Becoming a Paralegal Professional: A Concise Overview

Paralegals (also called legal assistants or legal specialists) are an important part of the legal team at law offices and in legal departments of organizations. They work in a variety of settings from private law offices to corporations and public agencies. If you have a good foundation of general education and have writing skills, you like working in a structured environment, and have an eye for detail, this career path, which is expected to grow much faster than average in the next several years, may be a great option.

This concise course is designed for those who have little to no knowledge of the legal system and what paralegals do, and who want to learn more about this line of work. The course introduces and examines the paralegal career from three perspectives:

1. The Paralegal as a Person: Key Skills and Abilities

2. The Context: Broad Role and Specific Functions of a Law Office and Legal Department

3. The Work: Virtual shadowing exercise of a week’s work schedule

The course is concise but informative, focusing on the most useful information and uses creative ways to illustrate what employers are looking for and provides a virtual shadowing module where we examine a paralegal’s work calendar. The course closes with some current statistics, useful resources, and further reading on the next steps needed to start the journey to become a paralegal.