Paralegal Certificate Program

The paralegal certificate program forms one of the many distinguished course combinations provided at Kenningston College, CALIMT in Orange County . The paralegal profession is the proficient study in all available forms of law that enables a learner to work under the supervision of attorneys or other more magnificent accords within the industry. Although the students interact with the many faces of law, it is a point in case that a paralegal is an assistant to the lawyer and not a fully qualified lawyer. Despite the opinion that the paralegal profession is an undermined form of the study of law, this is not the case as paralegals carry a lot of weight and form the backbone of the sector as will be further explained in the course objectives and goals. 

To fully qualify as a paralegal, a student has to engage in all course programs that this study has to offer. Attainment of this goal produces career expatriates that have adequate legal knowledge that can be further enhanced by a few study programs into competent law studies. With practical studies in courtrooms in addition to lectures and examinations that build capacity and professionalism, one is sure that this program will not only serve to improve their talent and adeptness but will also challenge them to develop their social behaviour and character as American citizens. 

Curriculum Study Areas

To attain the Certificate of Achievement in Paralegal Studies, a total grade count (GPA) of 2.0 or higher has to be acquired by the learner in the following special program requirements: 

i) Legal Research and Writing
These conceptualities form a significant part of the Paralegal Study. Learners are trained to carry out research boldly in a bid to differentiate between opinions and facts in a case. Apt knowledge in legal writing enables students to create workable case files, legible case records, affidavits and documents of evidence such as exhibits. 

ii) Civil Litigation
This discipline is mainly set towards educations on paralegals and not lawyers. They are taught the non-criminal stream of actions that involve law including pre-trial procedures such as interviewing witnesses, preparing case files and carrying out interlocutory hearings. 

iii) English Grammar and Writing for Paralegal Professions
This study encompasses oral and written skills. It enables paralegals to be able to understand technical law jargon, such as annulment, affidavit and alimony, which are standard court terms that are crucial for case proceeds to communicate easily with attorneys and other advocates. It is also essential for easy digital transcription, as explained below. 

iv) Digital Transcription
This course study involves teaching students how to translate spoken words in the courtroom into typed software digitally. Learners are taught accuracy and speed that they couple with their sufficient oral and written skills to produce perfect pieces. By allowing learners to engage in this field freely, they are given a technological framework that enables the use of computers and other primary input/output devices that can record spoken data automatically. 

v) Records management
Paralegal aspirants are taught to store vital records such as case files properly. This includes the use of electronic databases that allow quick storage and retrieval of data for ease in research and investigation. It also tackles the service of process and verification of truth that a defendant has a claim to before a trial begins. 

vi) Career Development
Throughout the study, the upcoming paralegals are equipped with the right attitudes and skills that will enable them to succeed in their career fields. By empowering them to achieve, they have better chances of being accepted into the industry. 

Job Outlook

This program was introduced in CALIMT to enable students with excellent academic backgrounds who failed to secure chances to study as lawyers a platform to explore their passions at different steeds while still enjoying the same experience as law students. A 2006 Census showed that 17265 paralegals were employed within Ontario; Subsequent censuses that have been carried out over the past years have shown growing employment opportunities within the sector. With the increased drive for efficiency in legal institutions, there has been a general increased rate of employment which is prospected to gradually go upward by a whopping 15 % between 2019 and 2026, and this prospect tallies as the highest average increase in job opportunities among all occupations. The aspect comes as a result of huge expenditures mitigated by lawyers, therefore, pushing firms to resort to cheaper alternatives in the form of paralegals, who offer similar services at more affordable costs. This prospect has merited paralegals by increasing the number of employment opportunities which serve to ease their entry into the market. By saving on costs, firms can channel their resources into more beneficial initiatives such as developing the workspace and working to build the capacities of workers. 

Currently, paralegals having associate degrees work about 40 hours per week with a relatively high income of $ 24.49 per hour. Other institutions pay paralegals as high as $ 67,340 annually. These high salary rates portray the acclaimed program that a Paralegal study is. The training at CALMTI further gives students rare opportunities in developing their skills and talents as it prepares them to work in federal government institutions, local and state governments, while also giving them enough knowledge base to work in finance and insurance firms. With the competent computer and technological study areas integrated within the certificate program, students are armed with active data management and computer skills that formally enable them to prosper as modern-day paralegals within the law society. 

Career opportunities in the field

As graduates in the area, students are given a firm basis rooted in the legal background that enables them to work in various fields of law as people who grease the wheels of law and maintain the aesthesis that the law society holds across the state. With the diversified law background that CALMTI provides, graduates have sufficient knowledge to work in different fields such as civil, criminal, property, tax, labour law and environmental law.