Paralegal Home Study: Your Paralegal Degree Online

Here are some of the top benefits of earning a paralegal degree online:

• Study when it's convenient—Most online paralegal schools map out deadlines for assignment and exam completion, but you decide how to best fit the course work into your daily or weekly schedule.

• Learn from almost anywhere—As long as you have an Internet connection, you can attend class. You can take your studies with you while you travel, complete coursework over your lunch hour, or simply curl up on the couch at home.

• Acquire the knowledge as you would in a live classroom—Don't worry that you'll be presented with a scaled-down curriculum. Most paralegal degrees online cover exactly the same material as campus-based classes, just in a different format.

• Interact with instructors and fellow students—Many students enrolled in a paralegal degree online find they communicate more with instructors and classmates than in a traditional classroom setting. Participating in class discussions via message boards or live chat sessions is often required, and exchanging emails with instructors is a given.

• Choose from a wide variety schools—Many schools offer online paralegal training programs. For you, this means choosing a school that seems best for you rather than choosing between just one or two schools that are close by.

While the exact course content of online paralegal degrees varies somewhat from school to school, most paralegal courses will include the following elements:

• Reading, listening to, or viewing lectures—Instructors either post written lecture materials on the class web page, or provide audio or videotaped lectures that you can listen to or view online.

• Participating in class discussions—You'll communicate regularly with your instructors and fellow classmates via message boards or live chat sessions. In many cases, participation is required in paralegal degrees online.

• Completing assignments and exams—Most online paralegal courses require you to complete several written assignments, which you'll email to your instructor upon completion. You might log into your class web page to complete tests, or you may take proctored exams at a local library or college campus.

Paralegals (sometimes called legal assistants) assist attorneys in almost every aspect of representing their clients. Generally, they research the law, prepare documents, conduct investigations, keep track of the status of client' cases, and interview clients and witnesses.

In other words, paralegals do almost anything lawyers do except actually give legal advice or represent clients in court.

In order to prepare for these responsibilities, the courses you'll take in an online paralegal degree program might include:

• Legal research and writing
• Civil litigation
• Family law
• Real estate law
• Business law
• Torts and personal injury
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Employment law
• Bankruptcy law
• Estates and trusts
• Ethics

Many paralegal degrees online are well respected by employers and given the same weight as traditional programs during the job interview process. However, some are more reputable than others. To make an informed choice, evaluate paralegal degrees online just as you would traditional paralegal training programs.

Give special importance to the availability of faculty, the course curriculum as it compares to reputable campus programs, and whether the program is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council or another organization. Also ask whether each paralegal degree online will fulfill the educational requirements you need to receive paralegal certification.