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Q:
What is the difference between a paralegal and
an attorney?
A:
Excellent
question. An attorney is an individual with a
juris doctorate degree who, if properly
licensed, is authorized to practice law in a
particular geographic area or in front of a
particular court. This means that an attorney
may represent clients in court, render legal
advice, and sign court documents and other legal
papers. A paralegal, on the other hand, is a
professional who provides legal services under
the supervision of an attorney. A paralegal is
not allowed to represent clients in court,
render legal advice, or sign documents or other
legal papers. A paralegal typically evaluates
cases, conducts client and witness interviews,
drafts court pleadings and motions, performs
legal research, prepares legal documents,
manages and organizes case files, and helps
attorneys prepare for trials and hearings. Even
though a paralegal is not permitted to practice
law, an attorney relies heavily upon the work
performed by a paralegal. In fact, it is not
uncommon for a paralegal to know more about a
particular area of law than the attorney.
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Q:
Is the paralegal profession a respected
profession?
A:
Yes, there are
several professional organizations at both the
national and state level that promote the
interests of the paralegal profession and offer
paralegals support and networking services.
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Q:
Why would a person want to be a paralegal rather
than an attorney?
A:
Another good
question, and the answer may vary from
individual to individual. First, law school is
expensive — very expensive. Law school
graduates incur substantial debt, usually
extending into six figures ($100,000+).
Although attorneys have the potential to make a
lot of money, most new attorneys start at modest
salaries; some law school graduates have little,
if any, money left over after paying their
monthly student loan bills. Second, being an
attorney is stressful and is accompanied by the
potential of liability. A business client may
lose millions of dollars if a civil case is
lost, or a criminal defense client may be placed
on death row if a criminal case is lost. Being
a paralegal offers the best of both worlds:
although a paralegal is not allowed to practice
law, a paralegal nevertheless gets to perform
many of the tasks done by attorneys — without
much of the stress — and receives a respectful
salary in the process.
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Q:
How much money does a paralegal make?
A:
It depends on a
variety of factors. According to the 2004
National Utilization and Compensation Survey
Report published by the National Association of
Legal Assistants, the top three factors that
determine a paralegal’s compensation (salary
plus bonus) are level of general education,
population of the city, and years of
experience. In 2004, the national average
compensation of a paralegal was $46,862, the
national average compensation of a paralegal
with five or less years of experience was
$35,434, and the regional average compensation
of a paralegal in the plains states was $42,694.
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Q:
What is
the job market like?
A:
Again, it depends on
a variety of factors. Generally speaking, it is
easier to find employment as a paralegal in the
more populated cities, although some rural law
firms and governmental agencies do employ
paralegals. Incidentally, according to the
Occupational Outlook Handbook (2006-07)
published by the United States Department of
Labor, the paralegal profession is projected to
“grow much faster than average.”
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Q:
How will Iowa Lakes prepare me to become a
paralegal?
A:
Our curriculum
incorporates both the theoretical components of
learning the law and the practical aspects of
being a paralegal. For example, in our Wills,
Trusts and Estate Administration course, not
only will you learn about wills, but you will
also learn how to draft wills. In our Torts and
Litigation course, not only will you learn about
lawsuits, but you will also learn how to draft
lawsuits. Iowa Lakes invests in a variety of
practice manuals, legal software, and
computerized media to make the learning process
easier and more efficient so that you will know
what to do when you enter the real world.
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Q:
What is
the average class size?
A:
Although class size
varies from course to course, the typical
paralegal class is between 8 and 15 students.
The smaller class sizes facilitate class
discussion, an integral component of the
learning process that improves a future
paralegal’s analytical and communication skills.
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Q:
Where are
classes held?
A:
Most of the
paralegal courses are taught at the Estherville
Campus. Many of the general education courses
are taught at different campus locations,
including Estherville, Spencer, Spirit Lake,
Emmetsburg, and Algona.
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Q:
Are any of the classes offered on the Internet?
A:
A few of the
paralegal courses are offered on the Internet,
but most are taught face-to-face at the
Estherville Campus. This is because most of the
paralegal courses require hands-on work in order
to master particular skills. Students have
commented that the frequent hands-on activity
made it easier for them to learn new skills.
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Q:
Does the college have a law library?
A:
Yes, and it’s quite
impressive. Our law library is stocked with
thousands of volumes, including reporters (that
contain caselaw), statutes (that contain state
and federal laws), rule books (that contain
procedural court rules), and research aids,
including digests, legal encyclopedias, form
books, and legal manuals. In fact, most of the
paralegal courses are held in the law library.
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Q:
What about computerized legal research?
A:
We have that, too.
Each student enrolled in the Paralegal/Legal
Studies Program receives a password to Westlaw
and LEXIS, both of which offer computerized
legal research services. You may access Westlaw
and LEXIS over the Internet. You will learn how
to use Westlaw and LEXIS during the Legal
Research course.
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Q:
Is there an opportunity for me to participate on
a mock trial team?
A:
Yes. The trial team
consists of between 6 and 8 students who will
assume the roles of attorneys and witnesses in a
hypothetical civil or criminal case. The trial
team will practice between October and
February. Regional competitions are held in the
Midwest during January and February. National
competitions are held in March. A student may
receive up to 3 hours worth of Independent Study
credit for participating on the trial team.
Depending on student interest, the college may
have multiple trial teams.
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Q:
I’m thinking about going to law school. Will
the program benefit me?
A:
Yes. The courses
taught in our program are similar to those
taught at law school, although the law school
curriculum explores the law in greater detail
and is significantly more rigorous than a
typical paralegal program. That being said, a
paralegal program nevertheless provides a stable
academic foundation to a student who is thinking
about attending law school. If you are
considering law school as an option, be sure to
mention it to your advisor, who will probably
recommend an Associate in Arts Degree instead of
an Associate in Science Degree.
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Q:
Speaking of law school, how long does it take?
A:
In order to gain
admittance to law school, a student must have
obtained at least a bachelor’s degree from an
accredited college or university. In most
cases, a bachelor’s degree can be obtained in
four years. A typical law school degree, or
juris doctorate, can be obtained in three
years. This means that in most cases, at least
7 years of higher education is needed in order
to complete law school.
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Q:
I want
to continue on to a four-year college or
university after community college. Does the
program offer any transfer options?
A:
Yes. Iowa Lakes
Community College offers a two-plus-two transfer
program with Buena Vista University, which has
an office at the college’s Estherville campus.
After finishing two years at Iowa Lakes, a
student can seamlessly transfer to Buena Vista
and obtain a social science bachelor’s degree.
The two- plus-two transfer program is both
convenient and cost-effective. Be sure to tell
your advisor if you are interested in this
option.
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