You would first want to check with any requirements in the state you live. Following is some basic information on paralegal education from databases at the library.
"Today’s paralegal graduates undergo a great deal more training than was required even a few years ago. According to a recent survey of lawyers who work with paralegals, not only should a paralegal have a four-year degree, but they should also seek professional certification. Some employers said they prefer employees to have an education from an American Bar Association (ABA) approved program.
There are over 800 paralegal training programs available, two-thirds of them associated with accredited colleges and universities, but only about 200 currently have ABA approval. In addition to college and university programs, many are operated by business or vocational schools. The most rigorous programs last four years and award a bachelor’s degree to graduates.
ABA approval requires that the institution offer paralegal students 36 general education credits and a minimum of 18 credits in legal specialty courses. Hiring surveys indicate graduates of a four-year program have a clear advantage over those from a two-year certificate program.
Here is the suggested curriculum for paralegal studies:
Twenty-four semester hours at the college level:
English composition/grammar, mathematics, logic/philosophy, speech/communications, earth or natural science, political science/history, sociology and humanities, including philosophy.
Electives:
Business (accounting, business communication or personnel management), computer science, foreign language, psychology and economics.
Legal specialty requirements:
Litigation/civil procedure, legal research and writing, real property transaction, business and corporate law, wills, trust and estate planning, family law, torts and contracts.
Theory/practice areas:
Advanced legal research and writing, advanced litigation/civil procedure, bankruptcy, debtor-creditor rights and administrative law. Also, pension/profit sharing, law office economics and management, tax law, labor relations/employment law, intellectual property, criminal law, immigration law, Social Security law, constitutional, environmental and/or elder law.
In addition, an introductory course designed specifically for paralegals to examine ethics and professional responsibility. Computer applications for paralegals may be integrated into applicable courses.
In considering a school for your paralegal training, be sure to compare their course offerings with this recommended list. Paralegals need to take courses in a wide range of topics since they will have so many duties to perform once on the job.
Many institutions include internships as part of the paralegal’s curriculum. Employers also value this real-world experience. In fact, many hire their outstanding interns for entry-level full-time positions, assured that these individuals are trained in procedures and applications tailored to their individual needs.
Once in the workforce a paralegal cannot leave education behind. Not if the careerist plans to advance to a higher level. Seminars and special classes offer the opportunity to keep up with legal issues or develop another area of expertise.
The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) is a voluntary measure of excellence paralegals may choose to pursue. A combination of training and experience is required before a paralegal is ready to sit for this exam. You will learn more about PACE during your training program.
Course Descriptions
What follows is a detailed look at the topics covered in courses typically taught in the training of a paralegal.
Family Law
An in-depth study of all of the areas of family law encountered by a legal assistant. The course will include divorce, custody, child and spousal support, adoptions, termination of parental rights, and abuse of family members. The student will learn both substantive law and procedure. The course will include the creation of legal pleadings in the family law area.
Legal Environment I
A survey course on law and society. Its purpose is to orient students to the judicial systems of the United States and the legal remedies and mechanisms at their disposal. It compares and contrasts both civil and equitable court functions through the illustrations of common law contracts, torts, criminal law, property law, and the administration of decedents’ estates.
Legal Environment II
This course is an application of the concepts attained in Legal Environment I, in a business context. Emphasis is placed on general substantive business law topics, including agency, partnerships, corporations, sales, negotiable instruments, and real property.
Methods of Legal Research
Students learn the traditional legal research materials and brief writing techniques, including use of digests and citations. The course also emphasizes legal research in the area of administrative law.
Wills, Trusts, and Estates
This course will provide instruction regarding the administration of the probate estate as well as necessary documentation and filing requirements. The student will come to understand the various laws governing the transfer of property at death as well as the tax consequences of such a transfer. The student will also study the creation of trusts and transfers during life. This knowledge will then be applied to the actual drafting of wills, trusts, codicils, and ancillary documents.
Administrative Law
An in-depth study of various administrative law topics. The student will become familiar with the statutes and regulations supporting Social Security, unemployment compensation, and workman’s compensation. The course will also involve study of judicial precedent and mock hearing practice.
Civil Litigation
An in-depth study of various court procedures, including discovery, which the legal assistant will use in supporting an attorney during litigation. The student will become familiar with the rules of court, including both criminal and civil practice. The course will instruct the legal assistant on how to prepare various court documents.
Real Estate for the Paralegal
This course will include estates in land, property sales contracts, deed preparation, title abstracts, searching courthouse records, adverse possession, easements, judgments and liens, tax sales, and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. The student will learn to complete all necessary documents involved in all real estate transactions and to prepare all histories of title so that the attorney may certify the title and complete closing.
Legal Writing
This course will be a detailed study of the various writing tasks performed by a paralegal. The student will become proficient at writing legal pleadings, trial briefs, appellate briefs, legal memoranda, demand letters, and informational requests. The student will also become familiar with the various briefing techniques and rules of style.
Field Experience
An early exposure to types of legal practices for different types of legal programs, including community programs, institutions, and courts. The course will also contain instruction and orientation relative to professional responsibilities, ethics, and practical career considerations for a paralegal.
Environmental Law
A study of environmental statutes and regulations affecting business organizations. The effects of environmental regulation upon business organizations, employees, stockholders, and officers will be explored with a focus on compliance measures and legal remedies, including development of audit programs."
Comments on What is required (degree/courses) to be a paralegal?
You would first want to check with any requirements in the state you live. Following is some basic information on paralegal education from databases at the library.
