| Two and half decades ago, paralegal education | | | | paralegal school becomes such only after a regional |
| consists only of a handful of programs across the | | | | accrediting body grants accreditation to its paralegal |
| whole United States, with many legal offices, law firms, | | | | programs. For the accreditation to be valid, the regional |
| corporations, and government agencies providing only | | | | accrediting body must have jurisdiction over the |
| on the job trainings for prospective paralegals. | | | | accredited paralegal school. In addition, the regional |
| Today, on the job trainings still remain an important | | | | accrediting body must also go through a recognition |
| element in developing successful paralegals, but the | | | | process with the federal government before it could |
| roles are shifting. More and more employers are | | | | exercise its accreditation powers. |
| setting requirements for hiring, including higher education | | | | * American Bar Association (ABA) Approval The |
| and/or formal training in paralegal studies. | | | | ABA has approved over 250 paralegal or legal |
| But when it comes to paralegal education, or any | | | | assistant training programs nationwide. In order for a |
| education for that matter, it is not enough that you | | | | school to receive accreditation from the ABA, they |
| enroll in some obscure program provided by an equally | | | | must comply with the guidelines laid down by the |
| obscure school or institution. | | | | Association. The only ABA accredited paralegal |
| Accreditation is your assurance of a program quality | | | | schools in the country are those that offer programs |
| and accreditation is your ticket to increasing your | | | | that are not distance learning or correspondence |
| chances of getting hired to do paralegal work in a | | | | courses. |
| prominent law office or government agency. | | | | The guidelines set forth by the ABA for accredited |
| Thus, if you are considering a paralegal career, then be | | | | paralegal schools provide important information when |
| sure to enroll in a program provided by an accredited | | | | evaluating programs. Even so, schools are not |
| paralegal school. Fortunately, the current trend in | | | | compelled to comply with these guidelines. In fact, it is |
| paralegal education is accreditation, perhaps in an | | | | quite possible for a school to be considered as on par |
| effort to compensate for the general lack of | | | | with an ABA- accredited paralegal school even though |
| educational standards in paralegal profession. As such, | | | | it has no ABA approval yet, so long as it is in |
| many of the programs for paralegal studies available | | | | substantial compliance with the ABA guidelines. This |
| today are from accredited paralegal schools. | | | | compliance, of course, is subjective. In short, it means |
| What are the types of accredited paralegal schools? | | | | that the accredited paralegal school program for |
| The types of accreditation given to paralegal schools | | | | paralegal studies already complies with the guidelines |
| are the following: | | | | but, for some reason, has not sought ABA approval |
| * Regional Accreditation A regionally accredited | | | | yet. |