Become An ABA Certified ParalegalWhile a few lawyers like to offer on the job training for their specific law office, most of the law firms, corporate law offices, or government offices looking for paralegals will want some type of formal training. ABA certification paralegal programs are offered by technical schools, universities and community colleges. Most programs will take about two years to complete certification. Upon certification, you may find that the demand for legal secretaries is very high. In an attempt to lower legal costs, many law offices are creating job opportunities for legal secretaries to help with their case loads, instead of hiring higher paid lawyers. The American Bar Association program for educating paralegals is to help promote a higher standard for the training and education of paralegals. All of the colleges with an approved program have gone through an extensive evaluation and review, and they become ABA certified for seven years before another evaluation is needed. There are hundreds of approved paralegal educators throughout the United States. There are more than 24 schools in the state of California alone, and at least 1 approved school and program in almost all 50 states. For a complete list of schools in each state you can look at the abanet.org web site. For any universities or colleges looking to become ABA certified, the same web site gives you the information and guidelines you will need to undergo a review. Receiving a diploma from a school that has an ABA approved paralegal program and working with the school’s placement administrator may help you get a good, secure job. Many potential employers are requiring that you have an ABA certification paralegal diploma to even be able to apply for their positions. While most paralegals find their employment with private law firms, there are also jobs available through large corporate legal companies, insurance companies, large banks, hospitals, real estate and insurance companies, and many government offices as well. |