January 12, 2007
by Joe Taylor
Local Education Columnist
The mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio recently announced an initiative called "GO Cincinnati," designed to revitalize the job market in the city's oldest neighborhoods. Looking beyond the typical growth plans of adding retail and restaurants, the initiative's advisors have emphasized the need for career education. By working with paralegal schools, the city hopes to create even more jobs in the legal assisting field and other criminal justice specialties.
By combining this new initiative with career education funding for students at paralegal schools, the city hopes to make it easier for working adults to gain paralegal certification. Cincinnati's established community of law firms, banks, and social service agencies often complain that they have more legal assisting jobs than qualified applicants to fill them.
Starting a paralegal career does not require going to law school. Adults who have already completed a bachelor's degree can actually earn an American Bar Association-approved professional certificate in as little as nine months. High school graduates can enroll in part-time and online legal assisting courses that allow them to complete their career education while maintaining work and family commitments.
Paralegal Schools Offer Easier Route to Legal Career
Without the strict admission guidelines and high tuition bills of law schools, paralegal schools can attract a diverse array of students who want to put their life experience to new use. Directors of paralegal schools often remark that some of their most successful graduates combine their legal assistant training with career education from another field--like business, medicine, or teaching --and work in a specialized area.
Cincinnati leaders hope that a growing number of paralegal school graduates will help lure more employers to city-sponsored development projects. With the extra money from their new careers, legal assistants can move into Cincinnati's new mixed-use developments, bringing the revitalization plan full circle.
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About the Author
Author and business coach, Joe Taylor Jr. helps professionals change careers. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Ithaca College.
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