Although the job market is bleak, the high demand for paralegals makes it an attractive choice for a new and diverse career, regardless of age. Colorado Community College Online's new expanded 24/7 Online Degreed and Paralegal Certificate Program now provides an opportunity for the legions of jobless or those fearing the loss of their job to retrain for another career.
Denver, CO (PRWEB) February 4, 2009 -- Although the job market is bleak, the high demand for paralegals makes it an attractive choice for a new and diverse career, regardless of age. Colorado Community College Online's new expanded 24/7 Online Degreed and Paralegal Certificate Program now provides an opportunity for the legions of jobless or those fearing the loss of their job to retrain for another career.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that employment of paralegals is growing much faster than the average, as employers try to reduce costs by hiring paralegals to perform tasks once done by lawyers. It predicts that the employment of paralegals and legal assistants will grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2016. Competition for jobs should continue; experienced, formally trained paralegals should have the best employment opportunities, according to BLS. (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20016.htm)
BLS reports that wages start in the mid-30's and move upward to 60K per year depending on private or government based positions. Legal Assistant Today magazine reports that the national average salary for paralegals in 2007 increased 3.7 percent to $52,979.
CCCOnline's program offers the same level of courses to those taught at most paralegal schools. Contracts, torts, family law, criminal law, and civil litigation are a few of the core courses required to complete the paralegal program. Paralegals must be proficient in legal research and writing. Its course offerings either enable students to earn a certificate or fully accredited Associate of Arts Degrees, Associate of Applied Science Degrees in Paralegal or a Paralegal Certificate entirely online.
Most paralegals entering the field have an associate degree in paralegal studies, or a bachelor's degree coupled with a certificate in paralegal studies. At CCCOnline, an Associate's degree is only 30 credits; a Paralegal Certificate requires only 21 credits. If experienced paralegals want to change specialties or bolster their resume, they may take one or two specific paralegal courses. CCCOnline recently added fifteen new courses. Classes run concurrently every semester; courses run in 10 and 15-week sessions. CCCOnline provides an accessible way for students to get the proper education to enter the workforce at their own convenience, without the hassle of traveling or tight schedules. Students can register online at http://www.ccconline.org/courses/programs/Paralegal, whether in or out of the state of Colorado.
CCCOnline is a consortium of the thirteen member colleges in the Colorado Community College system that includes Dawson Community College of Montana, Northwest Missouri State University, and Pickens Tech of Denver. The Higher Learning Commission is a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits Colorado Community Colleges.
A paralegal is an on-demand professional, performing substantive legal tasks similar to an attorney. Both the private and public sectors across the nation employ paralegals. Hiring paralegals to perform tasks once done by lawyers reduces costs and increases the availability and efficiency of legal services. Pegged as hot commodities, paralegals are performing a wider variety of duties, making them more useful to businesses, government, and nonprofits.
Today paralegals are fulfilling an important role in an expanding and graying population that increasingly requires legal services, especially in areas such as elder issues and health care. With technology continuing to stimulate increasing demand for legal services in intellectual property, paralegals are assuming more responsibility and becoming more valuable. The growth of prepaid legal plans also should contribute to the demand for legal services, according to BLS.
BLS predicts that private law firms will continue to be the largest employers of paralegals, but that a growing array of other organizations, such as corporate legal departments, insurance companies, real estate and title insurance firms, and banks also hire paralegals. Corporations in particular are increasing their in-house legal departments to cut costs. In part because of the range of tasks they can perform, various small and medium-sized establishments are also increasingly employing paralegals in all specialties.
Media Contact:
Diane van Os, Program Chair, and CCCOnline
PH: 303-216-0013
http://www.ccconline.org
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