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Paralegals

Education and Training Requirements

High School

While in high school, take a broad range of subjects, including English, social studies or government, computer science, and languages, especially Spanish and Latin. Because legal terminology is used constantly, word origins and vocabulary should be a focus.

Postsecondary Training

According to the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), the majority of paralegals have received some formal paralegal education. Paralegal programs are offered at two-year and four-year colleges or universities. However, current trends across the country, as illustrated by surveys, indicate that formal paralegal education has become a requirement to secure employment, and a four-year degree is the hiring standard in many markets. 

There are approximately 1,000 paralegal programs, more than 260 of which have been approved by the American Bar Association. Visit https://www.americanbar.org/groups/paralegals/paralegal-resource-directory for a list of programs.

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