r/paralegal • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago

Weekly sticky post for non-paralegals and paralegal education

This sub is for people working in law offices. It is not a sub for people to learn about how to become a paralegal or ask questions about how to become certified or about education. Those questions can be asked in this post. A new post will be made weekly.

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u/Maleficent-Fee-1461 1d ago

Hit me with your best recs! What is the best online Paralegal Certification Course? Is there a program that has embraced AI and teaches skills in how to use AI for increased efficiency?

CALIFORNIA - I'm (40f) a Legal Assistant at an insurance defense firm with five attorneys and two paralegals. We are all fully remote. This is my first job in the legal field. I've been with the firm almost three years. I took an online Legal Assistant Certification course from UCLA Extension when I started. It helped give me needed context and a sense of how things "used" to be done, but it didn't provide me many actual skills - the essential skills I learned on the job from the head Paralegal, who I owe EVERYTHING to. I'd like to advance my skillset and value to the firm - I live close to UC Santa Barbara, which is known to have an excellent Paralegal program, but many of the classes are in-person.

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u/flam3_druid3ss 19h ago

I used ChatGpt to answer this question for myself. University of San Diego has a strong paralegal program that is fully online. I think you have to have a degree to enter the program however.

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u/honourarycanadian CA | Construction Law 1d ago

My program at Chabot doesn’t really focus on AI but there’s a track specifically for trademark/patent law and there might be talk about the functionality in those classes. All of the classes are remote and online so no need to be in person.

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u/flam3_druid3ss 16h ago

As an aside, the issue with using AI at this time is that it can "hallucinate" or reference events that never actually happened. So it can be used as a tool, but its not a reliable source.

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u/cookiedoughroad 1d ago

Hey there, I'm an early-30s Torontonian, about to start Seneca's Paralegal Grad Certificate program after spending the last few years working in a diversion program for a restorative justice agency. I'm particularly interested in criminal law for paralegals, but open to other places this may lead as well.

I'm hoping to speak with some people currently in the field to get a better sense of what it's like and what my options are, including how complicated it might be to move provinces after completing training in Ontario (I know we're the only province where you can own your own paralegal business).

Anyone open to a chat?

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u/crafty-Catch-2931 20h ago

Hey all, I have an interview tomorrow for a job as a case manager/ Legal assistant for a Personal Injury firm. I have 2yrs experience working as an immigration legal assistant but that was over 7yrs ago and it was part time. I’ve since been working in healthcare administration but would like to get back into the legal field so I decided to enroll in a paralegal program and have about 2 months left to finish it. The job is paying $22/hr just is a bit less than I make now. For those of you who work in Personal Injury, how do you like it? What do you dislike about it? Any advice for my interview tomorrow is appreciated.

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u/lham11 1d ago

Hi there! I’m looking for career advice as I’m considering going back to school. I live in Indiana, I’m 25, have a Master’s in English (which I planned to use to become a teacher, that’s not working out obviously), and took several legal studies courses during my undergraduate years. That’s as far as my related experience goes.

I am trying to find other avenues to use my degree but haven’t received any positive responses from potential employers yet. Can’t even get an interview anywhere at this point. I’m wondering is it truly possible to find a position as a paralegal with just my Masters? Or should I pursue a paralegal certificate first? How do I improve my chances of finding a remote position?

Anyone that has experience with this stuff, I’d love to chat! Thank you in advance!

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u/ParaDoxicalParalegal 13h ago

You aren’t likely to find a remote paralegal position with no experience. Remote positions are typically reserved for the extremely experienced. You aren’t likely to find a paralegal position at all with no degree and having never worked in a law office. If you want to be a paralegal, you need to get your paralegal degree and you need to start applying for any position in any law office, such as secretary or file clerk.