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:: Online Paralegal Courses

A paralegal is an individual who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. Paralegals perform tasks requiring knowledge of the law and legal procedures, but the exact nature of their work and limitations that the law places on the tasks they are allowed to undertake vary between nations and jurisdictions. A paralegal is not a lawyer but is typically employed by a law office or internal legal department of a company; paralegals are typically not allowed to offer legal services independently in most jurisdictions. Paralegals operate under a form of independent legal ethics, but with few exceptions must also typically conduct their work under the formal supervision of an attorney. In some jurisdictions, paralegals can conduct their own business and are called Law Agents, providing services such as settlements, court filings, legal research and other auxiliary legal services; these tasks often have instructions from a solicitor attached.

In the United States, a paralegal is protected from some forms of professional liability under the theory that paralegals are working as an enhancement of an attorney, who takes ultimate responsibility for the supervision of the paralegal's work and their work product. Paralegals often have taken a prescribed series of courses in law and legal processes. Paralegals may analyze and summarize depositions, prepare and answer interrogatories, draft procedural motions and other routine briefs, perform legal research and analysis, draft research memos, and perform case and project management. Paralegals often handle drafting much of the paper work in probate cases, divorce actions, bankruptcies, and investigations. Consumers of legal services are typically billed for the time paralegals spend on their cases. In the United States, they are not authorized by the government or other agency to offer legal services (including legal advice) except in Washington State in the same way as lawyers, nor are they officers of the court, nor are they usually subject to government-sanctioned or court-sanctioned rules of conduct. By contrast, in some jurisdictions (Ontario, Canada, for example) paralegals are licensed and regulated the same way that lawyers are and these licensed professionals may be permitted to provide legal services to the public and appear before certain lower courts and administrative tribunals.

An online degree is an academic degree (usually a college degree, but sometimes the term includes high school diplomas and non-degree certificate programs) that can be earned primarily or entirely through the use of an Internet-connected computer, rather than attending college in a traditional campus setting. Improvements in technology, the increasing use of the Internet worldwide, and the need for people to have flexible school schedules while they are working have led to a proliferation of online colleges that award associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

The goal of educational accreditation, according to the United States Department of Education, is to ensure that programs provided by institutions of higher education meet acceptable levels of quality.[1] ENQA, the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, describes the role of external quality assurance in education as one that "combines both accountability for the reassurance of the public and an objective and developmental role for enhancing quality in institutions".[2] In the area of online education, it is important to avoid unaccredited diploma mills that offer fake degrees, as these are unfortunately common. Students seeking valid online degrees should obtain proof of accreditation from an appropriate national or regional accrediting body.

In the United States, online colleges that are fully accredited have earned a widely recognized form of university accreditation from one of six regional accreditation boards.[3] Each of six geographic regions of the United States has one of these boards, a non-governmental agency that oversees and accredits degree-granting institutions headquartered in their areas. The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) also recognize the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) as the accrediting organization for distance learning institutions and education programs that offer online degrees.

Outside of the United States, other national and regional standards of accreditation hold, and may be highly supportive of, distance education. For example, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, or Open University of Catalonia, has been accredited by AQU, the Agency for Quality Assurance in the Catalan University System (a full member of ENQA), since its inception in 1995, and has been called a "significant success story" as "the world's first continuous, and sustainable, virtual university".[4] Similarly, in Ireland, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) has accredited a number of online colleges and degrees, e.g. Setanta College.[5]

In many cases, an online degree earned through an accredited public or private university may be effectively indistinguishable from a degree earned in a campus-based program, sometimes referred to as "brick-and-mortar" programs. The instruction is often exactly the same, with the online degree containing no special designation. As such the same financial aid packages are often available to online students, which has helped make them more accessible to traditional applicants. An example of an indistinguishable degree program is that offered by Columbia University. Student who earn a degree through the Columbia Video Network (CVN) earn exactly the same type of degree as the campus-based program.[13] The professors, courses, homework, tests, and eventual transcripts and diploma are identical to that of on-campus students.[14] Another example is NYU Tandon Online which offers master's degrees completely online through New York University Tandon School of Engineering.[15]

In recent years many top universities have been actively expanding their extension and online learning programs in an effort to legitimize the online education arena.[16][17] While admissions to online programs at prestigious universities hasn't seen a dramatic spike, there has been a large expansion in course offerings in recent years. Almost all Ivy League and top 20 universities now offer at least one online graduate degree program or certification.[18]

