Author: Jeff Coruccini

Paralegal Institute partners with industry leader in helping legal professionals gain employment

We are super excited to partner with an industry leader in placing legal professionals in the legal industry. The Morton Group a Scottsdale, Arizona based company owned and operated by Sue Morton is someone we are proud to partner with as her company has been placing legal professionals in the industry for over 32 years. Her experience, industry knowledge, ethics, and professionalism makes us fortunate to have an opportunity to partner in a way that will help our students.

Both Paralegal Institute and The Morton Group are passionate about helping those who want a successful career in the legal field as our goal is to further develop a Paralegal or Nurse Paralegal Pathway that includes opportunities for students/learners with no experience to take advantage of entry level (i.e. receptionist, Paralegal Assistant, Legal Project assistant, etc.) opportunities in law firms which is a great way to starting a legal career.

Over the next few months we will be sharing opportunities to learn more about what it takes to start a career in the legal field. Students attending the Paralegal Institute will have an opportunity to hear about this growing industry directly from Sue Morton. She will be conducting webinars on many topics, the first one in May 2021 will address the importance of “Treating your job search like a project”.

Again, we are honored to work with The Morton Group on our quest to help our students gain important employability skills.

Paralegal Institute named a best Top Entry-Level, Pre-Degree Paralegal Certificate Program in Arizona

We were excited to hear ParalegalEDU.org named us one of the top entry-level, pre-degree paralegal certificate programs in Arizona. We are very proud of the fact that our program will prepare you to be a paralegal assistant, legal assistant or legal project assistant. Their contributors at ParalegalEDU.org and staff have worked hard and their efforts represent a joint effort of up-and-coming paraprofessionals in the field of law, experienced paralegals, and an independent team of web developers that brought the two together to achieve their mission.

When you compare our program one of our main differentiators is that we really try to focus on three (3) key areas: Legal, Paralegal Technology and Administrative Support. As is the case with our paralegal studies certificate the core of the program is around legal research/analysis/writing and litigation and trial practice. Students receive a formal introduction to law by examining sources of American law, the court system and alternative dispute resolution, substantive law in its various forms, as well as administrative law and government regulation.

Paralegal Technology is a topic that is gaining speed even offered with some Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs in high school. Due to the growth of this field its important learners are exposed to software (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.) and other office applications (i.e. document systems, Outlook, CRM’s, etc.) that are required to successfully support office staff.

Business communication skills are another key requirement and a growing skill set that needs to be established early in one’s legal career. We are excited to begin offering a specific online business communication skills course with this program effective May 1st, 2021. We see the demand for this a certification program tied to communication skills for other career pathways as well.

Once again, we are humbled by this acknowledgement as our goal is to continue to get better with our paralegal certificate program offerings, so our learners have the best online learning experience.

Paralegal vs. Legal Assistant? Either way the legal field is in a serious growth mode.

Paralegal Assistants are in high demand. Therefore, the industry is also seeing more of a “hybrid” role , to fill the gap and creating somewhat of a “pathway” for the paralegal industry. So our goal becomes how can we create a great Paralegal career pathway experience at The Paralegal Institute.

An article published late last year went in depth as to comparing a Paralegal’s role vs. a Legal assistant. The roles are different, paralegals are more involved with the actual technicalities of the law, whereas legal assistants undertake broader tasks.  This is why The Paralegal Institute is continuing to improve programs to match the needs to this growing career and the demand.
Our research has identified three (3) key area’s job candidates, with no experience, need to ensure they have the skill set for in this industry.
First and foremost business communication skills are at the forefront. Now more than every being able to successfully communicate verbally, written and knowledge of the proper communication channels (i.e. when to call, text or email) and when is the right time to use them is key.
Second, becoming resourceful how to leverage the people, process, tools and technology to get the job done is a skill within it self. This is really drives to honing those critical thinking skills as well.
Finally, technology, yes understanding the types of software and billing applications in this industry is very important. The sooner you can become exposed to these applications the more chance of success you have to be ready for an exciting job in an upward mobility career.