Paralegal Schools Vs. Law School

by Amy Nutt

Deciding whether to attend paralegal school or law school is not an easy task. Both have significant pros and cons, making the decision a challenging one. If you are trying to decide between these two career paths, here is some valuable information you can use to help make your decision.

Pros of Pursuing a Paralegal Career

Paralegal school is much more affordable than law school. In fact, many paralegals can start their careers with just three months of paralegal-specific training, provided they have the right college education behind them. Most paralegals start working with little school debt other than the college loans that most people have, in comparison to lawyers who graduate law school with tremendous amounts of debt, usually pushing the six-figure mark.

Paralegals do not have to pass a school entrance exam. Those who take the LSAT and do not receive high enough marks to enter law school often have no choice but to enter the paralegal program, unless they want to continue taking the LSAT in order to improve their marks.

Paralegals also have less stress in the field than lawyers. Since they must work under an attorney or lawyer, paralegals answer to someone other than themselves for their actions. Also, working in law requires long hours. Paralegals are usually able to get overtime pay. This is not the case for lawyers.

Cons of a Paralegal Profession

Pursuing paralegal school when you qualify for law school limits your advancement opportunities. There is only so far you can go in the system as a paralegal. The highest you can earn in most markets is $90,000 a year.

Some people feel that the tasks assigned to paralegals are mundane and become routine over time. This eliminates some stress, but also may eliminate the challenge of the job. Paralegals usually operate in a shared office environment, which some may view as a con to the job.

Pros to Attending Law School

The main two benefits to attending law school are unlimited career growth potential and the fact that a good lawyer has unlimited earning potential. If you are successful as a lawyer, you can grow in your profession and pursue a broad range of specialties. If you start your own firm, you will not be limited by the direction others wish you to pursue.

A successful lawyer has a lot of perks. Secretarial support and the help of paralegals are all benefits enjoyed by leading lawyers. Lawyers typically work out of private offices and enjoy a diverse assortment of tasks throughout the day.

Cons of Law School

The main drawback to law school for many people is the tremendous cost. If your LSAT scores are high enough, you may be able to get aid. However, most people end up graduating from law school with a lot of debt.

The other drawback is all of the testing you will have to do. First, you will need high enough LSAT scores to qualify for a law school program. Once you graduate, you will have to pass the bar exam in order to become a lawyer. It is entirely possible for a student to go all the way through law school and fail to pass the bar exam, which means that a career as a lawyer is impossible, in spite of the money spent on school.

So which career path should you pursue? Only you can answer that question. If you desire to have unlimited income potential and feel you have the knowledge and resources to pass the rigorous testing required for law school, then pursue that option. If, however, you wish to take the safe route, a career as a paralegal may be the best option. You now know the benefits and risks of each career, so you can make a more informed decision.

About the Author
Halifax college offers training in continuing care, medical office administration and paralegal studies. When looking for information on colleges in Halifax, consider The Centre for Health & Management Studies.

How To Choose A Paralegal School

by Amy Nutt

Going to school is always a wise investment into your future as it raises your value in the workplace significantly. Upon graduation, it can also increase your earning potential as graduates earn more money on average than those without degrees.

The hard part of going to school however, is finding the right university. To start, you should begin with the type of career you desire to get into. With hundred of choices, the opportunities can seem limitless and daunting simultaneously.

A growing industry with tons of promise is the paralegal field. There are even online courses that offer fairly intensive curriculums for this extremely important vocation. Before you sign on the dotted line of a college registration form however, you may wish to look into what a paralegal school has to offer you that can help you make positive strides in your chosen profession upon graduation.

School Accreditation

In essence, accreditation means that the course as well as the school is recognized in the education industry. Despite school accreditation being extremely important, many people will sign up for courses at an institution without checking the background of the college first. This can be foolhardy since it could very well mean having to start over should you need to transfer schools for any reason. Also, many government programs, like aid financial assistance will only go to schools that are accredited. Likewise, employers who contribute to the tuition of an employee won't be able to do so if the school lacks accreditation.

It is extremely imperative then, to make sure the paralegal school you choose has accredited courses and class work as well as being accredited itself.

Up-to-date training

If you desire to get training in the paralegal field you want the most up to date training available today. It won't do you any good to learn from an obsolete book or course plans, especially in an ever evolving field like the paralegal one.

Modern day paralegals must learn how to conduct interviews, evaluate and draft important and legal documentation, and gather relevant information on court cases. They must also act as something of a researcher, looking for relevant information that may be crucial to the law firm's cases.

Many of these nuances cannot be taught from a book so it is imperative that the training received in this field is hands on, intuitive and expansive.

National reputation

If you mention the school you wish to go to and receive a blank look, it may be time to reconsider the school. This is largely due to the fact that employers place a lot of on name recognition. When a potential hiring company hears the name of your school they are invariably going to go through their mental rolodex to ferret out preconceived ideas of the schools merit. A school with a bad reputation will hardly gain any respect and in fact, could be counterproductive, causing you to lose the interest of people who could open the door for you.

This is why it pays to check into the reputation of the paralegal school you plan to go to so you can be assured of its viability in this regard.

Job placement

Not all colleges and universities offer job placement program and some of them may have limitations. If you are being enticed by the prospect of job placement after graduation, read the fine print and asks questions. There may be so many stipulations in regards to placement the options may as well not even be offered.

Investigate all your options when it comes to a top notch paralegal school and leave no stone unturned. With the right mindset, you should be able to locate a wonderful college, earn your degree and get started in little to no time in a rewarding and challenging career.

About the Author
Halifax college offers training in continuing care assistant, medical office administration and paralegal studies. When considering paralegal schools, think of The Centre for Health & Management Studies.