Paralegal’s Education
The education and training requirements are different depending on the responsibilities of the position. Sometimes you might need specialized training in other fields. For example if you work for a family law practice or in criminal law, you might be required to have some training in domestic violence. Or if you work with personal injury or medical malpractice, you might be required to have medical training.
The NFPA’s 2001 Paralegal compensation and Benefits Report indicated that nationwide, 49% of paralegals have a bachelor’s degree, 25% have an associate’s degree, and only 8% have a masters or a J.D. degree. Out of all of these people in the study 83% had received some type of paralegal training in addition to their college education or included as their college education.
Paralegals can get their education from two year or four year universities and colleges. All of these paralegal education programs offer a certificate or a degree. The NFPS feels that a paralegals education is extremely important for the paralegal’s profession. You must look into all programs carefully and make sure the courses will prepare you for a paralegal position. Conducting research on the programs is essential in order to find a good position. Most research says that a four year degree is better to have than a two year degree. Some employers require a four year degree. When working towards a formal paralegal education you should have 24 semester hours of legal courses. If your program does not offer this, then it is wise to find another program.
When looking for a program you should enroll in an ABA approved program, which is an American Bar Association. ABA approval means that not only do the program met the minimum educational standards but it might exceed these minimum requirements. These ABA approved schools met or exceed the requirement in curriculum, quality of the instruction given, faculty, library, advisory committee support, student services, and job placement. This is a very important piece to look for when finding a college. Going to an ABA approved program will help you look great to your future employers.
