I'm especially interested in hearing from lawyers who also had some training as paralegals, but anyone with knowledge in this area is welcome to chime in.
Law students learn the law, with emphasis on legal analysis/reasoning (so they can apply the law to the facts, and develop a plan for the client's situation).
Paralegal students also learn the law, but with emphasis on procedure (so they know how to implement what the attorney decides to do).
As a law student you are not only learning law, you are licensed to give advice. The training a paralegal gets is not as lenghty. A day course at a ABA credited University is 5 months (day) 10 months (night). I don't believe they are the same, if they were, why would anyone go to law school or viceversa why not become a lawyer?
yes yes yes yes yes
Is your friend in an Associate Program or Bachelors? You will find your law studies to be a lot more in depth than paralegal studies. That's one reason there is the potential for 100,000.00 per year pay differential!
Good luck to you both!
Although there is a lot of overlap, paralegal courses are a lot shorter and less intense than a law degree.
They will ultimately not be allowed to do some of the things regular lawyers do, eg. argue in court or sign legal documents.
They also usually get paid less. ;)
1. Classes are longer in law school. You have to have a bachelor's degree before you can get your Juris Doctor (JD) in law school. For paralegal studies, you either get the AS or BS in paralegal studies.
2. Law school is more expensive than paralegal studies.
3. You learn more subjects in law school - what you learn is usually geared towards passing the state's bar examination. There is no exam to pass for paralegals so they study/learn the more practical aspect of law, whereas law students learn the analytical / testing aspect of the law.
4. I think the best way to put it is - paralegals learn what they need to become paralegals. Law students learn what is needed to pass the bar exam.
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