Are you looking into joining the paralegal profession but wonder if you need to graduate from one of those paralegal certificate programs to do so? Many people in this position wonder whether this is the case. Paralegals are one of the most essential roles within the operations of most every law firm. As we’ve previously posted, paralegals carry many responsibilities that enable attorneys they work for to carry out their role servicing clients in court, as well as, acquiring more clients.

While the National Federation of Paralegal Association recommends paralegals to have a bachelor’s degree, only about 50 percent had degrees in 2001 according to a national survey. Paralegals obtaining a four year degree is however, rapidly becoming the standard to be competitive in the job market.

It is important to make sure whatever paralegal certificate program you enroll in is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). This is increasingly important since most attorneys will require it, and it will be one of the first questions they’ll ask you during an interview. Typically, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree, understanding of legal ethics, vocabulary and experience to enroll. Depending on the program, they may even require a minimum GPA, but this is not the norm.

So to answer the question we posed in the title of this article, at the moment, California is the only state which requires a paralegal certificate to work as a paralegal. Those in other states do not have this requirement, but will need to outshine the competition in other areas, such having more experience or a more pleasing or magnetic personality.

There are two organizations that grant paralegal certificates, one being the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), the other being the National Federation of Paralegal Associates (NFPA). Both of these organizations offer paralegal certification through examination, but have differing overall requirements. The NFPA does require a bachelor’s degree with at least 2 years experience working as a paralegal.

To get more information on paralegal certificate programs and paralegal work, visit ParalegalWork.org.