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Is a certificate necessary? which program is best? I'm thinking about NYU's Diploma in Paralegal Studies. But they couldnt give me any info on employment stats for alumni. So I dont know how strong their program is, or rather how strong a paralegal certificate is.
Honestly, right now the Paralegal field is pretty flooded. Most of the paralegal positions are being filled by attorneys.
It can be a very hard field to get into without experience unless you can get in with a small firm that will train you - keep in mind too - that those jobs are not going to pay very much.
There may be opportunities out there in smaller firms. The best way to find those is by networking.
My daughter works as a paralegal. She was hired even though she had no prior experience. She was referred to the attorney by the person leaving the job to move to another city. (Proof that networking works.) The main qualification the attorney wanted was a college degree (of any type).
It is a small firm and the pay was a little less than the executive admin job she was leaving (because of cut backs) but they were willing to train her. Because she learns quickly and works hard her pay was increased to what she was making before after 3 months on the job.
Just wanted to let you know that it can be done. Half the battle is knowing what you want and going for it. Best of luck to you.
Is a certificate necessary? which program is best? I'm thinking about NYU's Diploma in Paralegal Studies. But they couldnt give me any info on employment stats for alumni. So I dont know how strong their program is, or rather how strong a paralegal certificate is.
Is the market good for Paralegals right now?
Without experience, it is a little more challenging to find something, unless someone wants to train, but those jobs don't pay the best, and are very few and far in-between. What may give you an edge in the market is if you become certified. You will learn a lot and a prospective employer may be more willing to hire you (and pay you more), certified, as opposed to someone with no experience, even with a degree. You could Google "NALA" (National Association of Legal Assistants). You'll probably find some helpful information there regarding certification.
My friend two years ago went to an ABA approved paralegal program to gain a certificate as a paralegal. I think the program took a year? Her first job (and only job) was gained right before the completion of the program. She started out making 32k a year and now 2 years later makes 45k plus bonuses for hitting all of her billable hours each quarter. She ends up making over 50k a year. She did not get a job in the type of law she thought originally wanted to do (criminal law). She works in a small (3 attorneys) family law office.
She said about every other year they tend to need paralegals due to several of the past paralegals making the decision to go to law school. In fact my friend is pursuing law school now.
They have 3 paralegals for 3 attorneys. She said that her office takes on a lot of consulting work since they specialize in military family law and apparently there are not a lot of lawyers who specialize in this portion of the practice. So it could be that her small office just stays pretty busy.
I know quite a few who work paralegal. Most made thier contacts when working as a intern during their last year. Many also had other jobs that allowed them to netwroik with attornies before going to school for paralegal. For example many worked in the county courthouse or for sheriffs or police departments in the same area as secretaries.
To piggy back on what texdav said, my friend who now has had the occasion of working with other attorneys has been offered positions away from her current place of employment. So it seems like in the legal world networking really goes very very far.
As another poster said, I think the field is flooded.
I know of quite a few that have completed paralegal studies programs (do not have any paralegal work experience) and are not finding entry level jobs at all. (Heck, I've got 14 yrs experience and haven't had any luck). One was told by a recruiter that unless they have 2-3 yrs experience, the recruiter will not even take their application.
Might want to try to get an administrative assistant position in the legal field so you can make contacts before going to school. Having college degree is definitely a plus as many require it, and also making sure the program is ABA-approved. Doing pro bono work will also help make contacts, put you ahead of some of your classmates that aren't doing volunteer work.
You may want to just work on getting an admin position in a legal area, gain experience that way, and hold off on the paralegal cert. for now, see how things go (and make sure you really do want to be a paralegal).
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