Legal Studies and Beyond: How to Become a Paralegal
August 14, 2024 | Heather LeBlanc
Enhancing your career with legal education can open new doors for growth and increase your professional value by equipping you with specialized skills. Whether you want to understand employment law to safeguard your business or are considering a career change, legal studies courses offer valuable insights and opportunities for diverse populations.
Unleash Your Potential in a Legal Career
According to Lightcast labor market analytics, Florida is a hotspot for paralegal and legal admin occupations. Paralegals earn a median salary of $60,970 annually, with the top 10% earning more than $98,830. The number of paralegal and legal assisting jobs in Florida is expected to increase by 9.4% between 2022 and 2032, compared with 11% nationally.
Legal professionals and paralegals need strong legal research and writing skills, and proficiency in legal software, technology, or eDiscovery is also valuable. Specialization in litigation, insurance and real estate are sought after in Florida. Expertise in these fields can open doors to exciting career opportunities and higher earning potential. Paralegals are often employed in law offices, hospitals, insurance companies, government agencies, non-profit organizations, courts and consulting firms. As the profession continues to adopt new technology and improve efficiencies, paralegals have increasing opportunities to build new technical skills, expand their impact and continue advancing their legal career.
How to Become a Paralegal
If you have a passion for law and a desire to work in a dynamic environment, becoming a paralegal could be an ideal career choice. Paralegal duties typically include conducting legal research, drafting legal documents, maintaining case files and assisting with trial preparation.
UWF Continuing Education, in partnership with CLS by Barbri, provides comprehensive, in-demand online legal courses that enable graduates to excel in a growing legal career. Earning a paralegal certificate can power your marketability and earning potential.
The Paralegal Certificate Course will provide comprehensive knowledge of the American judicial system. It will also teach you practical skills, including how to assist trial attorneys, interview witnesses, investigate complex fact patterns, research the law, and prepare cases for courtroom litigation.
The Advanced Paralegal Certificate is your path to gaining skills and competency and making critical contributions to the legal field and your organization. Advanced Paralegal training allows one to specialize in at least six topics, including Advanced Legal Research, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Bankruptcy Law, Business Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, eDiscovery, Estate Planning, Family Law, Intellectual Property and Real Property Law.
Growing a Career in Legal Services
Education and experience can be the most attractive aspects to highlight to potential employers. Investing in career training not only provides you with a solid foundation of legal knowledge, including terminology, procedures and research techniques, but it also equips you with the skills to perform paralegal duties effectively. Whether you pursue a paralegal certificate or continue learning on the job, gaining in-demand legal skills can make you an attractive candidate for employers and help your career grow quicker in the long run.
Technical skills and industry specializations are in high demand and are an excellent investment to advance your career. Barbri Legal Studies Training Courses at the University of West Florida focus on a specific skill or industry knowledge to increase marketability in targeted areas. Choose from various in-demand areas of study to increase your earning potential and gain job-ready skills for paralegal and legal support roles.
For example, online training allows medical professionals to gain the skills for a career change as a Legal Nurse Consultant. Work for a law firm or independent contractor, in the clinical setting, or for an insurance company or hospital, and increase earning potential. Legal nurse consultants earn a median salary of $81,776 annually, with the top 10% earning $104,146, according to the BLS.
Take the next step
Whether you’re new to the legal field, seeking training to boost your current skills or looking to expand your legal knowledge, now is the perfect time to take action. Enroll today and gain the expertise needed to advance your legal career.
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(2024, August). Occupation Overview. Retrieved from Lightcast.
