Many paralegals specialize in a particular practice area of the law.
Paralegal programs should build upon their core curriculum by requiring students to successfully complete legal specialty courses designed to teach the specialized knowledge paralegals need to know in order to work in one or more of these paralegal specialty areas. Some paralegal programs may combine the core courses with a single specialty area while others may offer a wide variety of alternative specialty courses. Depending upon the length of the academic term and the number of class meetings involved, some specialty areas may require the completion of more than one course. The decision as to which specialty areas are offered should be based on job opportunities in the local market and the availability of faculty expertise. AAfPE membership requirements include that 18 semester hours at a minimum be devoted to the combination of paralegal core and specialty courses.