The Sloan Consortium, based on data collected from over 2,200 U.S. colleges and universities, reports that nearly 3.2 million students took at least one online course during 2005 (a significant increase over the 2.3 million reported in 2004). According to the same report, about two-thirds of the largest institutions have fully online programs.[11] In 2010, more than 6 million students were taking at least one course online.[20] As of 2013, the number of students enrolled in online courses had risen to over 6.7 million.[21]

• "U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs". ed.gov. United States Department of Education. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• "ENQA Mission Statement". enqa.eu. European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• "College Accreditation in the United States-- Pg 7". ed.gov. United States Department of Education. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• Rajasingham, Lalita. "New Challenges Facing Universities in the Internet-Driven Global Environment". EURODL. European Distance and E-learning Network. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• "Setantal Report Final with Amendments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-12.

• Adams, Jonathan; Defleur, Margaret. "The acceptability of online degrees earned as a credential for obtaining employment". Communication Education. Routledge. doi:10.1080/03634520500343376.

• Wellen, Alex (2006-07-30). "Degrees of Acceptance". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• "Fraud and Online Learning". 5 October 2011 – via NYTimes.com.

• Robinson, JoAnn (2004-03-23). "Using Your Distance Education to Earn an Academic Degree" (PDF). detc.org. Distance Education and Training Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• Carnevale, Dan (2007-01-05). "Employers Often Distrust Online Degrees". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• Allen, I. Elaine; Seaman, Jeff (2006-11-15). Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006 (PDF). Sloan Consortium. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• Lohr, Steve. “Second Thoughts On Web Classes.” New York Times 13 Sept. 2010: 3 Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

• Schweitzer, Karen. "Will Anyone Hire a Grad with an Online Business Degree?". about.com. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• Online Degrees Portal Is online degree the same as on-campus degree?

• NYU-ePoly FAQs What is the difference between an on-campus course and online course content?

• charley (8 April 2015). "About Us".

• "Online courses + time on campus = a new path to an MIT master's degree".

• "Top Universities You Didn't Know Had Online Masters Degree Programs - academical". 9 July 2016.

• Tabs, E.D. (2003-07-15). "Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001" (PDF). National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

• "Growing number of college students choose online courses". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2012-02-16. Retrieved 23 December 2012.

• "The Rise of Online MBA Education". University of Ohio. Retrieved 23 February 2015.

• Croix, Wendy. "Down with the 50 Percent Rule: Up with Online Education Financial Aid". WorldWideLearn. Retrieved 2011-07-05.

Industry Description Full Program Listing

Code	Concentration	More Info
	Paralegal
School: Branford Hall Program: :: Concentration: Criminal Justice :: Online        ::  Location: Branford, CT ::  more info  ::  Location: Southington, CT ::  more info  ::  Location: Windsor, CT ::  more info

 

Code	Concentration	More Info
BSGB	Certificate - Paralegal Studies
School: Sullivan University System Program: This certificate program is designed to allow individuals with a prior degree to complete a short program of study, yet have exposure to the same law-related course work that is required for the Paralegal Studies Associate Degree. This program of study is approved by the American Bar Association. :: Concentration: Criminal Justice :: Online        ::  Location: Louisville ::  more info  ::  Location: Lexington ::  more info  ::  Location: Fort Knox ::  more info

 

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Industry Description

Do you have the analytical mind perfect for work in the legal field? Do you have a desire to become part of the fast paced and influential world where lawyers face off? If so, get the training that will put you into that reality. Online paralegal courses will enable you to complete your training in as little as 18 months. At which time, your diploma will open doors for you in law firms, banks, insurance companies, corporations, government or social assistance areas.

Online study provides opportunity for everyone. The flexibility and affordability of Internet education makes it viable for the full time student, the working professional or the full time parent equally. Work at your own pace and schedule, yet with the benefit of the highest quality instructors to help you acquire the skills and knowledge you will need to successfully complete your online paralegal course.

You will learn the language of law, how cases are prepared for trial, how to conduct research and present this in a format that will assist lawyers in preparation for cases that effect the world in a vital way. Flexible, affordable study, the prospect of an exciting and influential career, the assurance of working in a high growth field -- with all of these reasons to begin your online paralegal course, why wait? Begin today!

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