Others accept high school graduates or persons with legal experience. A few schools require standardized tests and personal interviews. Most legal assistant programs are completed in 2 years, although some take as long as 4 years and others only a few months. Some schools offer general legal assistant training with courses in many different areas of the law, including legal research techniques. Others provide training in specialized areas of the law, such as real estate, estate planning and probate, litigation, family law, contracts, criminal law, and income taxation.
Many employers prefer applicants with training in a specialized areas of the law.
Many legal assistant training programs include an internship in which students gain practical experience by working in a law office, corporate legal department, or government agency. Depending on the program, graduates may receive a certificate, an associate degree, or, in some cases, a bachelor's degree in legal assistance. Prospective students should examine the experiences of recent graduates of programs in which they are considering enrolling. Currently, paralegals need not be certified. The National Association of Paralegals, however, has established standards for voluntary certification which require various combinations of education and experience.