Paralegal Blog

Gail Armatys, Co-Founder Center for Advanced Legal Studies

Honing and improving your paralegal skills will benefit you today, as well as in the long run. Improving and practicing your abilities and proficiencies isn't just for working paralegals. In fact, as a paralegal student you will want to continually acquire and develop skills that improve job performance. Now, and in the end, it's about making yourself crucial to the success of attorneys.

Regina Grabham Paralegal

I am a recent online graduate from the Center for Advanced Legal Studies (CALS).

From the moment I sent a request for information, CALS has been great. They contacted me within a day’s time and had me on my way to my career. My advisor was the one that first contacted me. She worked closely with me to get me in and make sure that I had everything that I needed along with making sure I understood how everything worked.

Of course, I was concerned about price.

My husband and I were only a couple of years into our marriage so we were still getting our feet under us. CALS worked with our payments to help make sure I could afford to go to school. Plus, when I paid tuition, I paid for the books as well. I didn’t have to worry about going out and finding the material. It was sent to me the week before my classes began.

The fact that I had to work while going to school was another of my concerns.

CALS understands that most people going to school now are working at the same time. They work with you. That’s what makes the online classes so great! My classes were in the evenings. The online classes were like sitting in a class room, but I didn’t have to get out of my sweats! I was able to learn in the comfort of my own home, with my family and still get the one-on-one attention that I needed. The classes were interactive so I could see my teacher and speak with them. The classes were also archived so if I needed to go back and hear the information again, I could.

The teachers are wonderful as well!

Not only were they knowledgeable about the topics they taught, they actually worked in the field. They could answer questions and gave me a sense of the reality and lifestyle that I was working toward. If I needed help, they were always available. I could email my questions, and in a matter of minutes or hours, they would have answered me. It was wonderful! I didn’t have to wait for office hours or driving out of my way. Sometimes they would even stay online a little after class to go over stuff if you didn’t understand. I am not big about asking questions in front of a huge group of people, so the layout of the online classes and the flexibility and personalities of the teachers made my learning experience a lot more pleasant for me.

Since I was a strictly online student, I needed to take 4 in person classes.

CALS helped me find schools that would work for me within driving distance. This was very helpful since not every school has paralegal based courses and I am not within a driving distance from the CALS’ main campus. I also found it very difficult to find a place to do my externship. I couldn’t seem to get past the front desk secretaries in the law offices in my area. The CALS’ staff stepped in and scheduled an interview for me, with the County Attorney’s Office no less, for my externship within a couple of days! I couldn’t have done that on my own!

Since I graduated, they haven’t stopped helping me.

Even though they aren’t in or around my area, they still stick their necks out to help me. I haven’t seen a single staff member in person, yet they treat me like I am there every day. They are helping me in my search for a full time paralegal job, but have already helped me get a part-time paralegal job and start my pre-law studies. Thank you to every staff member at the Center for Advanced Legal Studies! I couldn’t have done it without you all!

Gail Armatys Co-Founder & CAO Center for Advanced Legal Studies

When most people think of entering the legal profession, they immediately think of attending law school to become an attorney. However, the huge number of law school graduates combined with the scarcity of attorney jobs in recent years may lead would-be law students to consider another path: becoming a paralegal.