If you're looking for a career as a paralegal, finding the right school can be challenging. Not only should you be looking for a top ranked education, but you should be looking to ensure job placement after completing your degree. While there are a lot of items to consider when looking into a paralegal program, few aspects are as critical as being approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). ABA approval is a mark of excellence within the legal profession.

According to the American Bar Association, "Law schools approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) provide a legal education which meets a minimum set of standards as promulgated by the ABA. Every jurisdiction in the United States has determined that graduates of ABA-approved law schools are able to sit for the bar in their respective jurisdictions. The role that the ABA plays as the national accrediting body has enabled accreditation to become unified and national in scope rather than fragmented, with the potential for inconsistency, among the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,

ABA approved Paralegal institutions offer Associate of Applied Science, Post Degree Certificate, (only those who have already obtained a bachelor or associate degree are qualified). Bachelor of Science degree on Paralegal Studies and Certificate in Legal Nurse Consulting are two other programs offered by ABA approved paralegal study institutions.

Training is an essential part in becoming a paralegal. Without proper paralegal training an individual will not be able to handle the challenges of working for an attorney. In fact, most attorneys will not hire someone without paralegal training. Additionally, most lawyers prefer working with paralegals who have obtained a certificate through an ABA Approved program.

Also problematic is the fact that most of the ranking are based, at least in part, on the subjective opinions of individuals at the various schools. Of course, such subjective opinions are likely to simply reinforce the historical opinions regarding the "top tier" law schools. Indeed, if you look at these rankings historically, you will find that they really haven't changed much over the years.

A career in Law can be very stressful, but also very satisfying and lucrative. The average annual income for practicing attorneys is between $64,000 and $143,000. Lawyers employed in the private sector are typically paid more than those who practice in the public sector.

If you are just starting out with no related experience or education in law, you might want to get your feet wet with a course in Legal and Paralegal. A legal paralegal course would be a great testing ground to see if you are really ready to start on the path to law school, and it would give you the leading edge once your legal studies begin in earnest.

This can be helpful to know since there are more than one thousand institutions which are offering paralegal courses. Going through each of them so that you can be able to determine the ones that are offering ABA approved paralegal courses can be quite a hassle.

When you are looking into an online law degree program, it is important to check whether the program has the proper accreditation. That usually means accreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA), which is the leading national association for attorneys in the United States. If the program you take does not have the approval of the ABA, then you will not be allowed to sit for a bar exam in any state with the possible exception of California. (Programs accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California may qualify law students to sit for the bar exam, but only in California.)