is it a good job?--pay? hard to find a job?
where/how did you get your training.....length
would doing it online be ok.....just curious--about this or anything similiar ....as a career change for a friend..
2006-09-02 02:24:37 · 4 answers · asked by befuddled 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Paralegal is one who assists the lawyer in the performance of his job. Research work on cases, writing pleadings and appearing in court in behalf of the lawyer are the familiar roles of a paralegal. The pay is next to the lawyer's fee and it is an easy job to find because there are many people who have legal problems.
2006-09-02 03:00:07 · answer #1 · answered by FRAGINAL, JTM 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A paralegal basically assists a lawyer. You cannot make court appearances or sign pleadings or motions, and *must* be supervised in your work by the attorney. A paralegal does not have to be licensed, and does not have to have a degree. Some paralegals are highly skilled and better at doing a lawyer's work than some lawyers I know. On the other hand, some are barely qualified to run a photocopier.
There are certificate and associate's programs for paralegals, and to become a highly qualified paralegal at a large law firm (therefore making a very decent salary), these programs are very useful.
2006-09-02 14:58:14 · answer #2 · answered by y_nevin 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Training for this profession can be obtained by going to a college, which is ABA (American Bar Association) approved, to obtain either an Associates Degree or a Certificate. There are also private institutions that offer paralegal programs but beware they may not be approved.
Depending on the school and their technology, you can take some of these classes online. Which I am in the process of doing. I take one class at the University and 3 online. However, I am a Senior.
Before you do anything, check out every detail of the school. Talk to Admissions, arrange for a tour of the institution.
2006-09-02 09:40:40 · answer #3 · answered by Spider 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They guy I know that did it, did it without any formal education. He does have, I beleive, 2 or 3 years of undergraudate college but never got a degree.
He went to work for either an Insurance company or a Law firm that deals with Workmans comp cases and after a while they made him a "case worker" and he basically did the work of a lawyer. He was kinda like a Nurse Practitioner. He went to court, prepaired papers, interviewed clients and once or twice a week he'd discuss all the cases with the supervising lawyer.
He started out at very low pay and now makes close to if not more than $50k a year.
After 5 or 7 years he switched sides and went from one side of the court room to the other. This made him very valuable as he has experience as counsel and opposing counsel.
His salary TODAY is equal to a starting lawyer.
If we were to get a Law Degree and pass the bar, he'd probalby double his income.
2006-09-02 10:07:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