Paralegal school? I have a BA and I am interested in getting a Paralegal certificate at an on line school.?

11 June, 2011 (20:07) | paralegal job description | By: admin

paralegal college? I have a BA and I am fascinated in acquiring a Paralegal certificate at an on line college.?
I have a BA by now so I never really want to get an associates diploma or yet another bachelor diploma. I would like to just get the certificate. I have a full time job now so an on the web school would be best. Does anybody have any suggestions or recommendations?

Answer by gimzo9234
Just go to law school rather.

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Comments

Comment from ItsMe
Time June 11, 2011 at 8:47 pm

You can find ABA accredited schools in your area by following this link and clicking on your state: But to be completely frank with you, online certificates are not worth your time or money. You can’t learn substantive legal principles online, and you are definitely not going to impress potential employers with an online certificate. They want to see an associates degree or higher from an ABA accredited college. I am just letting you know how it is. Be prepared, you will have a hard time landing a paralegal job without any experience and with a non ABA accredited online certificate. Consider night classes on campus. If you are dead set on a certifcate instead of a degree, atleast do it on campus, seriously.

Comment from ByAnyMeans
Time June 11, 2011 at 9:19 pm

The National Association of Legal Assistants offers a paralegal certification program. Most law firms and organizations which employ paralegals prefer a paralegal who is certified by an ABA approved program. Make sure that if you choose an online program, that it is ABA certified. Also, a lot of technical colleges offer paralegal programs that will issue a certificate upon completion of the course. I’m curious as to what your BA is in and what you plan to do with your paralegal certificate. Since you already have a BA, you could attend a school that has a paralegal program and get another BA in paralegal studies. Already having a BA means you would only have to complete course directly related to your major. Also, having another degree on your resume would only be beneficial depending on your career plans. Check out the link below to an article posted on Law Crossing regarding paralegals.

Comment from Marie
Time June 11, 2011 at 9:51 pm

You don’t need a 2-year or 4-year degree, but you would be best off getting a certificate from an ABA school, or a school that is a member of AAfPE. Note that the ABA does not approve any paralegal programs that are 100% online, but it does approve part-time programs. For instance, the program I attended ran 2 nights a week and on Saturdays. Also, be careful not to confuse receiving a certificate with being a “Certified Paralegal.” A Certified Paralegal has passed the “Certified Paralegal” (a/k/a “Certified Legal Assistant”) exam offered by NALA. Furthermore, the ABA does not certify paralegal schools or any individual paralegal. It has an “Approval Commission.” Schools that meet the ABA’s criteria are granted the status “ABA-Approved.”