Reading this article will teach you how to get your paralegal degree online. The aim of this article is three-fold: explain what it is a paralegal does, the credentials usually needed to get a paralegal job and the benefits of getting an online paralegal degree.
What is a Paralegal?
A paralegal is often called a legal assistant. This title is actually pretty revealing in terms of the work a paralegal is expected to conduct. When an attorney is overwhelmed by work that can be reasonably completed by junior professional, they often hire a paralegal to take care of this “busy” work. Being such, the nature of work a paralegal faces can be very monotonous. Usually, a paralegal’s duties consist of filing paperwork and organization. In the legal field, detail and organization is everything. For instance, an ill-written business contract can cost a firm thousands of dollars in damages; this is where a paralegal comes in. Their job is to go over the contract numerous times in order to ensure there are no costly mistakes.
Education and Training Required
As far as training is concerned, paralegals often have some type of formal education in the legal field. This can be in the form of a certificate or even degree from an accredited college or four-year institution. More often than not, the required curriculum can be completed in as little as two years, for a total of sixty semester hours. With the advent of technology, many schools are offering these programs either partially online or completely online. The choice between classroom courses and online courses is completely up to the individual. You must ask yourself, “Am I the type of person that is good with self-studying?” Paralegal courses are by no means easy or a walk in the park, so to speak. They can be very challenging and might require additional instruction beyond the scope of an online class.
Online Paralegal Degrees
However, pursuing a paralegal degree completely online certainly has its perks. One such perk is the freedom to choose your own learning schedule. Perhaps you have a day job and cannot commit to certain class times. Or perhaps you can attend, but you realize that you would take too long to complete the requirements. Another benefit of pursuing an online paralegal degree is the cost-effectiveness of the method. Colleges will often offer their in-district rates to those who are taking online classes. This means that you can be located anywhere in the world and still pay the discounted in-district rate to these colleges.
Choosing an Accredited Online Paralegal School
Another concern facing people is whether or not their coursework will be “accredited”. This is a notorious subject in many online degrees, not only paralegal degrees. The best way to go about this is to take the program with a city college or state university. This will guarantee that the online credits taken there are “real” and are not a waste of time. Just because you take a course online does not mean you should have trouble transferring it to other institutions. Because the curriculum in online courses is typically the same as their classroom counter-parts, these online courses often transfer with ease. Rest assured, knowing how to get your paralegal degree online is the first step towards your new career!
