Paralegal Schools – If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010Like most professions, legal assistants and paralegals are represented by a wide array of organizations (some professional and some not so) that work to improve the overall working conditions of their members. A few of the most prominent paralegal organizations include AAPI, the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and NALA (the National Association of Legal Assistants). While the American Alliance of Paralegals (AAPI is the new kid in town because it wasn’t started until 2003) is fully geared towards the training of paralegals (through paralegal schools and instructors) both NALA and NFPA focus their spheres of influence on developing professional development programs and promoting a community as well as a global presence for the paralegal profession.
Essential yardsticks to bear in mind when looking at any paralegal program:
1. The central purpose of any high quality paralegal school should be total intellectual maturation of their students. Accomplishing this goal is accomplished by teaching applicable, common sense, usable job skills in addition to a solid core of legal theory. The paralegal programs curriculum must also be broad enough to include subjects ranging from ethics, business organization and torts to legal research and writing. Additionally, the best paralegal schools will expend time and effort on developing a well-rounded, critical thinking student with outstanding communication, and organizational skills.
2. Commitment by the faculty and the paralegal curriculum director to the importance of the paralegal in the whole legal system is a must. Additionally, they must have the proper academic credentials to be able to teach the subject. Ideally, the paralegal program director should have a law degree but if not, they should have some type of advanced paralegal degree. As for the instructors they should be experts in the subjects they are teaching. How they came to become an “expert” can be debated as to what is the best path but regardless of the journey they need to have the proper expertise.
3. Is the tried and true campus classroom learning model best for you or is the so-called “modern” online training environment a better fit? An essential question that needs to be answered before you take the plunge and decide to pursue your paralegal degree via the online learning model. Another key question includes how you’ll receive the training. Will it be through web based courses or telecourses or interactive video or something else? Furthermore, one of the most important questions is very simple, “Can you learn online?”
If you want a career, not just a job and you have the internal strength and drive to push yourself the paralegal field is ripe for the picking. A paralegal offers status, fair wages and a growing job market for those will the talent and skills to match up with the endless opportunities.