Why Go to Paralegal School?

It's great to have an important job but be able to leave the ultimate responsibility to someone else. That's the perk of being a legal assistant -- you do so many of the exciting things lawyers do, but without the final and sometimes overwhelming authority in people's lives.

Survey the Scene
If you're interested in researching legal assistant schools, you'll learn how to be ready to help lawyers prepare for closings, hearings, trials, and corporate meetings. You'll investigate and analyze each case, and prepare reports to help attorneys determine how to handle the cases. Aside from setting legal fees, giving legal advice, and presenting cases in court, you may be performing the tasks of a lawyer.

And, legal assistant schools won't limit you to one area of the law. A legal assistant can work in litigation, personal injury, corporate law, criminal law, employee benefits, intellectual property, labor law, bankruptcy, immigration, family law, or real estate.

Climb the Hill at Legal Assistant Schools
In order to become a legal assistant, you'll need to be trained at legal assistant schools. You can earn an associate degree or a certificate in paralegal studies; some legal assistant schools even offer bachelor's and master's degrees. Most certificate programs at legal assistant schools provide intensive and specialized training for those who already have a college degree. Degree programs generally combine legal assistant training with courses in other academic subjects.

There are about 1,000 legal assistant schools in the country, approximately 260 of which are approved by the American Bar Association. Legal assistant schools will teach you legal terminology, legal applications of computers, performing legal research on the Internet, new developments in the law, ethical standards of the legal profession, and more.

The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) offers a two-day exam for those who wish to earn the Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) designation. As of February 2006, there were 13,325 CLAs in the United States. NALA also offers an updated Advanced Certified Paralegal designation for those who wish to specialize in other areas of the law.

Check Out the View
Legal assistants held about 224,000 jobs in 2004. And, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects legal assistant employment to grow much faster than average for all occupations through 2014. In addition, those who specialize in areas such as real estate, bankruptcy, medical malpractice, or product liability will have excellent opportunities in their legal assistant careers.

In May 2004, full-time wage and salary legal assistants had median annual earnings of $39,130, with the top 10 percent earning more than $61,390.

Want to go higher in your career? Let legal assistant schools take you there.