Online Paralegal - He Who Sows Virtue Reaps Fame
From sea to shining sea, two of the most influential paralegal organizations for decades have been the National Association of Legal Assistants or NALA and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations or NFPA. Both are stalwarts in the paralegal industry and have competed throughout their tenures in trying to shape, guide and influence the language used throughout the profession. In addition, they spend a great deal of time and resources promoting paralegal schools and training programs they’ve help develop on both a local and global scale.
Intrinsic fundamental yardsticks to be aware of when assessing any paralegal program:
1. The central purpose of any high quality paralegal school should be total intellectual maturation of their students. Accomplishing this goal is accomplished by teaching applicable, common sense, usable job skills in addition to a solid core of legal theory. The paralegal programs curriculum must also be broad enough to include subjects ranging from ethics, business organization and torts to legal research and writing. Additionally, the best paralegal degree schools will expend time and effort on developing a well-rounded, critical thinking student with outstanding communication, and organizational skills.
2. The paralegal “dean” of curriculum must have the passion, experience and educational credentials to take the paralegal schools training program to the next level. Likewise, the faculty members from top to bottom must also have the credentials to provide the top notch training all students deserve. They must have the paralegal expertise and real-world experience in the subjects they are teaching and be able to pass that knowledge on to their students.
3. Distance learning, also called online learning is becoming all the rage but is getting your online paralegal degree or paralegal certificate from an online paralegal school right for you? Online learning is clearly different than traditional campus based learning but regardless of how the information is delivered (i.e. interactive video, tele-courses, etc.) the student / teacher interaction isn’t the same. Plus, online learning takes more self-discipline and motivation than campus learning and you have to make the determination that you have what it takes to complete the assignments.
Clearly, pursuing a paralegal career isn’t for everyone but for those that enjoy research, have solid organizational and writing skills and can work under pressure this is a wide open and growing field that can offer financial security and professional satisfaction.

