How to Become a Certified Paralegal
Are you looking for a steady career with opportunities for advancement and minimal barriers to entry? You could become a certified paralegal in 6 months, for less than $2,300!
Blackstone Career Institute offers a clear pathway for people looking to become certified paralegals through the online Legal Assistant/Paralegal Program and NALA Certification Bundle available for purchase.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about this path to becoming a certified paralegal.
Why Become a Certified Paralegal?
If you are still on the fence about whether you should become a certified paralegal, you might be wondering about the details of this career path and whether it is right for you.
Paralegals, also called legal assistants, help lawyers do their jobs by preparing for trials, hearings, and proceedings. Paralegals are an integral part of the justice system. All types of law offices, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, marital, occupational, and more—employ paralegals to conduct critical aspects of their work.
Some of the Primary Duties of a Paralegal Include:
- Drafting preliminary versions of various legal documents
- Interviewing potential clients or witnesses
- Researching legal issues, statutes, regulations, and case law
- Communicating with clients throughout the legal process
- Verifying the accuracy of legal filings and documents
- Managing and keeping legal documents organized in both paper and electronic filing systems
- Assisting with trial preparation by preparing exhibits, witnesses, and trial binders
- Carrying out administrative duties such as managing calendars, answering phone calls, scheduling meetings, and handling correspondence
- Employing legal software and technology for managing documents, conducting research, tracking cases, and performing other legal tasks
- Following ethical standards and ensuring strict confidentiality of client information and privileged communications
Two of the factors that make becoming a certified paralegal such an excellent career choice are great earning potential and widespread job opportunities. Much like medical professionals, paralegals are needed in virtually every city and town across the country, so there may be an opportunity near you.
The typical salary for paralegals is excellent. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median pay for the position was over $60,000 per year as of 2023, with top professionals in the field making close to six figures.
While certification is not required to work as a paralegal in most states, it could increase your earning potential. Gaining CP® certification can increase your salary by almost $5,000 per year on average.
What is the Process to Become a Certified Paralegal?
Since lawyers must go through such an extensive educational process, many people falsely assume that the same is true for certified paralegals.
To become a NALA Certified Paralegal, one must pass the Certified Paralegal (CP®) Exam. Blackstone Career Institute’s online Legal Assistant/Paralegal Program is designed to prepare you for this exam.
All you need is a high school diploma, GED, or high school equivalent to enroll in Blackstone’s Legal Assistant/Paralegal Program. The 100% online program can be completed in a matter of months. The average completion time is between six months and one year.
Blackstone Career Institute’s online paralegal program meets NALA’s 900 clock hour training requirement, qualifying graduates to sit for the Certified Paralegal Exam.
Blackstone Career Institute’s Online Paralegal Program and Certification Bundle
As you go through Blackstone’s online Legal Assistant/Paralegal Program, you will learn all the foundational knowledge and skills required to enter the profession of legal assistance. The program will prepare you for an entry-level position as a legal assistant in a number of areas of law.
Differences between civil actions and criminal cases will be thoroughly taught, along with ethics and duties of professional legal assistants, efficient methods for conducting legal research, and preparation for beginning your career as a paralegal.
Upon completing the program, you can expect to have the ability to:
- Define basic legal terms and concepts related to contracts, torts, negligence, defamation (civil and criminal), property, crime, and larceny.
- Distinguish between crimes and torts, including identifying the classes of crime and degrees of larceny.
- Identify and explain legal procedures and terms related to civil actions, criminal procedure, wills, trusts, trustees, real property, and partnerships/corporations.
- Discuss constitutional law elements and effective legal research methods.
- Demonstrate understanding of legal actions for recovering damages and ethics in the paralegal profession.
- Identify effective job-search techniques for legal assistants/paralegals.
All of these skills should be developed before taking the Certified Paralegal Exam.
Payment plan options are available for Blackstone’s online Legal Assistant/Paralegal Program, and the program only costs $1,214 if you pay in full. Veterans or active duty military members and their spouses may be able to use benefits to pay for the program.
Students and recent graduates of Blackstone’s online Legal Assistant/Paralegal Program are eligible to purchase the NALA Certification Bundle for a separate fee. Included in the bundle is a NALA student membership, CP® Exam prep materials, and CP® Exam voucher package.
For more information on how to become a certified paralegal with Blackstone Career Institute’s online Legal Assistant/Paralegal Program and NALA Certification Bundle, click here.
Written by Adam Wernham
Disclaimer: Blackstone Career Institute, an accredited school, cannot guarantee employment, job promotion prospects, or income increases. Please see our course pages for the most up-to-date details and pricing.
