Whether you’re a longtime paralegal or just starting out, top universities offer free online classes to help you sharpen your skills.
Whether you’re a working paralegal wanting to hone your skills or interested in stepping into a paralegal career for the first time, there are a host of free paralegal courses online to help give you a competitive edge.
Online courses can help you build the skills earned during a paralegal degree program and unlock new, high-demand skills in areas like AI, data analytics, and more. Many reputable colleges and universities offer free paralegal courses online, including Duke, Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Yale.
Here’s a list of just some of the free paralegal courses you can take to sharpen your legal skills.
Featured Online Bachelor’s in Paralegal Studies Programs
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Free Paralegal Courses Online
A wide range of online courses are available to help sharpen your skills as a paralegal, whether you’re just starting out or a longtime legal professional. Online courses are available from both individual school websites, online hosting platforms like Udemy, and professional organizations.
Introduction to International Criminal Law: This course covers the fundamentals of international criminal law, including war crimes, terrorism, piracy, and more. You can learn about both the history and evolution of international criminal law and issues surrounding its present state, such as extradition processes. Both aspiring and current paralegals who want to specialize in international law can take this course to learn more about its history and process.
FinTech Law and Policy: Financial technology (FinTech) is a broad term that deals with technology that assists or even automates finance for businesses and consumers alike. That wide and fast-growing field includes everything from direct payment platforms like Venmo to online investment services and even cryptocurrency. Given the rapid growth of that field, paralegals with an expertise in law and policy around FinTech will be in high demand, and this course can prepare students at all levels of their career to handle this ever-evolving field.
Think Again I: How to Understand Arguments: This course covers how to understand and dissect an argument. As paralegals help attorneys prepare for both civil and criminal trials, a logical understanding of the elements of a sound (or unsound) argument can help in terms of both research and strategy.
American Government: Constitutional Foundations: The U.S. Constitution forms the foundation of all law in the United States. An understanding of the Constitution is vital for anyone practicing civil or legal law. This course covers the fundamentals of the Constitution, individual rights in the United States, and U.S. political culture.
Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract: This course covers the fundamentals of how to form contracts, the limits to enforcing a contract, and the nature of contracts. An understanding of contract law is key to paralegals, especially those working in civil law, who will regularly research contracts and need to bring an understanding of contract law fundamentals to the table in order to hit the ground running.
U.S. Political Institutions: Congress, Presidency, Courts, and Bureaucracy: Paralegal work often intersects with U.S. political institutions beyond the civil and criminal justice systems. This course provides a broad overview of U.S. political institutions and the ways they intersect, preparing prospective paralegals with an understanding of the roles and limitations of each branch of government and the ways in which they affect daily life.
Data Privacy Fundamentals: The rapid evolution of laws and policies around data privacy has been in the spotlight in recent years as social media companies and tech giants grapple with an ever-growing trove of user data. This course covers the fundamentals of data privacy law, as well as threats and risks with regard to data privacy. As data privacy and the policies surrounding it continue to evolve, demand for paralegals with expertise in that area will only get stronger.
Corporate and Commercial Law 1: Contracts and Employment Law: This course covers contract law from a business perspective, with a focus on laws that apply to sales and employment relationships. A paralegal who wants to pursue a career in business law will need to have a strong grasp of the concepts covered in this course.
Understanding Research Methods: This course covers a key concept to any paralegal career — research. While the course isn’t specific to the legal perspective, it prepares you with the skills and approaches needed to conduct successful research. Research around case law, statutes, and codes is a core component of paralegal work.
Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law, and Ethics Model: While this course mostly focuses on the perspective of business leaders and owners, it also contains relevant information for paralegals in areas like the use of employment law and intellectual property in a business setting.
Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills: This business-oriented course focuses on the creation of contracts and the negotiation process. In working with contracts, employment law, and familiarizing themselves with the rules and regulations surrounding that field, a course like this can help paralegals get a better understanding of the materials they work with.
