Online Paralegal Certificate

Apprenticeship programs, offered by some employers, and administered through state governments, are another way of increasing both your knowledge and experience.

Apprentice Benefits

• Reduced tuition fees for related instruction at community or technical colleges
• Coverage by State industrial insurance while attending related instructional classes
• Access to an appeal process should any problems arise while in training
• Validated credentials when formal training has been completed

One paralegal apprentice, Patty Hanna, stated that: “After working in a number of law firms in a secretarial/receptionist capacity, I realized I wanted to know more. With on-the-job training combined with education, I have been able to surpass my wildest dreams. You get the one-on-one guidance from your sponsor and your employer gets a smarter, more intuitive employee.”

Employer Benefits

• Assurance that the employee you hire is well able to do the tasks that are required
• You will receive a good return on your investment because loyalty is fostered by apprenticeships
• There is a growing shortage of skilled workers, as baby boomers retire. This can be offset by employees taking part in an apprenticeship program, where they are trained by seasoned workers.

Apprenticeships, according to eight in every 10 employers, helps to increase productivity. A survey conducted by the Learning and Skills Council reveals that “81% of 500 employers that use apprenticeships, said hiring an apprentice helped increase work output.”

With this kind of endorsement, you can be satisfied that working as an apprentice for a law firm, or perhaps an insurance company, is a good career choice that will benefit both you and your employer.

Career placement services can be found at many reputable educational institutions. After completing your paralegal studies, and sometimes while you are still attending university, it is possible to find employment by using the resources provided by the Career Services department at your school.

Rasmussen Online College

This college offers the following employment service benefits to their students:

• Help you to develop professional career-seeking skills
• Assist you with resume, cover letter and reference sheet preparation
• Help you to create a professional portfolio
• Guide you into selecting and planning the right career path for you
• Help you sharpen your interviewing skills

Rasmussen maintains that employers are confident in hiring their graduates, because they know that the students are receiving a practical, and up to date education that fits with their business needs.

National Paralegal College

This institution pledges that “Our staff diligently works to identify employers in the student’s geographic area in order to advance the student’s employment prospects. Students can submit their resumes, cover letters, and writing samples to the NPC placement staff for review. Once the student’s personal information documents are finalized, they can be sent to prospective employers.”

Center For Advanced Legal Studies

The Center For Advanced Legal Studies goes a step further in that they offer free life-time placement assistance to their graduates. Some of the testimonials located on their website are impressive:

“The Placement Director helped me write a phenomenal resume and spent a great deal of time helping me.”

“The Placement Director is amazing. She is very helpful, polite and persistent. She knows what she is doing and is great at it. She made the stress of finding a job so much easier. Thank you so much!”

“Placement here is the best. I am so very pleased with where I was placed!”

“In one word, the placement is excellent!” The Placement Director did everything she could to get me a job. I told her what I needed and she placed me in a job that not only helps me get a good start but fits my needs.”

As you can see, not all institutions are exactly alike, but most of them do offer career placement assistance. One thing that students must consider, is what will happen after graduation day. Taking advantage of the career placement department at your school, and working with a knowledgeable and helpful career placement professional is a smart choice for your future.

Paralegals are not, as some might believe, “glorified secretaries,” but rather they are trained professionals who perform much of the work that attorneys traditionally do. The US Department of Labor states that, “Although attorneys assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, they often delegate many of their tasks to paralegals. In fact, paralegals—also called legal assistants—are continuing to assume a growing range of tasks in legal offices and perform many of the same tasks as lawyers.”

Industries who use paralegals

Many different businesses utilize the services of paralegals. They know that they can expect knowledge and professionalism when dealing with a paralegal. Some of the businesses that hire paralegals include:

• Banks and similar institutions
• Attorneys
• Law Schools
• Title Companies
• IRS
• Sheriffs Departments
• Municipal, trial and appellate courts
• Courthouses
• Corporate legal departments
• Insurance companies

Types of jobs you will find paralegals doing

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for 2010-11, just a few of the occupations that you can expect to find include:

• Claims, adjusters, examiners, and investigators
• Law clerks
• Occupational health and safety specialists
• Occupational health and safety technicians
• Title examiners, searchers and abstractors

Job Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that “there will be demand for paralegals who specialize in areas such as real estate, bankruptcy, medical malpractice, and product liability.” Other areas, such as community service programs for minorities, the poor, the elderly and others that specialize in legal services will have need of paralegals.

