A college paralegal program is ideal for those who want to work with attorneys while staying out of the limelight of the court room. You can find a job in almost any kind of attorney’s office with this kind of certificate or degree. Most colleges offer a short program so that you can get a certificate, or you can get a two-year degree that gives more information about the various laws in that state. Another option is to get a four-year degree. While this isn’t required for most offices, it can put you in a better light as you would have four years of education about the legal system instead of only two.
While you’re in college, there are some courses that you need to focus on for the degree. English will be an important subject because you will need to be able to write legal documents for the attorney. Most of your work will be writing drafts and documents of various subjects for the attorney to use in court as well as making sure the notes that the attorney has are recorded properly. A typing and computer class is also ideal as you will do most of your work on a computer. You will need to know how to use various computer systems in order to get all of the information sent to various clients of the attorney and to the court house.
One of the things to keep in mind about being a paralegal is that you won’t be able to appear on behalf of the attorney in court. You can contact the client for appointment reminders and give the client information about the case, but the only thing that you will be able to do in preparation for court is to find previous cases that are similar to the one the client has, type notes for the attorney to take to court or make sure the notes that are taken by the attorney are properly in the client’s file. Your degree can help you in a specific legal field, or it can help you advance in your career as you gain more knowledge.
