Paralegal Graduate Certificate Program
About Paralegals
Paralegals (also known as legal assistants) perform a variety of tasks depending on the organizations where they are employed. Tasks include, but are not limited to:
- researching legal issues
- investigating facts
- drafting documents
- interviewing attending corporate transactions, depositions, hearings and trials
Experienced paralegals can perform almost any task an attorney performs, but may not give legal advice or represent clients in a court of law. The majority of paralegals work in the litigation field, but may also work in other areas such as:
- bankruptcy
- real estate
- oil and gas
- immigration
- environmental law
|
- contract law
- public defender's office
- corporate law
- criminal law
- incorporation
|
Paralegal Salaries
For individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree, certificate programs offer the highest quality of paralegal education at an affordable cost. Please note that the Rice program requires that applicants hold a bachelor's degree.
According to a 2010 survey conducted by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), paralegals who have graduated from post baccalaureate certificate programs, such as the Rice program, are among the highest-paid individuals in the field.
Education
|
Average Salary
|
Average Compensation
|
Responses
|
| Undergraduate Certificate |
53,781
|
57,224
|
187
|
| Post Baccalaureate Certificate |
56,403
|
58,631
|
200
|
| Associate's Degree |
53,399
|
56,413
|
428
|
| Bachelor's Degree |
50387
|
52,436
|
117
|
| Master's Degree |
56,000
|
56,725
|
4
|
| Other |
53,522
|
55,696
|
178
|
| None |
53,078
|
56,045
|
242
|
Source: NALA, 2010 National Utilization and Compensation Survey Report, October 2010.
Click here for more information about this survey.
Paralegal examinations
NALA and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) each offer a voluntary examination for a fee. However, no state requires that a paralegal take any exam, and most paralegals choose not to take either exam. Students that have a bachelor's degree in any field and have graduated from the Rice Paralegal Certificate Program are eligible to sit for either exam. Contact NALA or NFPA for the most current requirements to sit for those examinations.
ABA approval
At this time, Rice does not plan to seek American Bar Association approval for its paralegal program. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of paralegal programs offered by colleges, universities, law schools and proprietary schools do not have ABA approval; in fact, only about 260 of the estimated 1,000 paralegal training programs are ABA approved.