Undergraduate Legal Education
If you have done any investigation, you've no doubt
discovered that there are a variety of undergraduate
legal education possibilities. Correspondence
courses, vocational schools, colleges, and universities
all offer programs. Two-year degrees, four-year
degrees, and certificates can be earned. Some
programs of study can be completed in weeks, while
others take years. So which do you choose?
Good question.
The Undergraduate Legal Education Page is designed
to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you're
thinking about undergraduate legal education, the
chances are that you want the education to enhance
your career options. If that is your goal,
then you should be after an American Bar Association
(ABA) approved program of study. We'll talk
more in the topics that follow about what that means,
and why it is important. As with so many things
in life, you will find that you get out of undergraduate
legal education what you put into it: an education
that means something will take you some time to
get, and it may not come cheap. But if you're
going to invest your time and money, you should
do so wisely. Our goal here is to help point
you in the right direction. You can start
at the beginning and go straight through to the
end, or if you know what information you are after,
you can link to it from the index below.
Recommendations
and Guidelines for Undergraduate Legal Education
What Does
ABA Approval Mean?
Four-Year Schools
Two-Year Schools
Certification Programs
Online
and Distance Education Programs
Financial Aid
Recommendations
and Guidelines for Undergraduate Legal Education
If you have not started to investigate undergraduate
legal education programs, or if you would like more
information on what's out there, this is a good
place to start. You should begin by reviewing
the education recommendations and guidelines published
by several professional associations. You'll
notice that these organizations are reluctant to
declare one type of educational program superior
to another. In other words, you will not find
any agreement that a four-year program is always
better than a two-year program, or that a two-year
program is always preferable to a certification
program. There's a good reason for this: the
type of education that is best for you is an individual
decision, dictated by your goals and needs.
You will, however, find that there is general agreement
about the content of a good paralegal education
program. A worthwhile program will include
comprehensive instruction in legal core competencies,
ethics, and basic office administration skills.
Two-year and four-year degree programs will also
include instruction in the arts, sciences, writing,
and composition. Within these very general
parameters, there is obviously a lot of room for
variation from school to school.
The American
Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE)
is an association of paralegal education programs.
AAfPE has created education
standards that are followed by AAfPE member
schools. It has also adopted a Statement
of Academic Quality regarding paralegal education
programs. AAfPE suggests several things you
should consider when
evaluating a paralegal education program.
You'll want to review AAfPE's discussion of
paralegal
core competencies to get an idea of the basic
skills and knowledge you should expect to get out
of a worthwhile education program.
The American
Bar Association has an online pamphlet that
talks about choosing
a paralegal education program. The National
Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) has suggested
guidelines for evaluating
a paralegal education program. The National
Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA)
has made educational
recommendations, and it publishes a suggested
paralegal
curriculum. NFPA, together with AAfPE,
has created A
Guide to Quality Paralegal Education.
The Legal
Assistant Management Association (LAMA) has
published a position
paper on legal assistant education programs.
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The American Bar Association has identified over
600 institutions that offer some form of paralegal
education. The type of program you select
will depend on many things, like the availability
of a program in your area, the cost of the program,
the time required to complete the program, whether
you want a degree or a certificate, and many other
factors. The first decision you must make
is whether you want an education program that is
ABA-approved. The ABA
Standing
Committee on Legal Assistants (SCOLA) has developed
guidelines for approval of paralegal education programs.
These guidelines address physical facilities, faculty,
curriculum, access to legal research materials,
and many other topics. Of the 600-plus paralegal
education programs out there, fewer than 250 are
ABA-approved.
The ABA has granted approval to 2-year and 4-year
paralegal education programs, as well as certification
programs.
Exactly what does ABA approval mean? For starters,
it means that the program is not a distance learning
program. The
ABA
Guidelines for the Approval of Paralegal Education
Programs require, among other things, that the
institution have a physical facility with
classroom instruction and a law library, or access
to a law library. A program is allowed to
offer some classes online or through other
distance learning media, but the program cannot be
entirely distance learning-based.
In terms of curricula, ABA approval has resulted
in a fair amount of consistency from program to
program. All ABA-approved two and four-year
schools require some general or basic education,
together with a core of legal specialty courses.
The number of hours will depend, of course, on whether
you are in a 2-year program or a 4-year program.
ABA approval does not guarantee you a quality education;
it simply means that the education program meets
the ABA guidelines. However, the fact that
a program is ABA-approved is a strong indication
that you will receive a solid, well rounded education
with an emphasis on the law. It is for just
that reason that more and more employers who look
for paralegals with formal education want graduates
of an ABA-approved program.
