In a nutshell, the paralegal profession is right for you if you have a passion for the law.
Your paralegal education will provide the knowledge and skills necessary to perform well. But, nothing spells success like a desire to excel, dedication and determination. Talk to other paralegals and attorneys in a variety of practice areas. Shadow them for a day or more if you can. Above all, evaluate your appetite for the law.
Graduates of Center for Advanced Legal Studies complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of legal specialty classes to earn their Paralegal Certificate. The programs are accredited, APA-Approved, and are regulated by various state and national approval agencies.
In contrast, short-term paralegal programs are brief, non-credit courses that are usually found in continuing education departments of various universities. They continue to exist even though top paralegal associations and educators have long denounced their credibility.
The National Federation of Paralegal Association (NFPA) written position statement regarding short-term programs is: Position Statement Regarding Short-Term Programs.
The American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE) also has a Policy on Short-Term Programs, which states that “these programs do a fundamental disservice to the legal profession by creating unrealistic expectations in both employers and students that a quality paralegal education has been delivered when such may not be the case.”
CALS encourages anyone interested in pursuing a paralegal career to conduct a thorough investigation of prospective programs to ensure that expected outcomes can be achieved and professional goals attained.
The job market is good! As a graduate of CALS, you will receive individual attention from our Director of Career Services that includes assistance in resume writing, interview tips, salary negotiation, follow-up, and acceptance of an offer.
The latest reported employment rate, please see the disclosures page.
Yes, but with some exceptions. Per ABA guidelines, all students who graduate from an ABA-Approved program must complete a minimum of 18 semester credit hours of law specialty courses along with additional college credits that total 60 semester credit hours. Generally, this means completing an associate degree or higher.
At Center for Advanced Legal Studies, students who have yet to earn a college degree most often enroll in the associate degree program for a comprehensive preparation to enter the paralegal profession.
The ABA permits a limited number of students to enroll in the Paralegal Certificate program without first earning a college degree. At CALS, these spots are reserved for experienced paralegals who are currently employed in the field.
Ask your admission representative how you can gain acceptance into the certificate program prior to completing your degree. Remember, you must be currently working as a paralegal to qualify.
Yes, without question. As a graduate of CALS and a new law school student, you will suddenly become very popular with fellow students who “don’t have a clue” about legal research, procedure, contracts, etc. Many of the fundamentals of law and theory learned at CALS will be repeated in law school. However, most of the practical skills you gain here will not be addressed in law school at all. Will a paralegal education help? Absolutely.
History shows that there are certain characteristics that are important to the success of students taking online classes. Interestingly, these qualities are also important to a successful paralegal career. They include:
To further assure compatibility with online classes, students are given an opportunity to opt out of their program at the end of the first four week of class with no financial obligation. Likewise, CALS will evaluate progress at the end of the first four weeks of class and determine a students’ progress, and if it is lacking relative to attendance, grades, and attitude conducive to learning, the student will be released from the program, again with no financial obligation.
Research shows that most paralegals work in law firms. However, many businesses other than law firms utilize paralegals. Such employment is not unusual. These employers include banks, mortgage companies, airlines, churches, non-profit organizations, hospitals, the government and many other businesses.
Paralegals may also work independently on a contract basis locally or at a distance; however, the unlicensed practice of law (UPL), can become an important issue especially when a paralegal has a business of his or her own. In all cases, a licensed attorney is ultimately responsible for a paralegal’s performance on specifically delegated substantive legal work.
To make you more competitive as a paralegal, our programs have a large concentration of paralegal specialty courses relative to general education courses. Some colleges and universities take a different approach. CALS provides its students with the necessary depth of paralegal training so they may begin a rewarding and challenging paralegal career.
In 2024, Center for Advanced Legal Studies launched its Bachelor of Arts: Law and Business degree program designed to provide its associate degree graduates a convenient option to furthering their education. All credit earned in the associate degree program transfer in to the bachelor’s degree.
AAS Degree Paralegal Program graduates who wish to continue their education to earn a bachelor’s degree elsewhere may encounter difficulties. Please understand that CALS programs were not designed to be a shortcut to a four year degree at other institutions. The purpose of the paralegal programs is to lead you to and advance your paralegal career. However, oftentimes CALS credits are accepted by a variety of institutions but their acceptance is strictly up to the receiving institution.
