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.