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This question is about legal assistant education.
What degree do you need to be a legal assistant?
To be a legal assistant, you do not need a degree, but will need to graduate from a paralegal program. You can also start out as a clerk or assistant in a law office and working your way up through promotions.
Most states do not have a legal requirement governing who can work as a legal assistant; however, most law offices prefer a legal assistant with some post-secondary education.
California is one of the few exceptions to this rule. In the state of California, legal assistants are required to have college credit hours in legal assistant studies and a bachelor's degree or legal assistant certification in order to obtain licensure.
While not required, it is ultimately better for an aspiring legal assistant to complete some college education. The most common approaches are to get an associate's degree in legal assistant studies or to earn a legal assistant certificate with a bachelor's degree in another subject (e.g, criminal justice).
Obtaining a degree from a legal assistant approved program is ideal as these programs are viewed with more prestige by employers and professional organizations. Having a formal education will also make legal assistants more likely to succeed in their jobs as they have been trained in key legal topics and procedures.
Having a bachelor's degree in any field plus at least 6 months of paralegal experience under the supervision of a licensed attorney would also be beneficial.
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