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Paralegal Training: Filling the Skills Gap

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A paralegal’s responsibilities are broad and all-encompassing, with the position wearing many hats in a legal department. The description for the role of paralegal varies depending on the source and has changed over time – but consistent in these definitions is the importance and impact of a paralegal. The American Bar Association redefined the term in February of 2020, stating “a paralegal is a person, qualified by education, training or work experience… who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.”

While this definition is vague, leaving room for the wide range of tasks, it highlights the need for paralegal training. There is currently a high demand for paralegals, but many positions remain unfilled due to a skills gap. Not enough paralegals come out of college with the right training. This is costly for law firms, as each paralegal vacancy loses an average of $30,000 per month. The hiring process is expensive for organizations, taking valuable time and running the risk of hiring underprepared talent.

A solution to this gap is Last Mile Training by BARBRI, providing skilled paralegals who can hit the ground running from day one. This program was created in partnership with CLS by BARBRI, utilizing their core content which has a rich 40-year history of training paralegals. Last Mile Training allows your firm to be intentional about building a pipeline of qualified professionals to meet long-term financial and staffing goals.

Proper paralegal training boosts employee retention, reduces spending on internal hiring, and speeds the process to billable hours. Unlike a traditional legal support staff recruiter, the Last Mile Training Program takes qualified college students with an interest in a legal career and provides comprehensive training, preparing these professionals to fill paralegal roles. The training includes areas heavily in need, such as Immigration Law, Intellectual Property, and Estate Planning.

Legal organizations cannot afford vacancies in their paralegal workforce. These workers are essential to legal processes and qualified training increases the value of this position. Gain a pipeline of talented critical thinkers, ready to work in the practice areas most needed by law firms. Last Mile Training enables attorneys to focus on lawyering, with a tailored solution to the paralegal skills gap.

Contact
Katie Saylor
[email protected]
913-219-4444

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