* For me, going to paralegal school was the first of a series of several bad decisions that I made.
* The job market for paralegals is, and has been, terrible. Paralegals have lost their jobs. Paralegal work has been farmed out. Clients are becoming more strict by the day as to what they’ll pay for. The jobs are simply not there.
* I called the local paralegal school in my area. The program costs $12,580 if you come in with your general ed done, almost $26k (!!) if you start from scratch. My work always get faxes from this school, a profile of some of their recent grads and their skills and the pay they are seeking – $12-$15/hr. That’s a hellofalot of tuition to pay for such low wages.
To exacerbate all the above, being a paralegal or legal secretary is probably one of the worst jobs out there. The lack of advancement opportunity, but more importantly the hostile environment and abuse make it so not worth it even if the pay were decent.
* Why didn’t you simply go to your local college/university or junior college instead of a proprietary college? They’re WAY cheaper and often carry ABA accreditation as well. Here in Richmond, VA, we have a major university + a community college program, as well as 2 proprietary programs. Only 1, the community college program, is ABA accredited and costs WAY less than any of the other.
* I went to a proprietary paralegal school. You had to already have a bachelors degree to get into the program. It cost $7500 and took 5 months. I got the paralegal certificate 15 years after my bachelors degree. There would have been no point to go to a “real” college because I already had a college degree and it would have taken a lot longer. My bachelors degree cost, I don’t know, at least $50,000 (1980s). The paralegal school I went to was ABA approved.
The certificate led to an entry level career oriented position. I have been in the field 10 years. I don’t find the office abusive at all. It can be challenging. It’s hard trying to always produce perfect flawless work.
Half my paralegal class never found a job working as a paralegal.
* My experience is paralegals spend more time working with clients than attorneys. Paralegals are more accessible to clients than attorneys. But, ultimately, attorneys get all the credit and glory. I think that’s because, bottom line, paralegal is a legal support vocation. I honestly don’t know what legal specialty(ies) would involve animals. But I agree with you. You may find being a veterinary technician to be more satisfying. Vet techs actually work with animals hands-on. Define “great.” Once again, I think paralegal is a tough vocation in a tough industry.
As far as well-paying jobs being hard to come by, at least around here all paralegal jobs are hard to come by. This market is very competitive, even in good times. Very few jobs come open and many excellent people compete for them. No matter how good you think you are, other people will always be better. That can be said, of course, for all vocations.
Perhaps at one time the vocation was wide open; schools would advertise that paralegal is a growth vocation. Now it appears the legal industry has absorbed all the paralegals it can and is now jettisoning many of them because of the economy.
* People often confuse being a legal secretary with being a paralegal, they are two different jobs and require different skills. Some people may be able to walk into a legal secretary position and be trained to perform the job, but it does not work that way in a paralegal position, you are expected to know the law, especially procedure, and be able to jump right in and do the job. The fact is, if you want to work in a decent sized firm that does offer good pay, benefits, and room for advancement you are going to be required to have a degree, be certified, or both. In certain areas of practice such as those involving insurance companies, the clients themselves require certification and/or degrees in order for the paralegal to be approved for billing. As for the pay, it all depends on geography and the type of law you are working in, there are some paralegals making six figure salaries. Yes, it is a stressful business, generally speaking, people’s lives are in the balance, whether literally as with criminal law, monitarily with civil, and of course there should be no need for explanation relative to family law. Duties will vary from lawyer to lawyer and firm to firm, there is no one size fits all opinion or description of a paralegal position.
* For the last year or so, I’ve been considering getting my paralegal certificate. I’ve always been interested in law, worked/interned at a few law offices during college and currently work as a legal assistant. I do a lot of administrative work but have increasingly been doing more like e-filing, reviewing briefs, and being able to do a wider range of tasks. I appreciate the experience I have been getting from this job but hope that a paralegal certification program (ABA approved/part-time/1 year/requires a prior bachelor’s degree) would give me a broader overview of legal research and different areas of law along with improving my resume and opening up a wider range of future jobs.
I recently asked my boss what he thought of such programs since I’ve been considering it but wanted an attorney’s opinion. He said experience is much more important than a certification, he hasn’t found those with certifications to be any more knowledgable or better at their job, and said he would not recommend spending the money for such a program. The money is not a huge concern, but now I find myself questioning if I should be doing the program. From searching online, people’s opinions of paralegal programs seem pretty mixed and I don’t want to waste my time or money if it won’t really mean anything.
* This would depend on your state, as some state bars actually regulate paralegals, but absent a benefit like that, I agree with your boss. I’d give it some weight if I’m between two people with no experience, and one has been through a program, but if you have at least two years of experience as a paralegal in mergers and acquisitions or securities (my practice areas), a paralegal certification means nothing to me. I’d expect someone with the same amount of experience and no certification to be just as competent.
* As someone who has had some exposure to an ABA-approved paralegal certificate program, I say that if you have the time, you have the energy, and the area of the legal community you want to get into is somewhat competitive (i.e. large private law firms), you should seriously consider enrolling in and completing a paralegal certificate program.
Firstly, when you mention that you want to have a better idea of the different areas of law and various research responsibilities you can have as a paralegal, that to me is a good reason to at least enroll in the program. The desire to learn and to discover is more than enough reason to seek out more education. Also, I’m not exactly sure where you are located, but the ABA-approved program at a big university down the street from me attracts instructors that not only want to teach you law, but want to connect you to other professionals and want to help you become an awesome paralegal. Speakers are brought in that talk about the area of law they work in, how they landed their first job, and what inspires them to work so hard in their field.
Second, getting a certificate approved by the ABA could prove to be an advantage. It is true that experience in the field is invaluable, but sometimes that piece of paper is what makes or breaks the deal. Attorneys want to hire someone who is e-filing savvy, can perform discovery, put together docs they need, and do all the other important stuff they can’t get to right away. But in a big city environment like mine, positions in the legal field are competitive. And if you want to be a part of one of the top private law firms, having a paralegal certificate could possibly set you apart from the other guy who has the same level of experience as you and who also interviewed for the exact same position as you. Also, getting a certificate from an ABA-approved program is no easy feat. Not only does completion add weight to your resume, but it shows that you are disciplined in your pursuit and determined to excel as a professional paralegal.
