| The fast-paced excitement of a paralegal or legal | | | | Many schools offer career placement options for |
| services career is dramatically depicted in popular and | | | | students completing a paralegal studies or legal |
| syndicated television shows, such as "Boston Legal" | | | | services degree program. These student-centered |
| and "Law and Order." Meanwhile, the local and national | | | | career resources can include resume-writing |
| news, as well as court and justice television programs, | | | | workshops and cover-letter coaching, as well as job |
| have provided coverage of high-profile trials and legal | | | | leads - and career placement. This placement is often |
| proceedings that have made major headlines over the | | | | targeted in the area of the country in which the college |
| past several years. With such easy access to law and | | | | is located. For example, a Los Angeles college might |
| legal action courtesy of the American media, it is no | | | | offer students placement assistance in Long Beach, |
| wonder that so many young Americans want to | | | | Huntington, Irvine, Cerritos, or another city in Los |
| complete law degrees or paralegal certificates each | | | | Angeles County, California. Students interested in legal |
| year. | | | | or law careers are most successful at the entry level |
| Like any career shown in the media - medicine, | | | | when they use all of the resources their school or |
| business, advertising, and so on - real-life law and legal | | | | college offers, including career counselors and legal or |
| careers do not always embody the back-to-back | | | | paralegal job resource boards. |
| high-drama excitement portrayed on television. | | | | After the legal studies education: What do paralegals |
| However, they are consistently interesting and | | | | and legal assistants do? |
| engaging, requiring workers to devote focus to their | | | | Upon completing a degree and career training program, |
| careers. To get started in an entry-level legal or | | | | legal studies students will enter jobs with varying |
| paralegal career (these terms will be used | | | | descriptions and duties. Paralegals perform many direct |
| interchangeably throughout the article), a potential | | | | tasks for the rest of the legal team. A paralegal or |
| employee will typically need to have a degree - or | | | | legal assistant might be assigned to one lawyer or to a |
| have completed legal studies training courses or a | | | | team of lawyers. For example, a litigation paralegal |
| paralegal certification. | | | | might assist the legal team in preparing for trial, which |
| Entry-level competition for any career, including the | | | | includes gathering and organizing evidence and court |
| paralegal profession, can be tough. Students who have | | | | briefs; doing research and writing briefs for the case, |
| pursued a paralegal certificate or degree are usually | | | | and even preparing courtroom arguments or evidence |
| considered to be stronger candidates for entry-level | | | | exhibits. |
| careers in law. This is because completing an | | | | Some of the documents a paralegal will write are |
| education demonstrates that a student is mature and | | | | dependent upon the area of law in which he or she |
| responsible enough to handle a daily legal services | | | | works. Estate and trust paralegals are likely to assist in |
| workload. Many schools in the United States offer a | | | | writing wills and financial contracts. Family and divorce |
| paralegal studies degree program to prepare students | | | | law paralegals help write divorce agreements, child |
| for an array of exciting legal careers. Some of the | | | | custody briefs, and hearing summaries, or or work with |
| stronger programs are also approved by the | | | | the courts in obtaining child abuse testimonies. Financial |
| American Bar Association (ABA). | | | | and corporate paralegals can prepare tax forms, work |
| The legal studies or paralegal degree program: What | | | | in government compliance, or write business contracts. |
| do students learn? | | | | A paralegal might also be employed in the public or the |
| The most important skill sets that a paralegal or legal | | | | private legal sector. Legal assistants and paralegals |
| assistant will employ are good reading comprehension | | | | might take notes in meetings, help to prepare |
| and writing abilities. The majority of a paralegal's work | | | | employee tax and benefits forms, and file records and |
| involves reading and writing, and some legal | | | | major papers for the law firm. Some employees might |
| documents or court briefs can contain fairly complex | | | | have more opportunities to perform more extensive |
| language and concepts. Besides English reading and | | | | legal research, as well. Other employees might be in |
| writing courses, many paralegal studies programs | | | | charge of determining whether individuals are eligible |
| require students to take specific classes in legal | | | | for food stamps, housing subsidies, social security |
| research and legal writing. | | | | assistance, and other benefits. |
| Strong research and documentation skills are other | | | | According to the United States Bureau of Labor |
| important components of a legal studies education. | | | | Statistics (BLS), the need for paralegals and legal |
| Upon completing a paralegal certification or legal | | | | assistants is expected to increase more rapidly than |
| studies career training program, students must be able | | | | average through 2014. This is partially because |
| to quickly and accurately find and interpret federal, | | | | Americans live in an increasingly lawsuit-prone society, |
| state, and local laws, research legal precedents set by | | | | and partially because it is more cost-effective for law |
| previous hearings or decided cases, and track down | | | | firms to hire legal assistants to perform the work of an |
| evidence that will support the case. Because the | | | | attorney. A comprehensive education in legal concepts |
| career opportunities for paralegals and legal assistants | | | | and applications from an ABA-approved or accredited |
| are very diverse, many legal programs require | | | | paralegal studies or certificate program, a thorough, |
| students to study several areas of law. Many | | | | post-college legal career search, and the desire to |
| ABA-approved schools offer classes in criminal law, | | | | work hard at acquiring increasingly challenging job |
| family law, property and probate, torts, and civil | | | | responsibilities will enable a legal studies student to |
| procedure. | | | | begin a fulfilling legal career. |