The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

The paralegal profession has grown tremendously since it first appeared in the mid-1960's. There are now more than 120,000 paralegals in the United States. Presently, paralegals are involved in sophisticated legal work in traditional law office settings and in the corporate, government, and public arenas. The occupation has achieved recognition and has moved rapidly to professional stature.

All GES Paralegal students receive free access to NALA Campus certification exam prep and Westlaw!

Through a special arrangement between Gatlin Education and NALA Campus, your tuition includes free access to the seven (7) prep exam courses offered at the NALA Campus. Regardless whether you are eligible for, or plan to sit for the certification, the NALA Campus prep courses are a value-added extension of your paralegal education.

GES also provides all paralegal students with free access to Westlaw to complete their assigned research projects! Westlaw is an online legal research service that provides fast and easy access to an extensive collection of legal resources, news, business, and public records information. Students taking the paralegal course will benefit tremendously as they perform their legal research course assignments at the #1 rated online legal resource.

Obtaining a quality paralegal education is the best way to prepare for the paralegal profession. This self-paced, web-based program prepares students for an entry-level paralegal position. Students will be paired with an instructor for one-on-one assistance.

This training program is designed to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to both gain employment and successfully complete the National Association of Legal Assistants certification exam. Students in California with a bachelor’s degree will need one year of experience working for an attorney before they can use the term Paralegal (instead of NALA certification). California students with a bachelor’s degree can use this training program to gain employment working under the supervision of an attorney to meet the requirements of California Business and Professional Code §6450. To view the code click here. Students without a bachelor’s degree can use this training program to gain employment as a legal secretary.

Upon registering, you are given an initial six months to complete the program. Should you need more time, you may request a 6-month extension at no additional charge.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to describe:

• What a paralegal is.
• Common responsibilities and duties of paralegals.
• Types of positions available and common employers of paralegals.
• The paralegal's likely work environment.
• How paralegalism is regulated.
• Ethics for attorneys and paralegals.
• How the American legal system is structured, and how it operates.
• How to perform legal analysis.
• How to perform a legal interview.
• The legal investigation process.
• What makes a good witness?
• The duties of a litigation assistant in the four stages of litigation.
• Methods of legal research.
• Guidelines and proper etiquette for legal writing.
• How computers are used in the modern law office.
• What is commonly involved in law office administration?
• Methods of formal and informal administrative advocacy.
• The key terms associated with each chapter.

NALA Certification Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the CLA examination, a legal assistant must meet one of the following alternate requirements:

1. Graduation from a legal assistant program that is:
   • Approved by the American Bar Association; or
   • An associate degree program; or
   • A post-baccalaureate certificate program in legal assistant studies; or
   • A bachelor's degree program in legal assistant studies; or
   • A legal assistant program which consists of a minimum of 60 semester hours (900 clock hours or 90 quarter hours) of which at least 15 semester hours (225 clock hours or 22.5 quarter hours) are substantive legal courses.
2. A bachelor's degree in any field plus one year of experience as a legal assistant. Successful completion of at least 15 semester hours (or 22.5 quarter hours or 225 clock hours) of substantive legal assistant courses will be considered equivalent to one year's experience as a legal assistant.
3. A high school diploma or equivalent plus seven (7) years of experience as a legal assistant under the supervision of a member of the Bar, plus evidence of a minimum of twenty (20) hours of continuing legal education credit to have been completed within a two (2) year period prior to the examination date.

1. Paralegal in the Legal System
   
2. Paralegal Employment
   
3. On the Job Realities
   
4. Regulation of Paralegals
   
5. Attorney and Paralegal Ethics
   
6. Introduction to the Legal System
   
7. Introduction to Legal Analysis
   
8. Legal Interviewing
   
9. Investigation in a Law Office
   
10. Litigation Assistantship
    
11. Legal Research
    
12. Legal Writing
    
13. Introduction to the Use of Computers
    
14. Introduction to Law Office Administration
    
15. Informal and Formal Administrative Advocacy
    
16. Tort Law, Product Liability, & Consumer Law
    
17. Contracts and Intellectual Property Law
    
18. Insurance & Real Property Law
    
19. Estates & Family Law
    
20. Laws Affecting Business
    
21. Criminal Law & Procedures
    
22. Preparing for the CLA