Is there Value in Earning Paralegal Online Degrees as a Stepping Stone to Becoming a Lawyer?
For many people, being a paralegal is an end until itself. Certainly one can make a good living as a paralegal, and if you read some online paralegal blogs you will learn that some paralegals working at large law firms can actually make as much money as some lawyers who work at small law firms. In short, paralegal online degrees can help prepare you for a pretty great career being a paralegal, particularly if you enjoy research and writing. But some people wonder if getting a paralegal undergraduate degree online and becoming a paralegal can also work as a good stepping stone, helping you prepare to be an actual lawyer.
What Paralegals Do
Paralegals spend most of their time conducting research and writing various documents. In short, they assist lawyers but not by getting coffee for the lawyer like a secretary, but by doing actual legal research. Most of the documents that lawyers use in court are researched, discovered or written by paralegals, the real "work horses" of most larger legal offices.
While there is no certification or board exam to become a paralegal, a solid education, like you can get with paralegal online degrees, is important to give you the legal knowledge, research skills and writing experience necessary to excel as a paralegal. Most of the same skills that you learn with paralegal online degrees will not only help you become a paralegal but will also make the course work to be an actual lawyer that much easier. In short, getting one of the many paralegal online degrees can be a great stepping stone to becoming a lawyer.
Continuing with School
One way to approach law school is to begin as a paralegal. After you complete one of the many paralegal degrees online you can get a part time or full time job in the field. This will accomplish a variety of goals. First, it will give you money to live on. Second, it will give you an opportunity to really see what the legal realm is about and a taste of what lawyers do. Third, it will let you network, helping you to make connections that can help you through law school and when you are an actual lawyer looking for a job.
Becoming a Lawyer
Becoming a lawyer is a long road. It takes many years of school, a lot of studying, a lot of hard work, and the passing of the Bar exam. When it comes to getting a job with an online degree, starting out by considering paralegal degrees online is a good choice because it will help you ensure that you truly want to embark on a career as a lawyer, lay a foundation for being a lawyer and help you make valuable connections for your future career. While it is not necessary to become a paralegal first, many people have found it a valuable way to embark on a legal career.
Do you know someone who started out as a paralegal and then became a lawyer?
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