Federal, State and local governments, already strapped financially, will expand the use of paralegals for their agencies, the court system and consumer organizations.

With stiff competition, your best chance at landing a good paralegal position is to acquire formal paralegal training. Those individuals with experience and formal training will have the best job prospects.

A paralegal certificate will open the door to different employment opportunities. You will find positions open to paralegals in many different industries, giving you the opportunity to expand your knowledge and experience while earning a good living.

You’ve finished your education in paralegal studies, worked for several years as a paralegal in a law firm, or perhaps for a title insurance company. The competition might be stiff, but you feel that your knowledge and experience could be better put to use if you were to strike out on your own. It is definitely possible that with a little knowledge and plenty of hard work, you could run your own business as a paralegal.

Business Models

Freelance paralegal

Many corporations use freelancers to either fill in when they are short on staff, or when the work volume temporarily increases. The work that freelance paralegals typically do is supervised by attorneys, and regulated by statute, court rule and administrative regulations. The work is largely legal intensive, and attorney directed.

According to the NFPA, or National Federation of Paralegal Associations, “a freelance paralegal, also known as a contract paralegal, is no different than a traditional paralegal except to the extent that she/he is not employed by an attorney in a traditional setting such as a law firm, governmental entity or corporation. Rather, a freelance paralegal is retained on an as-needed basis by many supervising attorneys in these settings. Freelance paralegals are educated and qualified to perform paralegal work just the same as traditionally-employed paralegals.”

Independent paralegal

An independent paralegal, completes his or her work without the direct supervision of an attorney. The work is mostly clerical, and is delivered directly to the public, rather than to an attorney or corporation. Another name for this kind of paralegal is “forms practitioner” or “document preparer.”

Paralegal Cooperative

Paralegal cooperatives combine the talents of many paralegals, each of whom might have experience in different areas of the law. This diversity helps the co-op to grow as a business.

Getting involved with a co-op is a good way to “wet your feet” as a business owner. You, along with other paralegals, pool both your resources and your talents. As the saying goes, there is “strength in numbers!”

Research the business model that most appeals to you and your situation. Consider joining a paralegal association. Doing so will not only keep you on top of the paralegal industry, but it will also allow you to network with other paralegals. Even though you might be working from home, there is no replacement for having a good business network.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the paralegal industry is projected to grow by 28% through 2018. As the U.S. Economy, and other economies around the world, try to deal with crippling debt and falling monetary values, businesses still need to “get the job done.” Costs will be need to be cut wherever possible, and one way to reduce costs is to hire paralegals to do some of the work normally done by attorneys.

Kinds of Industries

The legal profession is not the only one that hires paralegals. Other industries include:

• Banks and credit unions

A paralegal, or legal assistant, working for a bank or credit union would most likely find themselves dealing with industry regulations as to reporting and auditing compliance. They must gather information, organize it in a proper format, keep on top of regulation changes and keep other employees abreast of these changes.

Two departments of a lending institution that typically hire paralegals are the trust and the mortgage departments. Paralegals in the trust department deal with the proper handling of documentation and court requirements of the estates entrusted to them by different individuals.

Mortgage department paralegals deal with lenders, title insurance companies, county courthouse employees and other individuals involved in real estate transactions. They are responsible for preparing loan documentation, verifying employment, verifying funds, reviewing title insurance commitments, and other necessary documentation in order to expedite the loan process.

When a foreclosure is necessary, the paralegal would be required to handle all necessary documentation, such as filing the complaint, arranging the sale, etc.

• Title Companies

Title companies often employ paralegals to research property information and prepare a commitment to insure the real property on behalf of the company. The paralegal will search public records to determine ownership of real property as well as any encumbrances it may contain. Paralegals are also employed to conduct loan closings on behalf of the company. It is a necessity that if the paralegal works as a closer for a title company, that they are a designated notary.

• Attorneys

Duties performed by paralegals employed by attorneys vary according to which department they are working in. For example, foreclosure paralegals’ duties will include things such as ordering a foreclosure report from an abstractor or title company in order to determine what parties have a vested interest in the property. After obtaining the contact information for all parties, the paralegal will then draft the foreclosure complaint and arrange for service on all proper parties. The paralegal will then perform all other necessary paperwork to assist in the complete foreclosure of the property.

One thing that all paralegals, no matter where employed, will find themselves doing if they wish to be successful in their chosen career field, is furthering their education. Laws and procedures are subject to change, and the competition is stiff. A well educated professional is an asset that employers will always be willing to pay good money for.