Paralegal Training and Certification
Paralegals are essentially the same as legal assistants, with paralegals possibly having more professional sounding job titles. As a result, for either position the educational prerequisites and job prospects will be the same. The fastest means to begin your career as a legal assistant in Colorado is by obtaining a certificate, which may take as little as six months to complete. Many entry level positions do require an Associate's Degree, which provide a more expansive education and can be earned at many community colleges in two years. And if you are interested in an even more comprehensive education, 4 year Bachelor's Degrees are offered as well. Once you have obtained either a degree or a certificate, you may want to continue and earn a certification. Although it is not a mandatory requirement in Colorado to practice as a paralegal, certification may not only help improve your employment opportunities, but help substantiate you as a professional also. A few of the highly respected certifying agencies in the profession are:
- National Federation of Paralegal Associations
- American Alliance of Paralegals
- National Association of Legal Assistants
- National Association for Legal Professionals
By graduating with a paralegal degree or certificate from an accredited program (we will address the advantages of accreditation later) and obtaining a certification, you will have taken 2 essential initial steps that will help guarantee your success as either a paralegal or a legal assistant.
Online Paralegal and Legal Assistant Degrees
Paralegal and legal assistant online programs have become more prevalent and can be a good alternative for students living in Colorado looking for convenient access to classes and accommodating scheduling. Online schools can be particularly attractive to individuals who continue to work while earning a degree. As an additional advantage, online classes can sometimes be less expensive than more traditional options. Even ancillary expenses for such items as study materials or commuting may be minimized or eliminated. One caution, not all online schools are accredited, which we will address in more detail later. But at the very least accreditation helps ensure that the education you obtain is of the highest caliber. So check to make sure that the school and program you are considering are accredited by a reputable organization, for example the American Bar Association. But if you are disciplined enough to study in a less supervised and formal environment, then earning your degree or certificate online could be the ideal choice for you.