Finally, ABA approval does not come cheap.
Getting and keeping approved status means going
through an
approval
process that entails a significant investment
of resources, financial and otherwise, on the part
of a school. The fact that a school is willing
to make that kind of investment may give you some
assurance that the school is committed to paralegal
education for the long haul, as opposed to being
a "here today, gone tomorrow" operation.
Just as ABA approval does not guarantee a good education,
lack of ABA approval does not guarantee a poor education.
There are many reasons why an institution might
choose not to seek ABA approval. As suggested
above, getting and keeping ABA approval requires
a significant investment of time, money, and other
resources. Some schools weigh the costs against
the benefits and decide that ABA approval is not
worth it. Programs that are entirely distance
learning based are not, at present, eligible for
ABA approval. Because the demand for paralegals
is greater than ever, the demand for paralegal education
has also increased greatly. This demand means
that lots of programs have no trouble finding and
keeping students notwithstanding their lack of ABA
approval.
A school's ABA approval, or lack of approval, is
just one factor among many you must weigh.
In the end, practicalities may win out. If
a non-approved program is the only one you can attend,
chances are that some education is better than none
at all. Simply be aware that there are scams
out there; people will take your money and promise
you the moon and the stars, but deliver little of
value. Do some checking, and make sure that
you'll get what you're paying for.
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Lots of four-year colleges and universities offer
a degree of some sort in undergraduate legal education.
To know what's being offered, though, you have to
speak a bit of the language. Programs that
prepare students to work as paralegals will be called
something like "Paralegal Studies" or
"Legal Assisting". Do not confuse
those with programs in "Justice Studies".
Usually, but not always, a degree in "Justice
Studies" or "Criminal Justice" prepares
you to work in the law enforcement field.
Likewise, a "Pre-Law" degree may or may
not give you the course work you need to work as
a paralegal. In theory, a "Pre-Law"
program will prepare you to go to law school.
If law school is not in your future, check carefully
to make sure that a "Pre-Law" degree will
deliver the courses you need. Some are very
good; others are little more than a conglomeration
of liberal arts and social science classes packaged
under the "Pre-Law" title.
The University of Texas maintains a comprehensive
list of regionally
accredited colleges and universities.
As suggested above,
ABA
approval is the easiest way to make sure that
the program you're looking at is really a paralegal
education program. If the school is an AAfPE
member, then chances are better that it offers
a program that will suit your needs. A state-by-state
listing of paralegal education programs is available
on Findlaw.
The various paralegal education guidelines all recommend
a well-rounded education with an emphasis on substantive
legal courses. You can expect to take roughly 120
semester hours (around 40 classes) to get a four-year
degree. About half of the courses leading
to your degree should be basic or general education
courses in things like English, communications,
math, physical science, social science, and the
arts. The remaining half of the courses will
cover such "core" topics as legal research
and writing, civil procedure, torts, criminal law
and procedure, legal ethics, business organizations,
and others. Some programs offer electives
(or perhaps even required courses) in things like
family law, probate law, environmental law, intellectual
property law, business law, and more. Because
we live in a high tech world, most schools will
also require one or more courses designed to acquaint
you with computers, word processing, spreadsheets
and databases, and law-related software for time
and billing, case management, trust accounting,
and conflict management. These lists are not
all inclusive; the truth is that while you can expect
to see the same core subjects from program to program,
the ABA guidelines offer enough flexibility to permit
a variety of course offerings.
At the conclusion of your studies, you will receive
a bachelor's degree in the arts or sciences, with
a major in legal assisting, paralegal studies, or
something close to one of those. More and
more, employers who are after paralegals with formal
education want a four year degree from an ABA approved
program. As the paralegal profession continues
to mature and grow, this trend can be expected to
continue.
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Many junior colleges and community colleges offer
two year paralegal education programs that lead
to an associate's degree in the arts or sciences.
The biggest difference between two-year and four-year
programs is simply the number of hours required
to get the degree. As mentioned above, you
need around 120 semester hours for a bachelor's
degree; an associate's degree typically requires
more like 60 semester hours (20 courses).
Again, half of these courses will be basic or general
education courses in English, communications, math,
physical science, social science, and the arts.
The remaining classes will cover legal "core"
subjects like legal research and writing, civil
procedure, torts, criminal law and procedure, legal
ethics, and business organizations. Since
there are fewer hours involved to get the degree,
you will take fewer elective courses.
A college education, like most everything else today,
is expensive. To save money, more and
more students start at a community college or junior
college, and then transfer to a four-year school.
