Para Legal Class this summer to prepare for law school Forum

[Headybrah]

So my professor said I should look into taking a para legal course this summer to prepare for law school.
He said I would be ahead of the game come 1L and blow my classmates away if I took the class.

Is it worth it, its super expensive and 9 weeks long.
but if it gives me a leg up its def worth it!

[Kobe_Teeth]

I think it would help you become a better lawyer but not necessarily a better law student. A lot of people on here insist there's a difference.

[solidsnake]

Will probably help only with lrw. But why the hell would take anything to prep for law school? You're going to be working your ass off once in you're in your first year of law school. See, e.g., my Friday night. Enjoy your summer, 0L.

[Rocketman11]

Sounds like your professor is trying to breed gunners. I don't think this is a good idea. It's not going to be a netive I'm sure but I think it wouldn't be the golden egg you think

[Kiersten1985]

a) paralegal is one word.

b) don't ever do this

[Rocketman11]

a) paralegal is one word.

b) don't ever do this

i assumed he was mexican and didnt know better.

hey hey! spanish joke ftw.

[ughOSU]

So my professor said I should look into taking a para legal course this summer to prepare for law school.
He said I would be ahead of the game come 1L and blow my classmates away if I took the class.

Is it worth it, its super expensive and 9 weeks long.
but if it gives me a leg up its def worth it!

First of all, awesome username.

Second, there are plenty of opinons on this site about 0L prep for law school, and none of them say anything about a paralegal course. You should look into the opinions of people who have had successful 1L years and do something along those lines if you want to, but personally can not see how a paralegal class would ensure that you'd "blow your classmates away".

Third, I work as a paralegal, and I don't think it will help me much at all in law school. The impression that I get from the people in my office who have taken a paralegal certification course/program is that it's mainly training for working with lawyers, and basic document organization.

However, I am a 0L who has not taken a paralegal course, so I can't speak with first hand knowledge on either thing.

[BizOwner]

I am currently taking paralegal studies classes at the local CC. They are taught by the States Attorney and other assistant SAs. The classes overview legal topics that will be explored in more depth in law schools but give good introductions. At the very least you will become familiar with a lot of the latin lingo and potentially minimize initial stumbling because of vocabulary once in law school.

If you decide to take them, expect breadth not depth.

[Pearalegal]

def worth it!

So many more things before law school would be so much more worth it.

For no other reason but to save yourself the "super expensive," tuition while you're already staring at a whole lot of debt--bartend.

I'm finishing up 2 years as a paralegal and thats what I'll be doing.

[lallygag]

First of all, awesome username.

Second, there are plenty of opinons on this site about 0L prep for law school, and none of them say anything about a paralegal course. You should look into the opinions of people who have had successful 1L years and do something along those lines if you want to, but personally can not see how a paralegal class would ensure that you'd "blow your classmates away".

Third, I work as a paralegal, and I don't think it will help me much at all in law school. The impression that I get from the people in my office who have taken a paralegal certification course/program is that it's mainly training for working with lawyers, and basic document organization.

However, I am a 0L who has not taken a paralegal course, so I can't speak with first hand knowledge on either thing.

+1

Not sure if it would be entirely worth it...Working as a paralegal has helped me understand how a law firms functions and what lawyers do in general, but nothing crazy. It's been helpful in that I've learned some of the lingo (motions, memos, brief, etc.) and their function but I don't know how to write them up and that would come in handy for LS. Speaking to a 1L she advised going through some study guides (like Emmauels Law Outlines) to ease 0L worries. This might be helpful and you would already be reviewing from the books you'd be using in LS.

[MeTalkPrettyOneDay]

Will it help? Maybe. Will it help as much as sitting on your butt all summer so you can unwind before law school? No, not at all. Not even close. Take some time to relax.

[RVP11]

I was a paralegal for a year.

Helped a tiny bit in having familiarity with some CivPro terms and the general progression of a lawsuit. It hasn't helped in any other way.

[lawschoollll]

for the love of christ do not do this

[TTH]

If you're gonna throw good money after bad, take LEEWS.

[Duralex]

I'm close to done w/a paralegal cert. I didn't do it for pre-law purposes, but rather for employment purposes (now, and possibly summers.) I've also worked as a litigation assistant for years and wanted to formalize that work-experience (as it was at a family firm) and be able to go beyond the areas in which I was trained prior to the enactment of California's cert requirements (theoretically I'm grandfathered for all purposes, but practically speaking it's good to have a clue what you're doing.)

The comment above re: breadth vs. depth is right on. Most paralegal courses are going to be a broad survey of topics--the most valuable part of it is likely to be getting experience with the basics of LRW and slogging through familiarizing yourself with some basic materials and methods in advance (like the FRCP, FRE and the use of Westlaw etc.)

It has also occurred to me that a paralegal cert and work experience *might* make me a more attractive candidate in the OCI process, as it means I could be billed out more profitably, but on the other hand it also suggests that one isn't a totally blank slate which some employers might not love.

All in all, I wouldn't do a paralegal cert unless you think it can help you make a few bucks on the side or you may need/want to work in the legal industry while awaiting another app cycle--not just for LS prep.

[ughOSU]

It has also occurred to me that a paralegal cert and work experience *might* make me a more attractive candidate in the OCI process, as it means I could be billed out more profitably, but on the other hand it also suggests that one isn't a totally blank slate which some employers might not love.

I think it's far more the WE than the certificate that will help you during OCI.