Paralegal Chula Vista

Posts Tagged ‘certificate’

Question by lostsoul: How come some paralegals can practice without a certificate?
I do not get how they can be paralegals without going through any training or taking a course for a paralegal work. Can you help me understand this concept? Thank you in advance.

Best answer:

Answer by Marie
Because some lawyers will hire someone they can train, and other lawyers would rather hire a secretary as a paralegal, either because they have the experience to do the paralegal work, or because it’s cheaper for the attorney.

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Question by Think_Longevity: Is law office foundation certificate, the same as a paralegal certificate?
I am currently looking to get enrolled into a paralegal program, and I have realized that the options are a certificate, associates, and bachelors degree. Personally I would like to obtain the certificate first, get employed, then further my education in the field. My question is, the college I am thinking of going through offers a law office foundation certificate and I am wondering if this is the same as a paralegal certificate?

Best answer:

Answer by mailaccount63
I have never even heard of a “law office foundation certificate”. You need to be very careful of these “law schools” – a lot of them are just scams. Any classes that you take should be ABA approved.

“Certificates” are a waste of time and/or money. In today’s tight job market, legal employers want their employees to have BACHELORS degrees.

Please be aware of what you are proposing on getting yourself into. Please do more research first. Reminder: We are in a World-wide Recession. Consider career paths that have available jobs.<<<<<<<

Warning> Jobs in the field of Law are drying up fast!! This is just not a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING, crumbling, and dying vocational field. Many reasons. Many people today (mistakenly) think they can do their own legal work, thanks to the Internet. Also, we simply already have way too many Legal Professionals – we have an absolute glut!! (“Legal Professionals” includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc)

There are no jobs in this vocational field. My family, coworkers, friends, acqaintances, etc. are being laid off left and right in this vocational field.

Regarding being a Paralegal: Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law today want employees with Bachelors degrees from traditional colleges/universities. Those “certificates” you see advertised aren’t worth the paper they are printed on – they are generally scams. (I found this out the hard way.)

Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $ 150,000+.
Be prepared to take on a lot of debt.

Even if you finish law school, you won’t be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking, many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work “down” as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <

Now... the law schools know this, but they won't tell you the truth >that the job market/economy is just saturated with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will lie to you. The root of the problem is we have too many law schools. We are in a recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival – they will tell students anything to get to the students’ money. (Which is why they won’t tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates………….Remember: law schools are BUSINESSES – their top concern is making money for themselves.

If you don’t believe me, then just do a search here on Yahoo Answers to see what other posters are saying about the current status of the field of Law. Call some local law firms – ask to speak to the Manager of Human Resources – ask them if they are hiring; ask them what they think about job availability in the field of Law………………

In the book “So You Want to be a Lawyer?” by Marianne Calabrese and Susanne Calabrese (ISBN 0-88391-136-1): “The United States has more lawyers than any other country in the world. About 38,000 students graduate >each year< from the 200+ law schools in the United States. The competition is very keen for jobs and clients." - Even Associate Justice Antonin Scalia (who served on the U.s. Supreme Court for more than 20 years) says there are too many lawyers. (9/14/2008)

Check out these websites: http://informeddecisionmaking.blogspot.com

http://calicocat.com/2004/08/law-school-big-lie.html

http://abajournal.com/news/triplt_bad_news_for_law_students_three_firms_aX_summer_associate_programs/

http://abajournal.com/news/as_rio_tinto_saves_millions_other_corps_will_outsource_too_counsel_says/

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/02/03/dont-try-to-dodge-the-recession-with-grad-school/

(A link to a website does not constitute endorsement.)

If you want a job when you are done with your studies, consider and look into the fields of >>>Healthcare or Information Technology! I spoke to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and HE told me that these areas are where the jobs are, and future job availability! and scholarships!

Good luck.

(This is based on my current knowledge, information, belief, and life experiences. This was intended as personal opinion, and not intended to be used as legal advice. Please be careful and do your research.)

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Question by Brock Robert: Is there any need for paralegal certificate to offer Bankruptcy Document creation?

Best answer:

Answer by michr
what do you mean by “creation”
do you mean simply entering information on the forms (with information provided SOLELY by the client) or do you mean developing documents for an attorney to use in their practice?

in most states you can NOT represent a client in ANY way in ANY legal matter or offer ANY legal advise unless you are licensed to do so……….

in MOST if not ALL states a paralegal, with or without, a diploma/certificate/accredidation is NOT licensed to practice law……..

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Question by AMG Consulting Group Inc.: Do you need to be a paralegal certificate to offer Bankruptcy Document Preparation?
I have years of experience working in a Law Firm and I know how to prepare a Bankruptcy Chp 7 and Chp 13… do I need to be accredited and have a certificate and/or degree if I choose to run my own business alone?
(need “a” paralegal certificate)

Best answer:

Answer by michr
you can NOT offer ANY legal advise of any kind or represent a client in ANY manner with or without a paralegal certificate……

anyone can do the actual physical part of filling out any form, but you can NOT do anything more then actually type (or write) the information on the paper……..

if you charge for the service you provide, and just make a ” hypothetical suggestion” you are in violation of the law and may be prosecuted…… practicing law without a license is a criminal offense.

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