I've been a litigation legal assistant for 18 years. Now looking to elevate and obtain my paralegal certificate. Any recommendations for a good online school?

Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Whatever you do make sure it’s an ABA accredited program!

like

Yes! This!

I had thought about getting a paralegal certificate as well, but I was told by a number of attorneys that my years of experience plus bachelors qualified me as a paralegal. I’ve been in the field for 15+ years. What was recommended to me was to look into either becoming an associate member of my state’s bar association because it allows paralegals to be members and/or becoming a Certified Paralegal through one of the nationally recognized paralegal organizations. With your years of experience, you should be able to become a Certified Paralegal and the cost for membership is cheaper than additional schooling….

like

Look at NALA if you have the years of experience and references you can become certified paralegal.

like

Not sure what your previous education looks like, but all I have is a bachelor’s in an unrelated field. I’ve known legal assistants who became paralegals w/o any additional qualifications, just through their YOE. You may be able to do it without needing to invest in further schooling.

like

OP, with that degree +18 years of experience you definitely do not need additional qualifications. Of course go ahead if you’d like, but there are many firms that would hire you as a paralegal as you are- you’d probably also advance to a Senior Paralegal level quickly given your experience

like

Look into an MSL degree. (Masters of Studies in Law or Masters in Legal Studies.) You can do it PT, get a large salary bump, and a gain a skill set that law firms need but do not necessarily get with their JD.

like

I have a Bachelors in Business Administration.

Related Posts

Anyone have a clue what kind of work Beam Suntory does? The website isn't good and it does not show examples of work.

like

Anybody here invest in the Los Angeles real estate markets? Looking for some guidance! Thank you in advance!

like

Anyone have any experience working with PWC DDV?

like

What do you think about working for a defense and space contractor? I currently work at a large space contractor and it’s awful. I legit haven’t learned anything (maybe 3 things and they are very minimal and not really anything) in the couple of years I’ve been here since everything is so controlled and thinking outside of the box is a no no.

like

How long can a person stay on bench.. in Nagarro. If there are no projects why they are even hiring?

like

As everyone shelters in place, small firms need solid copywriting services to keep their websites fresh. I specialize in working with small firms. You worry about your work, I’ll worry about the words

like

Is $100K CAD a reasonable salary for a Senior Art Director in Pharma?

like

Anyone still working from home? What do you do to break up the monotony of day?

like

Any advice about class management in a desk top computer class? My class was very loud with so much calling out for help. I tried to create class helpers but there was so much walking around. 2nd yr

I went to a “women in leadership” training and what was supposed to empower me toward a clear idea of where I want to go in my career, crystallized how unhappy I am at my current job. Spent the...

like

Im a respiratory therapist but want to leave my full.time job to either be part time or PRN because I want to transition to traveling RT. My dept hasn't been the best thus far as my experience and people like to twist words around. Is there a proper way or do I even have to tell them why I'd be change of status?

likesmart

Aahun aahun aahun

like

Hi Sharks,
Can anyone tell me is there support role in devops ? And what does the support team actually do and what are their roles ?

like

Does anyone have the new Nike pegasus 39? What do you think about it? And if you have previous pegasus models, how does it compare?

like

So stressed out!!! My agency is requiring me to come into the office every single day even though I'm immunocompromised and no one wears a mask...

likefunny

My background is in tech transactional. I joined a cybersecurity SaaS startup at the end of last year and now also handle more generalist matters in addition to all things commercial-related. I have a number of books on contracts that I’ve found super helpful over the years (The Tech Contracts Handbook, A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, Sign Here, etc.). Can anyone recommend books they’ve found helpful for L&E matters, privacy matters, product matters, or marketing/advertising matters?

like

When having career discussions (with a HM or your current boss), how has everyone handled job-titles that weren't "Product Manager" but you were performing the functions/role? I had a role in my past where our formal job title was "Senior Consultant" but we internally referred to ourselves as "Product Leads". I don't want to mislead others.

What is the coziest blanket in the whole wide world?

like

Like 1 year back companies hired pple like crazy and now they firing...

like

Additional Posts in Paralegals

Anyone working on their JD part-time while working as a paralegal? What advice would you give your former self who was considering that path? I am struggling to decide whether I could handle the intensity for four years.

like

What does everyone here to do to maintain work-life balance as a paralegal? I know it's a little bit silly of a question, but I am sincerely asking for advice.

like

Anyone know a good paralegal headhunter for Boston/providence

like

Hi everyone, any tips on how to make myself more marketable as a paralegal? I only have 10 months of experience working in personal injury, and I’d like to get into corporate in an in-house role.

like

For those of you who have been formally given the title of “senior paralegal” what are the qualifications for that title at your firm? Does your firm do promotions from paralegal to senior paralegal? At my firm we are all simply just “paralegal” (we all fully handle our own dockets, no assistants) and I would like to help develop a concrete career track for paralegal to senior paralegal.

like

I just wanted to take a moment to say “thank you” to all of you, each and everyone of you for being so willing to offer advice, suggestions, feedback, and for being so open and willing to share helpful information to all of us!

likeuplifting

Looking to move to either Kenosha area or Chicago suburbs. What can I look to make with 30 years of general liability/employment experience.

like

Does anyone here go to law school part-time while working full-time as a paralegal? I'm just curious how many others are out there and how you are handling stress. I'm in my first semester of law school and am still working full time.

like

Any advise on what a paralegal in the Bay Area should be paid when they have 3.5 years experience and a paralegal certificate. Plus bilingual.

like

How do you make the switch from litigation to corporate when no firm will give you a chance to learn.

like

Any tips for a paralegal who wants to transition to an in-house position? I have 2.5 years of para experience and a decade of admin experience. I have my BA, AS, and AAS which are all related to the paralegal field, and various applicable certificates. I'm also working on my master's in management with a concentration in agency administration. All job postings I see want you to have a certain amount of in-house experience.

like
like

I have a double BA, finishing my capstone for my paralegal certificate, have a little over 2 years in the legal industry but just started a new role/new practice area a few months ago. What are the chances the this new firm will acknowledge my paralegal certificate in the form of a promotion?

like

New to Fishbowl! How do folks find this app most useful?

like

How do you deal with the industry when you live in a small state (with only a handful of firms which practice the area you want to practice in) and in which ‘it’s not about WHAT you know, but WHO you know’?

Currently trying to argue pay rise (whilst looking elsewhere, but constricted because there aren’t a lot of firms where I’m based) when I know someone with the same job role and less experience is getting paid more simply because they know the partner outside of the firm.

like

Hi. I’m new the the world of Paralegal. I got hired on and have been learning from the lady I’m replacing. I’m also going to school to get my AS in Paralegal. My boss and i spoke on hourly of $15/hr and said we can revisit once I’m done training… $15 is out of the question.. i cant even pay rent off of that. What do you all suggest is a great entry level salary for a Criminal Law paralegal ? I’m in Houston

like

Corporate and IP paralegals what do you do on a daily basis and why do you think it’s so hard to break into these fields?

like

How realistic is it to get a remote paralegal position with less than a year experience? I was just laid off from a small firm and loved the remote work environment…

How do you push your manager to give you constructive feedback? My company is pushing for more performance based data collection to show growth and I feel like I never get actual feedback, just a lot of “you are doing great!”. I work in-house so there is no billing requirements to use as data, but are there other KPIs I should ask about?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal