Think it takes too long or costs too much to prepare for a job in the legal field? Have you got eight weeks? The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education, in a partnership with the Center for Legal Studies, offers a short-term paralegal certificate program that prepares students for paralegal and legal assistant jobs.
The 84-hour course, which is held on Friday nights and Saturdays at UGA’s Lawrenceville campus, uses curriculum created by the Center for Legal Studies. The next course starts Feb. 3.
“The quality of the material and the instructors is very good, and the tuition is affordable [$1,189 plus $400 for books],” said Shirley Chesley, program developer for the Center for Continuing Education at UGA. “The certificate is ideal for college graduates who want to add skills to their résumés, or career-changers interested in the legal field. That paralegal job market seems to be very good.”
Employment is projected to grow by 28 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Atlanta is a growing market for paralegals,” said Gail Stowers, paralegal instructor. “Government agencies have offices here, more companies are coming to Georgia and national law firms are opening branches here.”
Paralegals don’t practice law, but they are trained to help attorneys gather evidence, do research, interview clients and witnesses, and prepare legal briefs and forms.
“Most people think of paralegals working in law firms, but the job market is so much broader than that,” Stowers said. “Students are surprised when I tell them that paralegals are employed in 47 different areas of the law and settings. Some include corporate human resources or legal departments, government agencies, banks, insurance companies, the criminal justice system, lobbying organizations and legal aid offices.”
Paralegals can specialize in criminal law, contracts, civil rights law, environmental law or entertainment law, an up-and-coming field in Atlanta, with the movie and music business growing.
“Employers can see the cost savings in hiring paralegals [at $30,000 to $75,000 a year] rather than attorneys [at about $200 an hour] for many legal tasks,” Stowers said.
The course teaches students how to investigate complex fact patterns, interview witnesses, research the law, prepare legal documents and help prepare cases for courtroom litigation. It’s intense and includes extensive homework. Classes include lectures and hands-on practice of skills.
“I give them the theory, but also the everyday application and practice. My goal is to make sure that they can work on Day 1, because that’s what attorneys expect,” she said.
At the end of the course, Stowers conducts a career workshop, in which she gives students resources for the job search and encourages them to be aggressive.
The UGA Gwinnett Campus offers the paralegal and other legal certificates online. The Center for Legal Studies also partners with Atlanta Metropolitan College, Chattahoochee Technical College, West Georgia Technical College and UGA’s Griffin campus.
For information, call 706-542-3537 or go to www.tinyurl.com/ParalegalUGA.
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