Becoming a Paralegal

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Becoming a Paralegal Getting a college degree has always been a goal of mine since I graduated from high school way back in 1978. But, I had my three sons early in life and now they are all successful husbands and fathers. I feel this is the opportune time for me to pursue my dream of achieving a college degree. I was undecided at first on a profession, but since I already have a medical administrative background for over 10 + years, but the small town that I am from has very limited prospects, so I decided on the Paralegal profession. The skills that I have acquired before can be integrated into my new legal career. Through my research, I found that paralegals have many responsibilities. They draft documents, conduct research, investigate facts of a case and get affidavits and other formal statements that may be used as evidence in court. The most popular work environments for paralegals are law firms, corporate legal departments or government agencies. (Bureau of Labor Statistic, 2012). This is a great way for me to learn aspects of the law from the ground level. There are several ways to become a paralegal, educational requirements can consist of community or online college to obtain a two-year degree. The online college path is the one that I chose because I like the online environment because I can work at my own pace. If the student already has a Bachelor’s degree, they can earn a paralegal certificate. Finally, some employers hire entry-level paralegals without any experience and train them. (McKay, 2013). Salary expectations for paralegal are very lucrative, between $29,800 to $75,700. The average salary is $50,000 per year (Crowder, 2011). This is another reason for my pursuing this career because the prospects are great. Of course, most salaries are based on experience, industry and location (Crowder,
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