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How many times have you seen posts on LinkedIn and social media that go something along the lines of, “ I went and got a paralegalcertificate, but I can’t get a paralegal job without any experience. How do I land my first paralegal job?”? The firm I was with didn’t do a lot of legalresearch.
But after they’ve got you enrolled and you’re in the paralegalcertificate program, it would be helpful for you to also hear the downsides of being a paralegal so that you can be better prepared for your new career. New paralegals don’t make a lot of money. Check out my podcast episode on paralegal salaries.
Fast-forward twenty years, and they’re still loving their litigation paralegal career! You finish your paralegalcertificate and land your first job, and it’s just not clicking. ” Years ago, when I was doing management consulting with lawfirms, an attorney told me something I’ve never forgotten.
. • Legal: Prepare litigation, estate planning, bankruptcy, corporate, real estate, family law, immigration and other practice specialty documents, schedule events and calendar management for lawfirms and attorneys; audit letters; handle correspondence; intake; anything and everything a legal secretary can do.
This is because some paralegals might prefer a corporate setting as an in-house paralegal, while others might thrive in a lawfirm setting working in civil litigation or other commercial litigation. A litigation paralegal is a legal professional who provides vital support to attorneys who work in the area of litigation.
Working in the legal profession means having a good working knowledge of many different technologies, including: Lawfirm billing software. Online research tools. As a paralegal working under the direct supervision of an attorney, you are a representation of that attorney (and your lawfirm).
Being a paralegal and having a paralegal degree are two different things. This is why most lawfirms don’t hire a paralegal graduate without experience right out of paralegal school. You don’t learn much from your paralegalcertificate/associate that applies to your day-to-day job.
At her firm, they had paralegals pigeon-holed into a specific phase of a litigation case. One paralegal did all of the legalresearch, cite checking and investigations. One paralegal did all of the discovery. Another paralegal did all of the trials. Maybe 1 million lawfirms.
LegalResearch : Reading Between the Lines Lets set the scene: you have piles of documents, references to case law, and statutory codes scattered around. You dont merely want to gather facts; you want to figure out how they fit the big-picture argument your legal team is building.
It’s where we all are when we graduate from our paralegal programs, walking into that first paralegal position, looking around and wondering, what in the world am I supposed to be doing here? They taught me how to draft a legalresearch memo using the IRAC method, but no one’s asking me to draft a legalresearch memo.
Regardless of where you are in Canada, paralegals have very similar duties to those of paralegals in the US. in Alberta, for example, a paralegal is not allowed to represent another person in court, but they can in Ontario or British Columbia. Compared to the US, paralegals in Canada are rarely, if ever, regulated.
ParalegalCertificate Program Blackstone’s Paralegalcertificate program is an excellent option for incarcerated individuals, and the total tuition cost is only $885! The program includes 14 volumes covering a range of topics from criminal law to legalresearch and writing.
Ashley is a Sessional Instructor for the Paralegal Studies and Office Assistant Programs at McEwen University, and she has over 16 years of experience in the legal industry. Why did you decide to give up working in lawfirms and teach full-time? Um, so in the States, it’s not a lot of lawfirms.
Theres a lot of chatter about paralegalcertificates, and people are curious whether its really worth the hassle. You might see posts on social media claiming its the holy grail for anyone wanting to work in law offices. Stepping into the Paralegal World Paralegals are the backbone of many lawfirms.
Some folks assume online courses are less respected, but many reputable institutions now offer virtual options for paralegalcertificates and degrees. Courses often delve into in-depth case analysis, advanced legal writing, and specialized fields like constitutional law. Its not an inferior route.
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