Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Paralegals And Legal Assistants
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Whatcom Community College, South Puget Sound Community College, Columbia Basin College, and Tacoma Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider University of Washington Seattle and Central Washington.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Highline Community College, South Puget Sound Community College, Edmonds Community College, and Tacoma Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Skagit Valley College, Edmonds Community College, Clark, and Columbia Basin College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Washington Seattle and Central Washington.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Central Washington, University of Washington Seattle, Skagit Valley College, and Edmonds Community College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Washington Seattle.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Washington Seattle and Central Washington.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Spokane Community College • Spokane, WA
Studying Paralegal Studies (completion in 2012)
• 5/5/2011
"I feel like my school has prepared me to for a career in the paralegal/legal secretary field. The high expectations of the courses prepare students for the potential high-pressure faced in the legal field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | SCC is the only ABA approved school on the east side of Washington state and offers an education that you can't get anywhere else in this area. The teachers are supportive and graduates of this program are attractive to employers. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Bob Loomis was a recognized attorney when he was working full-time in Insurance Defense. He still actively practices but he has spent considerable time creating the paralegal program at Spokane Community College (SCC), a program that garners respect in the community. When I talk to other firms I notice how highly they speak of my program and of Mr. Loomis. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The curriculum is fast-paced and stimulating. Bob Loomis is the director of the program and is an amazing teacher. He creates a learning environment that is conducive to questions and complete answers. I have been in classes where the instructor is more interested making students confused. Bob, however, makes sure that you understand the material and why it is relevant. |
| Instruction | 10 | Please see my previous answer. The instruction is done mostly through the Program Director and he takes a very personal interest in each student to ensure their success. The program is structured to allow a student to work and go to school and also provides numerous employment opportunities in area law firms throughout the year(s). |
| How Difficult | 7 | The workload can be challenging but it forces you to adapt and learn to multi-task and prioritize because that is what you will have to do once you go into the field. The first year is mostly in-class study and preparation while the second year consists of a lot of homework and drafting as well as more complex legal theory. The tests get progressively harder. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the classes in my program are not book based. The book is used for examples and as a resource for studying. The classroom education style is lecture based with question and answer sessions. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | There are many options, but to complete the program in 2 years a student must take certain classes in a certain order and meticulously plan the matriculation. Due to budget cuts there is even less room for error when planning. There are only one or two night classes per quarter and no classes offered on weekends. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Bob Loomis has provided access to many legal professional journals and subsequently provides them to the library for student perusal. Because our program is ABA approved, the media resources must be of a certain caliber. Study support groups are not school affiliated but the students do a great job of taking underclassmen under their wing and teaching them study skills. Classroom space is good, as there are always enough seats. No one is left in the back wondering what is going on in the class because they can't see or hear well. The classrooms are very accommodating as well. |
| Social Life | 9 | There are not many school sponsored social activities that pertain specifically to the Paralegal program, but the college does hold many different dances, tail-gate parties before sports events, and lectures on very diverse topics (from social awareness to green technology to the Art of Politics). There are many student clubs that often other activities. |
| Placement Services | 7 | The school does not actively go and find jobs for students or graduated but there are many opportunities in the Career Center that students can peruse and seminars offered weekly for resume and cover letter building. Bob Loomis also has many contacts all over the area that notify him when there are openings in their firms. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I know very little about our program's alumni support. I know that when there are openings in firms prior students work at, they contact the Program Director and this allows current students to get a 'foot-in-the-door' and a good reference for future work. But that's about all I know. |
Tacoma Community College • Tacoma, WA
Studying Paralegal Certificate (completion in 2005)
• 12/30/2011
"I liked the learning programs. The social aspect could have been better."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The learning was good. Also, making friends was easy. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I have not heard of it outside the school. The school overall is good, though. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The teachers were great. I liked the support staff as well. |
| Instruction | 7 | The teachers were great. There were some exceptions, however. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The books were pretty easy. The tests and homework were hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We read a lot. We also took field trips. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They had lots of options. They offered many times. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The support staff was great. There were no accessible computers, due to construction. |
| Social Life | 7 | The other students were nice. There were no activities, though. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They got me a job. Not the one I studied for, though. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I don't think the network was very far-reaching. If you did not live near the school, it was impossible to attend events. |
Renton Technical College • Renton, WA
Studying Paralegal Studies (completion in 2005)
• 1/4/2012
"It should have had better job placement, and flexibility to do things online or at home. I would not recommend taking this course to a single mom."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The education was great, and the experience helped me a lot in fitting in at both the courts and the office. However, if you are looking to be more than just a legal secretary you need additional resources. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I know that another local community college (Highline) has a better reputation for their curriculum and job placement. |
| Program Quality | 10 | We had excellent instructors who helped us learn everything from organization techniques to citations. |
| Instruction | 10 | We had all-day instruction with field trips to courts and law firms to watch what we would be doing and meet people in the field. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It was challenging, but not impossible. It takes a lot of attention to detail to work in law. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We used real documents all day, every day. We went to courts to learn how to file, do research online, and even get in direct contact with others in the field. It was much better than when we did book work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | It was 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM every day and if you had financial aid you had to be there all day every . It was challenging with a child in daycare. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | The instructor was directly available almost any time, but no one else was made available. She took class time to teach us how to do a resume and cover letter. This could have been done with a job lab that I have seen at other schools. |
| Social Life | 10 | We were all female so it was very fun to bond with women from ages 18 to 44. We did a lot of activities outside of class together and many of us still are in touch. |
| Placement Services | 1 | My instructor made a phone call to ask about an internship for me. However, no efforts were made to find the office I ended up working for; I did all the leg work on my own. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I have never been contacted by the school after graduation. The school did not help me in any type of job placement or follow up training. |
University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying Sociology (completion in 2001)
• 3/19/2012
"I learned a lot during my years at the University of Washington. However, the degree of networking I gained from the University has been even more valuable then the education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Those pursuing a career as a paralegal or legal assistant would fare better from attending a two-year program or a four-year university that offered a Paralegal course. I would recommend the University of Washington for a four year degree, if a potential Paralegal also took a certificate course through a business school or a two-year community college. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | There are several well-known professors in the field of Sociology who teach at the University of Washington. Many of the professors are authors and are Nationally known speakers. |
| Program Quality | 8 | University of Washington has a great program for Sociology. However, it does not specifically prepare students to be paralegals. Would need a Paralegal specific program to be helpful. |
| Instruction | 5 | Again, the school did not have a Paralegal specific major or certificate. They would need to implement a program that teaches how to prepare filings, research legal issues, and otherwise manage legal documents to support attorneys. |
| How Difficult | 5 | My Sociology program was sufficiently challenging. However, since I enjoyed the subject matter, it made the challenge fun. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of my classes required heavy reading assignments. There was not much in terms of hands-on assignments, except in a few statistics-type classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The University of Washington offers day and evening classes, along with some online options. There are multiple branches in the area so you can take courses in several places. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The University is well-funded and updates their facilities often. The libraries are very large and host materials across the board for a variety of majors. |
| Social Life | 10 | I was a sorority member. There were plenty of opportunities to participate in philanthropic events and school activities such as sports events and political events. There is a lot of school pride when it comes to sports. |
| Placement Services | 3 | There is a career center, but there is not much emphasis placed on utilizing the center. I felt that the emphasis was put more on letting former students inform the center where they got work after graduating, rather then helping place students. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The University of Washington is consistently reaching out to inform me of upcoming events put on by the Sociology Department. They offer seminars at least quarterly and encourage interaction. |
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