Other students get an associate's degree in legal
assisting, and then move on to get a bachelor's
degree. This strategy makes a lot of sense,
but requires some planning. If your goal is
to get to a four-year college, you should find out
what courses that college will accept for transfer
credit. Many universities have articulation
agreements with local community colleges.
These agreements set forth what courses the university
will accept in transfer from a particular community
college. Even if a university does not have
an articulation agreement with the community college
you plan to attend, the university's admissions
office will usually work with you to give you some
ideas about transfer credits. Take advantage
of these resources, so that when the time comes
to move on to the four-year school, you won't find
yourself with a bunch of community college hours
that will not transfer.
If you are looking for a community college near
you, check out the list of regionally
accredited community colleges maintained by
the University of Texas. Find out if the school
is an AAfPE
member, and whether its paralegal education
program is
ABA
approved.
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Many colleges and proprietary schools offer paralegal
"certification" programs. A good
certification program will give you your money's
worth, but be wary. Some proprietary schools
and distance education programs use terms
like "certified", "certification",
or "accredited" in an effort to attract
unsuspecting students, or to lend credibility to
a shoddy program.
The certification programs we speak of here are those
with ABA approval offered by bona fide schools.
Essentially, a certification program dispenses with
the general or basic education that you get at a
four-year or two-year school, and consists entirely
of legal courses. Certification is a good
option for someone who already has a two-year or
four-year degree. The good programs require,
at a minimum, a high school diploma or GED for admission.
Some require a two-year or a four-year degree for
admission. The time required to complete a
certification program depends on how many courses
are involved. The range is between two months
and two years. When you finish the course
of study, you are awarded a certificate or certification
in legal assisting or paralegal studies.
As suggested above, if you are thinking about a
certification program, check it out carefully before
you act. Anyone can offer you any kind of
"certification;" such a credential from
the East Blurfco Online School of Paralegal Studies
means very little. If the school says it is
"approved" or "accredited,"
the first question you should ask is: by who?
Most universities, colleges, and schools are accredited
by, and are members of, one or more accrediting
bodies. The fact that the institution is accredited
says nothing about the status of its paralegal education
program. Make sure that the accreditation
comes from a bona
fide educational accrediting entity. Find
out if the school is an AAfPE
member, and check to see if the paralegal education
program itself is
ABA
approved.
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A few words about online and distance education
programs. First, there are reputable programs
out there. Second, finding a reputable program
will require some homework on your part. Keep
in mind that, while the field of education is loosely
regulated, there is little to stop anyone from posting
a Web page and opening an online "paralegal
school." At present, the ABA does not
approve paralegal education programs that are
offered entirely online or through distance
education. If you are after an ABA-approved
two-year or four-year degree, your online or distance
options, at least for now, are limited to individual
program classes.
The same caveats mentioned in connection with
Certification Programs, above, apply here.
If the school claims to be "accredited,"
check out the accreditation. Is it a reputable
educational accrediting entity? The fact
that the accrediting entity is recognized by the
United States Department of Education should not
end your investigation. That recognition certainly
sounds impressive, but what it means is that the
school, by virtue of its accreditation by a recognized
accrediting entity, is eligible to participate in
federal student financial aid programs. The
United States Department of Education does not directly
regulate, accredit, or approve paralegal education
programs.
Just as anyone can open an online "paralegal
school," anyone can send you a piece of paper
called a "paralegal certificate."
Make sure that the program has real substance to
it, and that the certification or diploma you will
receive after spending lots of your time and hard-earned
money will actually mean something. We do not
mean to disparage all online and distance education
programs; some are reputable. It is up to
you to check them out carefully. As with all
things Internet, buyer beware.
Findlaw has a listing of online
paralegal education programs. A school
that is affiliated with the United States Department
of Agriculture offers a Certificate
of Accomplishment in Paralegal Studies by distance
means. Kaplan, the company best known for
test preparation, offers a paralegal
diploma program, an associate's
degree in paralegal studies, and a bachelor
of science degree in paralegal studies.
Many other online programs are available.
To find them, get on any search engine and do a
search request for "paralegal education."
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If you're like most students, you will need some
financial aid to pay for your education. The
good news is, there is a lot of financial aid money
available. The bad news is, not all of it
is free money. Stated differently, scholarships,
grants, and stipends are offered by virtually every
school. Most of these are need-based, or are
targeted at specific student populations.
Some are competitive in nature, based upon high
school or college grades and activities. The
odds are that even if you qualify for these funds,
they will not cover your entire college bill and
all related expenses. You'll probably have
to finance the balance with student loans.
To find out more about financial aid, check out
our Financial Aid Page.
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