Preparing the way for a profitable paralegal career

Development of paralegal skills may be accomplished in various ways.

Traditionally, a person has become a paralegal through on-the-job training.  Often this training was possible only as the result of fortuitous circumstances; for example, working for a benevolent employer wiling to serve as a mentor.  For many years, the primary, if not only, source of paralegal education was traditional on-the-job training. A person began working for a law firm as a legal secretary, or some manner of office assistant, and over the course of numerous years of working for an attorney, or group of attorneys, a highly-motivated person could develop numerous skills of specific benefit to lawyers—or corporate legal departments—and evolve into a paralegal.

This road to becoming a fully qualified paralegal was an evolutionary journey. And, just as most evolutionary processes require, took quite a number of years to complete.  Naturally, the skills developed were often specific to the particular areas of an employer’s practice, leaving voids in other areas.  Those voids often limited the transferability, or marketability, of the paralegal’s skills to other employment opportunities.

Fortunately, in today’s world, a person desiring a career as a paralegal may pursue specific education as a paralegal through numerous formal educational programs.  These formal programs are designed to develop all the various skills necessary for employment specifically as a paralegal professional from day one—bypassing the lengthy and inconsistent secretarial/assistant approach entirely.  This is not to infer that the traditional on-the-job development of paralegals has not produced some extremely competent and productive paralegal professionals—because it has—it just takes much longer and depends on a great measure of luck in receiving quality training.

In recent years, the availability of formal education programs for those desiring to develop skills as a paralegal has increased significantly. Training and certification through formal education makes employment specifically as a paralegal and the immediate commencement of the associated job functions possible.
It’s no longer necessary to seek or depend on the nurturing of an employer to develop the skills essential to a paralegal career.  Today, many programs are available to train and educate a person as a paralegal.  Specialized programs are also becoming available for advanced training in specific practice areas such as personal injury, medical care, debtor/creditor, consumer, family, and real estate law.

Some of the formal education training programs are designed and offered specifically as paralegal training by special purpose educators. Other programs are offered as part of a broader degree program through four-year college or university programs, or as two-year associate’s degree programs through vocational skills schools.

A 2006 Study by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc found the education profile of actively employed paralegals at that time to most commonly be a bachelor’s degree with an accompanying paralegal certificate; secondly, an Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies, and, third, a Bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies.

Formal education programs continue playing a vital role in the development of the paralegal profession. Although on-the-job training remains an important element in developing successful paralegals, the role of formal education has become increasingly important and formal educational programs available for paralegals have increased significantly in recent years.

Today, more than 800 formal paralegal training programs exist in the United States. The vast majority are two-year degree programs offered by junior colleges or within a four-year institution. The number of four-year degree programs and post-baccalaureate certificate programs is increasing with at least six institutions offering a Master’s degree in Paralegal Studies.

As the changing economic climate, emerging technologies, and a global legal market continue to transform the legal industry, undoubtedly, educational paralegal programs will continue evolving to better prepare graduates to meet the expanding needs of the legal profession.  In response to evolving market demands, paralegal educators and law firm managers will adapt school programs, continuing legal education courses, and training policies to better prepare paralegals for success as true professionals in their legal careers.

The global economic crisis has spawned the birth of a hot new legal practice area: financial crisis law. A number of major law firms have formed multidisciplinary practice groups to help clients manage financial difficulties in response to the turbulence in the financial markets. These groups provide clients with news, information, and analysis on the financial crisis and help clients deal with distressed assets, litigation, regulatory, and government enforcement matters. As this new practice area grows, paralegals may begin to play a greater role.

Paralegal roles are expanding.  With national and international expansion, law firms valuing multiple skill sets and broad experience highly. Paralegal educators, managers, and recruiters across the country agree that strong technology, writing, and communication skills, combined with solid hands-on experience are crucial for paralegals. Other hot trends in paralegal education and CLE include distance learning and a greater demand for paralegal specialization.