Can A Paralegal Work From Home?

Working in a law office is a fast-paced environment with both day-to-day tasks and those that need immediate attention. Because paralegals have to be available for court filings and research that the attorneys might need in a moment’s notice, not all law offices want their paralegals working remotely. However, just like many other industries changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, legal offices have made some changes, too, and the availability of remote paralegal jobs has increased over the past few years. 

That’s great news for individuals who want to earn a paralegal certificate and start a career working from home. However, in some circumstances, even remote workers will be expected to be available to meet clients in-office or complete filings in-person at the courthouse, though that is generally rare for people who have been hired for remote work. It’s always important to be clear on these types of technicalities when you’re looking to start a remote job.

What is working from home as a paralegal like?

 Just like paralegals who work from the office, remote paralegals are directly supervised by the attorney they’re working under. They will still be responsible for analyzing court records, researching case law, writing legal briefings or documents, and interviewing and corresponding with clients. The difference is that they’ll often do these tasks using online tools and virtual meeting applications. 

What do you need to work from home?

It’s a good idea to have a dedicated space for work when you’re working as a paralegal from your home. The meetings you’ll hold with clients need to remain confidential and private, and any paperwork you print off will need to be kept private as well.

When it comes to the paperwork, although much of that will remain digital, if you print anything off, you’ll need a place to lock it up so that it isn’t just sitting out. Attention to detail is key for paralegals, so you don’t want your pets or children getting into your work documents and accidentally messing them up at all. That would be a terrible last minute discovery! Not only that, but privacy is key when you’re working in the legal field. Locking up documents ensures that client information stays private.

You’ll need a strong internet connection as well. Nothing feels more embarrassing and frustrating than being in an online meeting with a client and having to deal with a sketchy internet connection. Not to mention, it feels unprofessional for the client to have to wait while you fiddle with your settings or try to move around your living space to find a better connection. Because you want to avoid looking like you don’t know what you’re doing and making the client ill-at-ease, you’ll want to be sure that your work space is either hard-wired into your internet connection or that your wireless connection is sufficiently strong otherwise. You might have to do some fiddling around with a wi-fi extender, but usually, there’s a quick fix to connectivity issues that you can solve before it becomes a problem in the middle of a meeting.

Where can you find remote paralegal jobs?

Being sure that your resumé is both up-to-date and uploaded to online job sites is a great way to start. Be sure that you’re searching specifically for remote positions, and in the interview, nail down what each company views as “remote.” Some companies, despite the negative backlash from applicants, will promote jobs as remote, only to let candidates know later in the hiring process that they expect their staff to come in a number of days each week. Taking the initiative to make sure your remote position is truly remote is a smart move to ensure you don’t sign on to a role you later regret.

Indeed and Flexjobs are two sites that are great for filtering for both paralegal work and remote positions. 

Washington Technical Institute

If working as a paralegal is your goal, Washington Technical Institute’s fully online paralegal certificates can be completed in a matter of months, with daily start dates. Such flexible start dates make these programs unique and much more accessible for our students. An additional benefit of WTI’s programs is that we offer affordable pricing and monthly payments to help our students leave school without debt. 

We offer an 8 month, 15 credit National Paralegal Certificate for individuals who want to investigate what paralegal work is all about; a 12 month, 33 credit Senior Paralegal Certificate for those who want to go a bit more in-depth with their studies and have more range for job opportunities; and a 16 month, 45 credit Master Paralegal Certificate for motivated students who want to get the most out of their training and take one of the national certification exams through paralegal associations like NALA or NALS.

Although our goal is to help our students graduate their programs with little to no debt, we also recognize that some students might need to utilize a loan for their educational investment. We are excited to announce our partnerships with Climb Credit or Ascent, student lending companies focused on financing career-building programs. 

If you’re ready to enroll and start your training to enter a high-paying career without a college degree, you can register for your program online through our website. Still have questions about our programs? Feel free to call us at 800-371-5581 or text us at 952-465-3702. Our admissions specialists will be happy answer whatever questions you have.

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Advance your education with an accredited certificate program from Washington Technical Institute (WTI). WTI is Regionally accredited by the Middle States Association CESS, and licensed by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education as an institution of higher learning.

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Washington Technical Institute is Regionally accredited by the Middle States Association CESS, and licensed by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education as an institution of higher learning