Some websites to go to are…
From the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Department of Labor go to this site http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114.htm
or
http://www.meetit.com/ca.php?Q=paralegal
Also, from The Career Institute Database …
"Today’s paralegal graduates undergo a great deal more training than was required even a few years ago. According to a recent survey of lawyers who work with paralegals, not only should a paralegal have a four-year degree, but they should also seek professional certification. Some employers said they prefer employees to have an education from an American Bar Association (ABA) approved program.
There are over 800 paralegal training programs available, two-thirds of them associated with accredited colleges and universities, but only about 200 currently have ABA approval. In addition to college and university programs, many are operated by business or vocational schools. The most rigorous programs last four years and award a bachelor’s degree to graduates.
ABA approval requires that the institution offer paralegal students 36 general education credits and a minimum of 18 credits in legal specialty courses. Hiring surveys indicate graduates of a four-year program have a clear advantage over those from a two-year certificate program.
Here is the suggested curriculum for paralegal studies:
Twenty-four semester hours at the college level:
English composition/grammar, mathematics, logic/philosophy, speech/communications, earth or natural science, political science/history, sociology and humanities, including philosophy.
Electives:
Business (accounting, business communication or personnel management), computer science, foreign language, psychology and economics.
Legal specialty requirements:
Litigation/civil procedure, legal research and writing, real property transaction, business and corporate law, wills, trust and estate planning, family law, torts and contracts.
Theory/practice areas:
Advanced legal research and writing, advanced litigation/civil procedure, bankruptcy, debtor-creditor rights and administrative law. Also, pension/profit sharing, law office economics and management, tax law, labor relations/employment law, intellectual property, criminal law, immigration law, Social Security law, constitutional, environmental and/or elder law.
In addition, an introductory course designed specifically for paralegals to examine ethics and professional responsibility. Computer applications for paralegals may be integrated into applicable courses.
In considering a school for your paralegal training, be sure to compare their course offerings with this recommended list. Paralegals need to take courses in a wide range of topics since they will have so many duties to perform once on the job.
Many institutions include internships as part of the paralegal’s curriculum. Employers also value this real-world experience. In fact, many hire their outstanding interns for entry-level full-time positions, assured that these individuals are trained in procedures and applications tailored to their individual needs.
Once in the workforce a paralegal cannot leave education behind. Not if the careerist plans to advance to a higher level. Seminars and special classes offer the opportunity to keep up with legal issues or develop another area of expertise.
The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) is a voluntary measure of excellence paralegals may choose to pursue. A combination of training and experience is required before a paralegal is ready to sit for this exam. You will learn more about PACE during your training program.
Course Descriptions
What follows is a detailed look at the topics covered in courses typically taught in the training of a paralegal.
Family Law
An in-depth study of all of the areas of family law encountered by a legal assistant. The course will include divorce, custody, child and spousal support, adoptions, termination of parental rights, and abuse of family members. The student will learn both substantive law and procedure. The course will include the creation of legal pleadings in the family law area.
Legal Environment I
A survey course on law and society. Its purpose is to orient students to the judicial systems of the United States and the legal remedies and mechanisms at their disposal. It compares and contrasts both civil and equitable court functions through the illustrations of common law contracts, torts, criminal law, property law, and the administration of decedents’ estates.
Legal Environment II
This course is an application of the concepts attained in Legal Environment I, in a business context. Emphasis is placed on general substantive business law topics, including agency, partnerships, corporations, sales, negotiable instruments, and real property.
Methods of Legal Research
Students learn the traditional legal research materials and brief writing techniques, including use of digests and citations. The course also emphasizes legal research in the area of administrative law.
Wills, Trusts, and Estates
This course will provide instruction regarding the administration of the probate estate as well as necessary documentation and filing requirements. The student will come to understand the various laws governing the transfer of property at death as well as the tax consequences of such a transfer. The student will also study the creation of trusts and transfers during life. This knowledge will then be applied to the actual drafting of wills, trusts, codicils, and ancillary documents.
Administrative Law
An in-depth study of various administrative law topics. The student will become familiar with the statutes and regulations supporting Social Security, unemployment compensation, and workman’s compensation. The course will also involve study of judicial precedent and mock hearing practice.
Civil Litigation
An in-depth study of various court procedures, including discovery, which the legal assistant will use in supporting an attorney during litigation. The student will become familiar with the rules of court, including both criminal and civil practice. The course will instruct the legal assistant on how to prepare various court documents.
Real Estate for the Paralegal
This course will include estates in land, property sales contracts, deed preparation, title abstracts, searching courthouse records, adverse possession, easements, judgments and liens, tax sales, and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. The student will learn to complete all necessary documents involved in all real estate transactions and to prepare all histories of title so that the attorney may certify the title and complete closing.
Legal Writing
This course will be a detailed study of the various writing tasks performed by a paralegal. The student will become proficient at writing legal pleadings, trial briefs, appellate briefs, legal memoranda, demand letters, and informational requests. The student will also become familiar with the various briefing techniques and rules of style.
Field Experience
An early exposure to types of legal practices for different types of legal programs, including community programs, institutions, and courts. The course will also contain instruction and orientation relative to professional responsibilities, ethics, and practical career considerations for a paralegal.
Environmental Law
A study of environmental statutes and regulations affecting business organizations. The effects of environmental regulation upon business organizations, employees, stockholders, and officers will be explored with a focus on compliance measures and legal remedies, including development of audit programs."
Hope this helps
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