Online Class: Paralegal Studies 101 - Career Overview

Course Lessons

• Lesson 1: So You Want to Be A Paralegal?

  This lesson will cover some of the practical things to consider or research before taking the leap into a paralegal course, or signing on with a firm.

• Lesson 2: Qualifying, Education, and Certifications

  The initial and primary concerns of anyone who wants to become a paralegal are, "Do I qualify?" and "What type of education do I need?" These are important questions to be answered before setting sail into the world of legal services.

• Lesson 3: Making the Cut: Getting Hired and Negotiating Your Salary

  This is a cardinal rule in negotiations: He who speaks first loses. At a time when you are seeking to win, don't let your tongue set you up for a loss.

• Lesson 4: Unspoken Expectations and How to Get Promoted at Your Firm

  Everyone has expectations -- spoken and unspoken. Law firms are no different, since they are made up of people. The better paying the firm, the greater the expectations they have of you.

• Lesson 5: Attorneys, Attitudes, Egos, and Your Managing Attorney

  First and foremost, it is helpful for a new paralegal to have a general understanding of their attorneys and what makes them tick.

• Lesson 6: Language and Business Philosophy That Brings Favor From Attorneys

  Language and business philosophy are two things that an attorney focuses on in his everyday dealings.

• Lesson 7: Things Paralegals Get Burned Over: Protocol and Scapegoats

  Protocol is the established, proper, and correct order of business and business communications in a firm that must comply with state and federal laws and regulations.

• Lesson 8: Pecking Order Among Paralegals: How to Get Along With Your Interoffice Competition

  Unlike other modern businesses, the pecking order in law firms remains traditional in the sense that paralegals with the most years of tenure are the top chicks.

• Lesson 9: Managing Your Case Load: Priorities and Management Styles

  How to sort and manage your case load will be the first major decision you will make that will determine the success and quality of your actual finished product.

• Lesson 10: Research, Attorney Support, and Lexis Nexis

  When it comes to research on the client file, you are the "go-to person" for your attorney. He will count on your ability to find out what needs to be found out -- and then some.

• Lesson 11: Your Firm's Case Tracking Systems; eCase, Paradox, etc.

  Each firm has a tracking system the paralegals use to centralize client cases and communicate with one another, especially between departments.

• Lesson 12: Email, Phone Calls, and Filing

  There are particular things to know about each of these that are peculiar to the legal profession in that you, the paralegal cannot legally treat these things as you may otherwise in a different profession or type of business.

• Lesson 13: Client Relations and Office-to-Office Relations

  There is nothing that is more of a touchy subject in a law firm than the firm's client relations.

• Lesson 14: Attorney/Client Privilege and Your Role in It

  If this course is your first exposure to the world of paralegals, then you will be reminded along the path of your education or certification process, of the importance of the attorney-client privilege supported in all of our laws.

• Lesson 15: Office Politics, Downsizing, and Firm Mergers

  You may think this segment wouldn't belong in a course on paralegal studies, or you may think office politics is just common sense. In some ways it is common sense.

• Lesson 16: Year End Bonuses, Fringe Perks, Parties, and Dinners

  This is a short lesson with a few common sense words about the part of your paralegal career you will certainly enjoy, but which clearly is not owed to you.