Paralegal Blog

There is a continuous demand for highly-skilled paralegals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics sees a 28 percent rise in the demand for paralegal services from 2008 to 2018. This means great opportunities for paralegal students who are work hard to finish their courses. To excel in the paralegal profession, each candidate should start by becoming an effective student. Here are the top attitudes every aspiring paralegal should have.

Yesterday was our nation's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. I have to say that his 'I Have A Dream' speech continues to be among the most inspiring to me.

Are you a paralegal? Ready to move your career forward?  Maybe it's time for you to become Certified. 

But before we answer the 'why should I become certified' questions you may have, let's make sure we are talking about the same thing first.  What do I mean?  Well, there apparently continues to be confusion about the difference between a paralegal who is 'certificated' and one who is 'certified'.  The confusion comes from all places; attorneys, misinformed paralegals, paralegal programs who aren't careful in their word useage, students who prefer to 'pretend' they are certified on their resumes but are really 'certificated', and probably a host of other places.

Dawn Yuengel is currently student in the Center's paralegal Online Interactive InstructionTM classes.  Students may gain a paralegal education for many reasons. Most assuredly they have an interest in the law or focus on wanting to help people. Some, like Dawn, hope to set an example for their children in the process. 

Regina Grabham Paralegal

I am a recent online graduate from the Center for Advanced Legal Studies (CALS).

From the moment I sent a request for information, CALS has been great. They contacted me within a day’s time and had me on my way to my career. My advisor was the one that first contacted me. She worked closely with me to get me in and make sure that I had everything that I needed along with making sure I understood how everything worked.

Of course, I was concerned about price.

My husband and I were only a couple of years into our marriage so we were still getting our feet under us. CALS worked with our payments to help make sure I could afford to go to school. Plus, when I paid tuition, I paid for the books as well. I didn’t have to worry about going out and finding the material. It was sent to me the week before my classes began.

The fact that I had to work while going to school was another of my concerns.

CALS understands that most people going to school now are working at the same time. They work with you. That’s what makes the online classes so great! My classes were in the evenings. The online classes were like sitting in a class room, but I didn’t have to get out of my sweats! I was able to learn in the comfort of my own home, with my family and still get the one-on-one attention that I needed. The classes were interactive so I could see my teacher and speak with them. The classes were also archived so if I needed to go back and hear the information again, I could.

The teachers are wonderful as well!

Not only were they knowledgeable about the topics they taught, they actually worked in the field. They could answer questions and gave me a sense of the reality and lifestyle that I was working toward. If I needed help, they were always available. I could email my questions, and in a matter of minutes or hours, they would have answered me. It was wonderful! I didn’t have to wait for office hours or driving out of my way. Sometimes they would even stay online a little after class to go over stuff if you didn’t understand. I am not big about asking questions in front of a huge group of people, so the layout of the online classes and the flexibility and personalities of the teachers made my learning experience a lot more pleasant for me.

Since I was a strictly online student, I needed to take 4 in person classes.

CALS helped me find schools that would work for me within driving distance. This was very helpful since not every school has paralegal based courses and I am not within a driving distance from the CALS’ main campus. I also found it very difficult to find a place to do my externship. I couldn’t seem to get past the front desk secretaries in the law offices in my area. The CALS’ staff stepped in and scheduled an interview for me, with the County Attorney’s Office no less, for my externship within a couple of days! I couldn’t have done that on my own!

Since I graduated, they haven’t stopped helping me.

Even though they aren’t in or around my area, they still stick their necks out to help me. I haven’t seen a single staff member in person, yet they treat me like I am there every day. They are helping me in my search for a full time paralegal job, but have already helped me get a part-time paralegal job and start my pre-law studies. Thank you to every staff member at the Center for Advanced Legal Studies! I couldn’t have done it without you all!