CHARACTERESTICS OF ABA
APPROVED PARALEGAL DEGREE PROGRAMS
ONLINE
Paralegal Studies
institutions approved by Aba
(American Bar Association) all have the following characteristics or
status.
Curriculum for Paralegals are usually ABA curriculum
tailored towards producing
men and women who should after a successful completion of paralegal
studies
be capable of working as a lawyer's assistant in research, document
preparation
client interviews and legal draftmanship. Another aspect of Aba
approved Paralegal program is the pre-law specialization that prepares
students for the law school proper.
Aba approved Paralegal institutions offer Associate of
Applied Science, Post Degree Certificate,(only those who have already
obtained a bachelor or associate degree are qualified). Bachelor of
Science degree on Paralegal Studies and Certificate in Legal Nurse
Consulting are two other programs offered by Aba approved paralegal
study institutions.
Aba approved Paralegal institution’s minimum course
duration is 1 - 2
academic years and internship is mandatory in most schools.
If you are looking for Aba approved Paralegal Education
Program, then
the Standing Committee on Paralegals Directory of Aba approved
Paralegal Education Programs is
where to look. Prospective Students should have some work experience.
Courses depending on the type of institution can run fro between 2 for
community and junior
colleges to 4 years in a University. Aside from the general
requirements above the Aba Standing Committee Directory listing
carry varying standard requirements for different instructions in terms
of
duration of course, course content and admission requirements.
Therefore, you should consider the factors favourable to you
while choosing any particular school or institution.
More than 1000
institutions are offering Paralegal degree and certificate
programs in the United States of America, but the Aba approved
Paralegal
institutions can be found at the Aba standing committee Directory of
Paralegal schools.
NOTE: ABA approval for
Paralegal schools or instructions is not mandatory by law
so it is not a measure of the quality of or reputability of an
institution that it is Aba approved, yet institutions have found it
necessary to get ABA approval by meeting the ABA requirement in order
to, I suppose, bluster their image. All said, my advise is to go for
Aba approved institutions for your paralegal studies.
Online institutions like
their offline counterparts are of different categories and as such
offer different qualities of course content programs. You should as a
matter of fact take a critical look at the institution offering the
Paralegal Degree Online program you chose. Carry out your investigation
with the information below to ensure that such institution is
an Aba approved paralegal
degree online program.
INSIGHT INTO ABA ONLINE
PARALEGAL DEGREE PROGRAMS
Paralegal degree programs
prepare students for employment as paralegals or legal assistants in
private law offices and even both the public and the private sectors of
sectors of the economy of a country such as banking, insurance, real
estate etc. Care must, however, be taken to ensure that a chosen school
or online
paralegal degree program is approved by the American Bar Association in
conjunction with being an Institutional member of the American
Association for Paralegal education (AAFPE) and other relevant
regulatory bodies for Paralegal studies.
PROGRAMS OF STUDY:
Most Aba approved schools and
Aba approved online degree programs will have programs of study that
look similar to the following:
A Bachelor's Degree program
otherwise called BPS (Bachelor of Professional
Studies degree in legal Studies) of a full 120 credit hour.
A Credit Certificate for
students who already have the equivalent
of an associate degree but desirous of obtaining a Paralegal bachelor's
degree. Course content here is 26 credits in legal specialities which
are usually waved if student decides to head up to bachelor's degree
program. The objective of these programs is to provide
students with general legal education for paralegals work in both the
public and the private sector, including the legal firms. Course
content include
both operations of the legal system, theory of law and legal problems
analysis. This is to ensure thorough understanding of
the ethics and concepts binding both layers and people engaging in
assisting them to do their jobs as lawyers.
THE PARALEGAL
POSITION:
a Paralegal personnel or a
legal assistant is considered a bona
fide member of a legal team capable of handling legal work
independently while reporting
to the a lawyer. Paralegals are continuously moving into other areas of
law, they even nowadays take part in po bono activities. This is
because the American Bar Association has now recognised the paralegal
assistant as an integral part of the law profession, and they
the paralegal assistants address critical legal needs for the general
public.
See below the
functions undertaken by a Paralegal assistant:
Procedure and legal research
Legal draftmanship
Interview of clients
Study of legal problems to
proffer solutions
Taking of statements and
depositions
Expertise in certain aspects
of areas of law
Administrative
BENEFITS:
Career improvement,
employment opportunity and a means of joining
the legal profession along with affiliation with both local, national
and international professional associations as a Paralegal person are
some of the benefits.
There are two types of
distance learning. The first type was correspondence courses in which
study materials were and still are posted to students for their
courses. The other and the subject of this article is the online
classes which students do via their pcs in the comfort of their homes
often communicating with their professors on a real-time basis.
Online learning as a means of
acquiring higher education is in no way inferior to classroom learning.
However, whether students eventually get empowered from his or her
course depends on his goal and seriousness and whether the institution
is a viable educational institution approved by the American bar
association for a paralegal degree online program. Without
proper
accreditation, a degree may lack the authenticity required by
prospective employers.
Choosing the right
Aba approved paralegal degree online program
Investigate your intended paralegal
degree online program institution and be certain that the following
will be available for you:
Be certain that the
institution offers real-time access to your professor
Confirm that your professor will be available to
assist you in your course whenever the need arises.
Confirm
that you will be able to access other students.
You
should also be able to find people who passed out of the institution
You should, since your
course will be online, have a personal computer with enough speed and
memory, and access to the internet.
Confirm that the school
teaches computer course too, to upgrade your computer proficiency.
Without the foregoing, I am
afraid, you will have to look and prepare further for your Aba
approved paralegal degree online program, by locating your local or
national paralegal associations.
Paralegal Associations
There are two major national
paralegal associations:
National Association of Legal
Assistants (NALA) and
National Federation of
Paralegal
Through any of the above
associations, you should be able to find out the following:
The appropriate school
nearest to you
The better selling paralegal
qualification in your area
All the information you think
will help you in achieving your aim to acquire an Aba approved
paralegal degree online program.
You may find through
your preparation that there are other opportunities open to you, for
instance the join of paralegal associations as a student member. This
will bring you in contact with people of like minds for brainstorming
and bonding - always ask for advise and soon you will have not only new
friends but even mentors and peers what will serve you well in your
paralegal degree online program. (AAfPE member schools are generally
ABA-approved.)
You must Gather information.
If possible, visit the schools personally, if not, visit their websites
and try seriously to contact them and put forward all your queries.
After you have got all the
information necessary to equip to make the right decision, then compare
the different schools in all considerations including cost and finally
choose the best amongst the Aba approved paralegal degree online
programs you found.
Finally, be careful if you
school demands that you sign a contract or what looks like one. Do not
get yourself roped into a contract that binds you to making full
payment for the whole course at once or one that states that whether
you complete the course or not you are liable to pay in full.
Choose only the school that
will allow you pay as your course progresses.
Admission
requirements
ABa guidelines require that
paralegal applicants must be high school graduates or have passed the
GED. SAT or ACT scores play great roles for success rating. Generally
speaking, do not go for school with easy admission requirements.
Remember that you need thorough education that will stand you in good
stead when you eventually begin to practice your profession.
Duration
of program
Determine
whether a shorter
program is for you before comparing curriculum of different schools.
This
will point out to you if the paralegal degree online course your
about to signup for will be worth your while.
