Here is a list of California paralegal schools which offer a wide variety of degrees and diplomas in the legal field. Find a school nearby that offers paralegal studies or legal secretary training. We’ve also gathered information about a career as a paralegal or legal secretary, located at the bottom of the page. Click on a school to find more specific information or just scroll down the page through all the schools and their programs.

Learn more about a career as a paralegal from someone who actually works in the field today. Read our interview with a paralegal who talks about the pros and cons of his job.

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Paralegal Career Information

The work of a paralegal has become more and more closely matched to that of a lawyer. Essentially, a lawyer delegates certain tasks to a professionally trained paralegal or legal assistant. These tasks can include the preparation of opening and closing statements and reading through contracts and other legal cases. Studying previous cases and looking for appropriate legal articles, governing laws and other relevant details is a painstaking task. In many cases it can quickly become tedious but the rewards are very good.

Where paralegals differ from lawyers is that they cannot legally partake in any practices of law. This means they are unable to set legal fees, appear in court, or give legal advice. Despite this the role of the paralegal is of paramount importance to any case. Much of the work is desk-based, and with the advance of computer technology, this generally means a lot of work on computers and the Internet.

Many paralegals choose to focus on specific areas of law, much as lawyers do. An example of this would be employment law; a paralegal in this field would focus on employee benefits, employee law, and other aspects of employment.

Employment and Earnings Statistics

The good news for potential paralegals is that there are currently around 250,000 such jobs available. Private law firms employ nearly three quarters of these professionals with the remainder generally employed by governmental and state bodies as well as large organizations. A small number will successfully run their own business and subcontract their services to lawyers or businesses.

The average salary for a paralegal is $40,000 with the lowest percentile earning $25,000 and the top percentile earning $60,000. Many of the highest earners are employed in federal government roles with paralegals in this field earning an average $59,000, the highest paid by sector.

Employment and Earning Future Outlook

Paralegals are being called upon to carry out many tasks that were previously reserved for the lawyer alone. Obviously, because paralegals cost less money than hiring a lawyer, this means that more and more opportunities are opening up for the legal assistant. Trained paralegals will be the pick of the crop as far as organizations are concerned. These organizations may consider looking for a paralegal that specializes in a particular area, especially employment law.

Private law firms will continue to be the most popular method for a paralegal to ply their trade but because of the increased dependence that organizations are placing on legal assistants other industries and companies will begin to employ more and more paralegals. This means that banks, lenders, large organizations, and other major businesses will soon be on the look out for a well-trained and knowledgeable paralegal.

Paralegal Program Details

There are several ways to become a paralegal; the most desirable option will depend on your current level of expertise and number of years of experience in the paralegal field. It is a fact that the vast majority of jobs are taken by professionals that have completed a formal program of one sort or another.

On-site training is sometimes offered by employers. In these cases the role is still generally offered to a person with a diploma or degree, although not necessarily in paralegal studies. This training can take a long period of time but will give you the hands-on experience that only on-the-job training can offer.

A diploma or Associate’s Degree program, offered by many paralegal schools in California, will be a vital step in your progression to the status of paralegal. As a graduate you will have gained all of the relevant experience and, in many cases, will have taken part in an internship that will also give you hands-on experience. Curriculum will often include legal terminology, contracts, trusts and estates, criminal law, family law, legal research and writing and property law among other topics.

Additional Resources

Learn more about the work of a paralegal and education routes that may suit you by reading our article An Introduction to the Paralegal Career.

For additional information about a career as a paralegal, you may want to read the transcript of our interview with a paralegal, Dennis Tapia, who runs his own business in Vista, California.

If you are looking for a paralegal program outside of California, please visit our partner site which lists paralegal schools across the United States and Canada.

Have we forgotten a California paralegal school?

If you know of a California legal training school that we don’t have listed here, please let us know by contacting us.