North-West College
North-West College has helped shape the careers of thousands of business professionals. North-West College's curriculum is tailored to the needs of today's industries with an emphasis on the technical skills necessary for success in your chosen field of study. Our faculty has many years of experience in the field—many hold teaching credentials and other professional certificates, and all have been oriented to the College's unique way of teaching. The quality of education is of the highest priority at North-West College.
Diploma in Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies
The Paralegal/Legal Assistant is a trained professional who assists the attorney in a law firm, corporate office, public agency, bank or other business dealing with legal matters. Paralegal/Legal Assistants work under the supervision of an attorney, either as employees or as independent contractors.
Students are trained in many areas of law including: practical techniques; legal research; legal writing; document management; and the computerized production of forms utilized throughout the legal system. The curriculum also includes seminars for job preparedness, such as: workshops, job seeking skills and interviewing skills.
More About Paralegals/Legal Assistants
Maintenance of a nation’s system of laws is a large and important responsibility that takes an ever-growing group of trained professionals. The paralegal field began and grew for two main reasons:
1) There is a great deal of legal work that falls into the area of procedure—which paralegals may carry out—as opposed to substance, which attorneys must execute and for which they must take responsibility.
2) There is a growing demand by individuals and businesses for more legal services at a lower cost. This is, in part, accomplished through the use of qualified assistants to attorneys: paralegals.
The paralegal provides a much-needed service in an important profession. As a paralegal, you will enjoy the respect given to professionals who solve difficult problems in the lives of great corporations and ordinary people. You will be working with other like-minded and dedicated professionals in any of a variety of interesting and stimulating situations. You may research cases in a law library or on a computer network, gather information by telephone, establish case files, interview experts or witnesses, carry out investigations or draft legal documents. Depending on where you work, you may travel state-, nation-, or world-wide.
The US Department of Labor (in its Occupational Outlook Handbook) projects that the paralegal profession will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010, which provides graduates from our paralegal program the opportunity to choose from any number of career opportunities in private practice, public government, courts and freelance contract work.
The following is a listing of some industries and positions that may be appropriate for a paralegal graduate:
Private PracticePrivate Law Firms specializing in:
- Banks & Financial Institutions
- Community Legal Services
- Corporate Legal Departments
- Human Resources Analyst
- Insurance Companies
- Real Estate & Title Insurance Firms
- Risk Management
Government
- Administrative Law
- Bankruptcy
- Civil Rights Consumer Law
- Contract Law
- Criminal Law
- Environmental Law
- Estate Planning
- Family Law
- Health Care Law
- Immigration Law
- Labor Law
- Litigation
- Personal Injury
- Probate
- Real Estate Law
Courts
- Attorney General's Office
- Copyright Examiner
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Internal Revenue Service
- Legislature
- Security Exchange Commission
- US Department of Justice
- US Department of Treasury & Defense
- Worker's Compensation Commission
Other Industries & Positions
- Bankruptcy Courts
- Court Administrator
- Court Clerk
- Dependents & Estate Claims Examiner
- Federal Courts
- Municipal Courts
- Probation & Parole Supervisor
- State Appellate Courts
- State District Courts
- Victim's Rights Advocate
- Court Analyst
- Criminal Investigator
- Freelance Contract Work
- Mediation
- Nurse Paralegal
- Paralegal Placement Counselor
- Social Security Disability Document Preparation