Any paralegals here? Or other legal professions?

[Shmily1]

My DD has decided that she no longer wants to go to college and wants to drop out to take a 6 week on-line course in being a paralegal. I'm trying to find out the good, the bad, the pay ranges, the stress, etc for her being a paralegal. Right now, I'm just wanting her to make a good informed decision. Any and all help will be appreciated.

 

[lil mermaid]

I have two friends who are paralegals, and they both make decent money. I know my one friend makes about $30 an hour and works part time.

They both have Bachelor's degrees, however. I wouldn't imagine a graduate of a six week online program would make as much, especially starting out. I'd encourage her to check out the ABA approved list of paralegal programs http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/paralegals/directory/ and start from there.

 

[Shmily1]

Thank you for the link. Since she's got almost 4 semesters down in elementary education, some of her classes she's already taken would qualify for the school that is about an hour and a half from home. I do wish she'd atleast do that.

 

[golfgal]

She would be up against real paralegals that have 2 years of coursework and probably would NOT be able to find a job, especially in this market with the glut of lawyers out of work.

 

[Christine]

I don't think you can be a real paralegal with a six week course. Our community college offers a 2 year program on it and you can also get a 4 year degree with it.

I can't imagine what you would do with a six week course.

 

[pilotwife_02]

I am a paralegal and have been for about 9 years. I didn't take a course, but I have a BA in Poli Sci (thought I would go to law school, but decided not to for some silly reason...LOL).

Anyway, I agree to check out the ABA as well as the recruiters in the area. Every state is different in what they require for a paralegal, some require a Paralegal certificate to be a paralegal, some don't and my BA with prior paralegal experience is enough.

I don't know about the program she wants to go to, but 6 weeks doesn't really sound like a long enough time to provide all the necessary training that most programs I have read about provide.

Before I realized I didn't need a certificate to be a paralegal in Ohio (we moved here from NJ), I checked into some programs around the area.
Some community colleges have a 9 month or so program, there are some colleges that provide a program as well (usually 2 years). These classes include how to research, the basics of law, etc. I don't know if a 6 week program can provide all that. You can also try to call some employment agencies and see if they can tell you about good paralegal programs in the area or if they know if the 6 week online course would be sufficient.

I make decent money, and I work from home for a great company, but of course that's rare to find a paralegal job from home.

I have worked in law firm and a corporate setting before we moved to Ohio and the corporate setting is nice and a bit less stressful than a law firm. The stress level really depends on the job and type of law the attorney/s she will work for practice. Like I said, I did corporate law and it wasn't that stressful, we didn't have clients demanding stuff from us on a deadline. In the law firm I worked for I did Real Estate and Corporate law and it was during the time of the huge real estate bubble so that was a lot more demanding since we had so many clients and such short deadlines as well as large companies that always needed stuff ASAP.

I really like my job and the profession I'm in, I do at times wish I had gone to law school...LOL. But I know I wouldn't have the nice job I have now if I was a lawyer. I get to make my own hours, work from home, etc.

Just make sure she doesn't get sucked into a sub par program because it looks nice and quick. Good luck to your daughter!

 

[Darcy03231]

I've been a paralegal for over 25 years in a variety of settings. I know in our area it would be really hard to get a job without a 4 year degree. You'd have to have lots of experience to offset not having it.

Money and benefits can vary a lot. I work for a mid-size law firm and do well money wise and benefit wise. If you work in a smaller firm sometimes you can make a bit more money, but the benefits aren't as good. If you work for a large corporation sometimes the money is a bit less, but you get great benefits.

Salaries also depend on where you work. If I was willing to commute to a major city about an hour away from me, I could make about $15k-$20k more per year than what I make now. For me, once I factor in the time, paying to park and/or take the train, time away from my family, state income tax, etc., its not worth it.

Being a paralegal is also not always a 9-5 job. Depending on what type of work you do be prepared for nights and weekends. Typically, a paralegal is paid a salary so there is no overtime.

As a PP pointed out right now is not a great time to get a job in this field. Currently there are a lot of lawyers out of work filling up paralegal positions.

I'd have your daughter contact some places where she thinks she might want to work and see what their hiring requirements are. I know here when I do see an ad in the paper is a 4 year degree with a minimum of 3-5 years experience.

Good luck to her.

 

[barkley]

I don't think you can be a real paralegal with a six week course. Our community college offers a 2 year program on it and you can also get a 4 year degree with it.

I can't imagine what you would do with a six week course.

i think the op is in georgia which has no state requirements educationaly for paralegals-you have to pass an exam. my guess is a 6 week on line course basicly teaches to the test.

op-i would suggest your dd (or you depending on who will foot the bill for this) check out what the job market in your area looks for educationaly, and also look to non school based sites for real job availability information (the schools that sell these courses don't nesc. accuratly reflect the realities of employability). also look to see how much the actual test will run and if it's failed how long a person has to wait to re-take it (with some certification tests there's a multi month waiting period to retake and they are HECKA expensive for the test let alone for the on-line classes).

 

[kymmyk13]

I am one state over from you and so things may be similar. I have been a prarlegal for 10 years now. I have my paralegal certificate(2 year degree) and my Bacherlors. YOu can make decent money but it depends on where you are. I live and work in a small town now and the money is awful but the clostest big city is over an hour away so that is not really an option. The Market is flooded with Paralegals and a 6 week program is not going to get her a job. My attorney and I have spoken and he would not even hire a Paralegal that went to an evening program. This job can be stressful and long hours at times. She should get a job at a law office as a runner or receptionist and she will get a feel of what it is all about and then can maybe make an educated decision. I started out as a runner while I was in school.

 

[happily single]

I've been a paralegal for about 17 years now. I have no degree, although I did begin courses while working at my first law firm. I basically learned on the job. I handled family law, personal injury and criminal defense. My boss always assumed I had a 4 year degree, but I was always truthful with him.

Right now the job market for paralegals is horrible. I'm searching for a job and I am amazed at the number of firms that want a 4 year degree, years and years of experience and are paying next to nothing.

I agree with everyone that a 6 week course is nothing. She should at least begin at a community college.

I loved my job and the firms (2) that I worked for. Both were smalll "family owned" and the pay was very decent with good benefits and working environment. If you get into real estate the hours get crazy and it is a very high stress job; but the pay is great because of overtime (which are would be required to work). It was common for the "real estate girls" at my first job to work until 2:00 a.m. working on real estate packages.

 

[momx2]

I'm an attorney and it is really going to depend on where she lives. I live and work in a small city in KY. We have an abundance of attorneys and law firms, but very few employee paralegals even though we have a major university in our town with a 2 yr. degree in it. The graduates from that program usually get jobs as legal secretaries so the degree did nothing much for them. I would be doing some major researching before doing this. I don't think a 6 wk. course is the route to go regardless.

 

[rigs32]

My suggestion? If she's at all interested, have her look into court reporting. The court reporters in my county make as much, if not more, than the prosecutors when you factor in the money they get from transcripts and such.

 

[Best Aunt]

I agree, check out the job situation first. Many law firms don't employ paralegals at all. Others employ them, but have hiring freezes on due to the bad economy. Others may be hiring, but have paralegal specialists (real estate paralegal, trusts & estates paralegal, litigation paralegal) and probably wouldn't hire someone who only has a 6-week online course and no experience.

 

[christineann]

Those on line courses aren't worth the money. The attorneys I know don't consider that a "real" paralegal certificate. I worked at a firm that hired a young lady who had an online paralegal certificate, and she was let go pretty soon because she could not even draft an enclosure letter to the court.

Many clients won't pay paralegal rates for those who are not ABA certified.