are able to do is, to help the lawyer prepare for trials, hearings, closings and meetings.

They help by investigating any facts that are pertinent to a case and making sure that the lawyer has any information that is needed as a case is prepared. This type of work includes gathering information regarding laws, judgments or other such materials that the lawyer might need to do try a case effectively. They make sure that the lawyer has every bit of information with in hands reach.

Paralegal education is generally the completion of an associates degree from either a local school or an online paralegal course. While most paralegal education will stop after the associates degree is accomplished, there are some institutions that offer a bachelors and even a masters degree in this field.

If you are in the process of deciding which course to take to become a paralegal, it is wise to pick a program that is endorsed by the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA endorses approximately 250 of the more than 600 programs that exist to train people in the paralegal profession.

Many programs have internships available; it would be wise to take advantage of this program. This will allow you to get a hands on feel for the work that a paralegal does along side a lawyer. Look, too for a program that offers job placement, this shows that they believe in their graduates and stand behind their knowledge.

After the paralegal studies are completed and you have your paralegal certificate, it would be a good idea to pursue certification from the National Association of Legal Assistants. Most employers will not require this; it will make you stand out from other applicants. The Association has a set of standards that have been established for the 2-day course that tells potential employers that you are indeed a professional.

As with any profession that you are considering, it is important to do extensive research before starting the course of study to become a paralegal. Talk to people in the position and ask lots of questions. However, if you choose this path for yourself, you have the chance to accomplish two things. One, you will have a positon that will always be in demand and you will be able to put your knowledge of the law to use helping people. Good luck.

Linda Moore writes on a variety of subjects including family matters,personal enrichment, becoming a Paralegal and Project Management as a profession

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