Throughout our representative republic, paralegals (also called legal assistants) have a number of professional organizations that have taken the role of “guardian angel”. One such organization; a relative newcomer, that has risen to national prominence very quickly (it began in 2003) is the American Alliance of Paralegals Inc (AAPI). AAPI’s fast ascent to prominence may be traced to the fact that it was the first national organization that focused primarily on the establishment of minimum educational requirements. In addition, members that wish to have a say in policy (given a vote) must meet particular guidelines through both real world experience and on an educational basis.

Important aspects to keep in mind when analyzing a paralegal program:

1. Teaching practical, usable job skills in combination with fundamental legal principals are an essential part of any quality paralegals school curriculum. In addition, paralegal degree programs should also cover topics like contract law, legal research, business organizations and legal writing. A quality paralegal school will focus their courses towards the development of an overall higher quality, well-rounded student. This would be done by designing courses that develop students’ hypercritical thinking abilities, organizational skills and their emotional and mental capacity to handle delicate ethical issues.

2. Who’s behind the paralegal curriculum? In other words, what kind of credentials does the program director and the faculty possess. The director should have some type of paralegal education, a law degree or related advanced degree and if they also have legal field experience that’s a plus. In addition, faculty should either have direct paralegal field experience or at a minimum, experience working with paralegals. Of course, they must be an expert in the subject they are teaching.

3. An ever increasing number of paralegal colleges now offer online paralegal programs. Granted, online training has become more popular over the past few years, primarily because of its’ convenience and cost savings but regardless of the reasons why it has become so popular you must determine if it’s right for you. A key factor you may want to ask yourself is, “Do I have the ambition and focus to complete the homework and watch all the lectures on my own?” If no, look for the nearest campus and if yes, getting your paralegal degree online may be the best thing since sliced bread.

Even if down the road your goal is to become a lawyer, starting your professional life in law as a paralegal is a wise initial step. Earning your paralegal degree will allow you to get a foothold into the legal field, which in turn will expose additional opportunities. And then, down the road you can make a more informed decision as to whether or not to pursue your law degree or to keep working as a paralegal. In any case, opportunities will be many.