Legal Question in Environmental Law in Louisiana

I am 43 years old and have decided to go back and finish college. I want to be a Paralegal and a Mediator. Our local university has a Paralegal course, our local Technical college has a Criminal Justice Course and one pertaining to all aspects of Secretarial work. My question is - do lawyers prefer to hire Paralegals who have a "Paralegal" (2 year degree) or Criminal Justice?


Asked on 6/23/10, 1:56 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Hardy Parkerson Retired Attorney; now Law Professor

Dear LawGuru Friend,

My thinking is that a lawyer or law firm

would be more inclined to hire a graduate

with a degree in paralegal science/studies

than a degree in criminal justice. To me,

Criminal Justice says policeman. To me,

paralegal says "lawyer without a law

license." I would recommend that you

look into the possibility of signing up with

one of those California law schools that will

allow you to study law On Line and/or by the

Distance Learning Method, and then you

can receive a Juris Doctor degree and even

become licensed to practice law in

California. Whether or not you elected to

go to California to practice law or stay in

Louisiana and "practice law" as a para-legal

would be up to you. And my thinking is that

most lawyers who would want to engage in

mediation would prefer a mediator who is

trained in the Civil Law and law of civil

litigation and conflict resolution, rather than

one who is trained in Criminal Justice. Again,

to me, Criminal Justice says "cop". Nevertheless,

whichever course of study you choose, I wish you

the best of luck. If I can ever be of help to you in

any way, please feel free to call on me.

Sincerely,

Hardy Parkerson, J.D.

Tulane Law, Class of 1966

Retired Lawyer after 41 Years of Law and Trial Practice

127 Greenway Street

Lake Charles, LA 70605

[email protected]

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Answered on 6/23/10, 11:53 pm


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