| A paralegal is by nature bright and socially adept. She | | | | education. This is particularly true if classes focus |
| has mastered language skills, and can artfully feint and | | | | specifically on paralegal training. Many two-year |
| parry both verbally and in written form. He is a whiz at | | | | paralegal degrees require a number of hours |
| multi-tasking. Their deductive reasoning is unparalleled. | | | | "shadowing" a paralegal during work, and doing as |
| What makes paralegals so smart? | | | | many tasks as possible under the supervision of an |
| · Obviously, individuals can take credit where | | | | attorney or paralegal. That actually combines bullets |
| personal credit is due. Some legal assistants are gifted | | | | two and three, but let's not get ahead of ourselves! |
| or quick learners. Others just plain work hard to | | | | The last subpart is on-the-job experience. Once you're |
| achieve their goals, their noses to the grindstone. | | | | to this point, you deserve a pat on the back. You're |
| · The second ingredient is higher education. | | | | hired! Now all you have to do is steadily improve your |
| Nobody ever got hurt by learning more. | | | | skills. How does a paralegal improve her skills? By rapt |
| · On-the-job experience, i.e., baptism by fire, | | | | attention to the work of other paralegals, attention to |
| completes the makeup of a paralegal's brilliance. | | | | details in general and the files assigned to her, and |
| We'll leave gifted individuality out of the equation for | | | | attending the needs of her assigned attorney. To stay |
| now, although that might make an interesting separate | | | | current on changes in law and technology that affect |
| article later. Somebody remind me! Moving right along | | | | her position as a paralegal, she attends seminars. In the |
| to higher education: a college education is pretty much | | | | midst of all that attention to attending, or is it attending |
| considered mandatory these days. An associate's | | | | to attention, he also joins paralegal associations and |
| degree would be the minimum requirement for many | | | | volunteers on committees. |
| jobs, and most career positions demand a bachelor's | | | | We must not forget another way paralegals can be |
| degree. Highly specialized training in the fields of law, | | | | smart. Some of them get hired in various positions in a |
| science and medicine, mean even more years in | | | | law office, get their degree either in person or by |
| school. | | | | taking online classes, and with those "gets," got smart |
| Depending on how far a paralegal wants to go in his | | | | as they worked their way into a great paralegal |
| career, he may be able to fly on his own coat tails | | | | position. Do you want to "Get Smart? |
| through an associate's degree, or two years of higher | | | | |