Customer Reviews

Paralegal Career For Dummies

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book says it all! I have been instructing paralegal courses for fifteen years, and have seen and used many texts. This one is by far one of the best, if not the best! It clearly and concisely covers pretty much everything a paralegal should know in an easy to understand format. The CD included with the book contains samples of documents and references to many, many important resources. I would highly recommend it for practicing paralegals, as well as anyone interested in the field of paralegalism! While the book is not a substitute for formal education, it goes a long way towards filling in the gaps in education for paralegals trained "in-house," as well as for those who have completed (or plan to complete) a paralegal program.

This is the first "for Dummies" book that I have purchased and I must say it is great for the beginning paralegal student as well as a paralegal graduate students. This book is a great refresher! When I purchased the book I was able to recap legal research and writing courses that I had completed a couple semesters ago. I was in the process of taking business law and ethics and this book helped me to understand the basics of the two courses I was about to explore as well as refreshed my memory on past courses. I will refer back to this book as a reference. This book really does cover EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW about the paralegal profession!!!

The reason I gave this a 4 star is because the legal documents on the CD are pretty basic, although they provide good information for things to include in these documents, the CD does not provide an in-depth look at the complete documents to file or send, just an idea. The CD is useful when it comes to learning more about the system and I must say this CD does have a pretty good idea of what to include in your resume and cover letter. In conclusion, the book is great but the CD should be referred to as a beginning idea of what goes into legal documents and not a template.

As an online paralegal student at the Washington Online Learning Institute, (WOLI) for short, I bought this book towards the end of my certificate program. It was quite useful in putting a lot of information in perspective. I had a course in career preparation at WOLI and this book reinforced and expanded upon that information so the combination of knowledge from WOLI and this book was really powerful. This book is basic, but it is accurate and very useful for someone entering the field. I ended up with a job just two weeks after graduating and this book helped for sure. So I would recommend it. I think it is interesting that Amazon bundles this book with the Statsky paralegal book because we used the Statsky book in three courses at WOLI. So I would recommend both books, actually. This is a good book for a person who is serious about entering the paralegal field, but keep in mind you should really get certified if you want to be truly successful. The days of just learning on the job are pretty much over, especially in terms of advancement in a law firm, which is a valid point made in this book. Recommended.

Are you thinking of becoming a legal professional? Have you considered a career as a paralegal? Paralegals are legal professionals who assist lawyers but don't have to spend 3 years in law school!

If you are thinking of becoming a paralegal this may be the book for you. Paralegal Career for Dummies gives you an in-depth picture of the profession and introduces you to some of the concepts you will be working with as a paralegal. By the time you have completed this informative book and the accompanying CD-ROM you will not only know much more about the paralegal profession, but also how to get started on your paralegal career.

David Newland, J.D.

I originally purchased this book for my friend, who was considering pursuing a paralegal certificate to help with a career change. Before giving it to him, I managed to read this book in its entirety. With only my brief academic background in law (Business Law I&II, and Law of the Workplace) I found this book to be an enjoyable, easy read, and full of useful information and insight into the paralegal industry. (Not to mention a CD full of bonus material.)

I also found it intriguing that this book was written by the founders of The Center for Legal Studies, providers of paralegal courses in many of this country's junior colleges. (The same course, as it were, that my friend will be taking in the coming months.) While I don't know how good it will be as preparation for the course, I'm relatively certain that the two have some interrelated elements that may prove useful.

I like this book. This book is educational, but, as the title implies, it is maintains a focus on one's actual career.

Don't get me wrong, it is informative, and provides a high-level overview of technical paralegal tasks, but the book's primary goal is to explain the personal and professional ramifications of choosing to become a paralegal. It covers WHO should be a paralegal, WHY to be a paralegal, and HOW to become a paralegal.

Finally, the authors' collective teaching and legal experience is translated into a clear and even fun reading experience.

I am currently a full time paralegal student. I will be graduating in December 2007. This book has covered some of the same information I have learned in my courses. If you are a paralegal student, or someone who may be thinking about going to school to become a paralegal student. I would recommend that you purchase this book. The DVD is superb with example of memo's, briefs, resumes.This is a must have for anyone who is a paralegal for your library reference.. I want to thank the authors of this book so much.

Prior to my purchase, my knowledge as to what a paralegal does was very limited. My rationale for buying this book was to gain an in-depth understanding into the paralegal profession. Thankfully, I found everything I was looking for and more. This book taught me the pros and cons of the profession. It gave me the warning signs to avoid. Finally, it helped me determine which route to pursue....law school or paralegal studies? The book provided a realistic comparison between the two in terms of cost of attendance(school);starting salaries;and the amount of practical experience gained or lost. I especially liked the CD-Rom attached with helpful forms and checklists. At this point in my life, becoming a paralegal is best suited for me rather than becoming an attorney.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interesting in the paralegal profession or undecided which course to take between ascertaining a law degree or bachelors or masters degree in paralegal studies.

Lanay-
Washington DC

a must have for anyone new to the legal field or anticipating a career in the future; this reference book now sits beside my legal dictionary and will be used often

Book is very informative in the subject Paralegal. It provides the basics that's taught in textbooks at the community colleges. It provids a review of the various aspects of a paralegal career without overwelming you with contents. It provides very good and basic information.