Become Paralegal

Becoming A Paralegal

What is the difference between a paralegal and a lawyer? A paralegal is someone who does legal work under the supervision of a lawyer. Paralegals or legal assistants do a lot or even most of the legwork for the lawyers who are the only ones legally authorized to accept a case, represent clients in court, sign contracts and legal documents, provide legal advice, determine and accept fees.
A paralegal's duties and functions basically entail gathering legal documents, researching laws, preparing the deposition of the lawyers based on interviews with clients, witnesses, documenting legal research, preparing contracts, locating witnesses.

Given these, the next step is to decide whether you want to become a paralegal or not. Since paralegals perform a variety of functions, it is necessary to prepare for this kind of work. The minimum educational requirement is a high school degree. Prospective paralegals must have completed at least high school.

In order to become a paralegal and to find lucrative employment, some formal education and accreditation must be done. These often require studying basic law courses and legal research methods and depending on the interests of a potential paralegal, may even branch out to specialized courses such as labor laws, immigration policies, corporate laws, real estate laws.

A majority of paralegals have at least completed 2 years in paralegal studies, Associate Degrees obtained from various community colleges, private universities and online institutions. Others working in this field have even Master's Degrees or are just a few steps short of becoming a lawyer. Some also take continuing education courses to keep them informed of existing laws and complement their paralegal work.

Accreditation, on the other hand, is done on a voluntary basis and is often regarded as an advantage by prospective employers. It is a means of establishing the credibility, worthiness of a paralegal based on an accepted set of standards and norms. All other things being equal, an accredited paralegal has increased chances of landing a job over one who is not accredited.

The prospects of finding work as a paralegal are immense and salary levels are competitive with average annual earnings ranging from $24,000-$100,000 depending on the location and the size of the firm where a paralegal is employed. Paralegals can find work in private law firms, corporate firms (insurance companies, brokerage firms), government offices and in non-profit organizations. There are also others who do freelancing paralegal work. Definitely, paralegal work is one area which continues to grow and is a field full of bright prospects and opportunities.

Find immigrant attorneys to work under as a paralegal, or to seek legal advice and protection from.