Paralegal Schools

This site provides information on paralegal schools. Information provided includes a directory of schools, with detials oneach, along with forms to request additional information.

Paralegal Work: Paralegals perform a wide range of tasks acting as an extension of their supervising lawyer. They research law, conduct interviews, and identify whatever laws, legal decision, articles, judicial decisions, and other elements that affect cases on which they are working. Paralegals often analyze the information they have researched and make recommendations to their attorney. They also prepare legal arguments, draft pleadings, court motions, obtain affidavits, and otherwise assist attorneys during a trial. They may also be involved in preparing drafts of contracts, mortgages, separation agreements, trust instruments, and many other types of legal documents.

Paralegal Skills: Paralegals require the ability to perform extensive research, and strong writing skills to communicate their findings in legal briefs. In addition, they must be able to interact with attornies to learn what they need to discover, and to communicate findings and progress along the way. Paralegals must be knowledgeable about the law and able to research the specific legal aspects of cases on which they are working. They also must be highly ethical as they are inevitably held to a high legal standard.

Paralegal School Courses: Paralegal schools teach their students many aspects of the law and the various legal systems. Courses train their students heavily on how to use the computer as a tool to perform research, create presentations and briefs related to their research, and other aspects of how to use the computer for legal applications. Most paralegal schools also have their students go through an internship for a law firm, attorney general’s office, public defender, corporate legal department, government agency, legal-aid organization or another branch of government.

Paralegal Employment: Paralegal jobs are expected to grow more rapidly than the average through 2010. Job growth emerges from corporations and law firms using paralegals to do more and more work to reduce their overall legal costs. Most paralegals will be employed by private law firms, but there will also be job growth in corporate legal departments, insurance companies, banks, real estate firms, title insurance companies, and in government.