Writing and Editing: Word Choice and Word Order: Clear, concise communication is critically important for paralegals as they write briefs and research in their roles. This course covers effective communication in writing and editing through word choice, grammar, understanding syntax, and more.
Creative Problem Solving: This course prepares you to take a creative, observation-oriented approach to problem-solving, including critiquing and developing ideas. In a task-oriented, research-heavy profession like paralegal work, problem-solving skills are essential.
Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy: Laws around climate change and sustainability are constantly changing at the state, local, and federal levels. This course covers topics, from property law as it relates to the environment to pesticides and litigation over toxic chemicals, that will help paralegals at all career levels step into that impactful area of law.
An Introduction to American Law: Regardless of what aspect of law a paralegal is working in, it’s important to have an understanding of the American legal system. This course is an overview of the U.S. legal system, including tort law, property law, Constitutional law, and more. The course also includes an overview of civil procedure and criminal law.
Intellectual Property and Policy Law Part 1: This course covers the policy implications of intellectual property law. As policies, rules, and regulations evolve in the digital age, paralegals with an understanding of how intellectual property policy is changing will have an advantage in helping attorneys prepare for civil cases in this field.
Intellectual Property Law Specialization: Intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, is a specialized area with its own nuances and regulations within the legal system. This course can prepare you with an understanding of those various aspects of intellectual property law, a high-demand skill for paralegals as the internet has underscored the importance of that field.
Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases: The U.S. Supreme Court is the ultimate authority for interpreting the Constitution, and its decisions have vast implications across the country. In researching case law, paralegals will need to be familiar with past Supreme Court Cases and the power of the Supreme Court in order to have an understanding of precedent as they prepare materials for attorneys.
Patent Law: This course covers the scope of patent protections, patent issues, and how to navigate patent law. The course also covers potential strategies to address patent infringement. Understanding what a patent is, patentability, and patent law can help paralegals research and prepare materials for those cases.
Privacy Law and Data Protection: This privacy and data-focused course helps identify the ways privacy policies and laws around privacy and data intersect and have an impact on businesses and consumers alike. Like intellectual property law, privacy and data protection regulations are rapidly changing. Having an understanding of the privacy law landscape can be a boon to paralegals.
U.S. Health Law Fundamentals: This course covers U.S. laws as they relate to healthcare and the health system, including areas like medical malpractice, the federal government’s role in healthcare, quality control in the U.S. health system, and more.
Hot Topics in Criminal Justice: From mass incarceration to police surveillance and the death penalty, this course provides an overview of issues that are major topics of discussion and debate in the criminal justice system. Paralegals who want to stay informed on not just the nuts and bolts of law, but also the issues that are driving change in the criminal justice system and beyond, would benefit from this course.
Property and Liability: An Introduction to Law and Economics: This theory-driven course applies economic thinking to U.S. property and liability law, including both civil and criminal liability. While that might directly not apply to the day-to-day research, writing, and organization a paralegal does, an understanding the logic of liability as an exercise can help paralegals get a better understanding of the impact of the work that they do.
American Contract Law: This course uses real-world common-law cases to explore concepts of American contract law, particularly around how contracts are formed and what legal doctrines apply to creating legal contracts.
Law Student’s Toolkit: While aimed at students in law school, this course creates an overview of the terminology and concepts that lawyers use to make arguments. Being familiar with legal terminology is critical as paralegals navigate briefs, case law, and help lawyers prepare for trial.
Interpretation of Statutes: Interpreting laws, regulations, and statutes is key to a paralegal’s role as a research assistant and brief writer. This course covers the fundamentals of statutes, how statutes are cited, and how to interpret statutes based on how they’re written. This skillset is critical no matter what area of law a paralegal is interested in.
Paralegal Power Breaks: This course covers a broad range of topics related to the paralegal career, including intellectual property and civil litigation. It also covers areas like navigating office politics and advancing your career as a paralegal. The course is aimed at both longtime paralegal professionals and newcomers to the profession.
The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) is a paralegal association that offers professional development, certifications, and other resources to its members. NALA offers free, online courses for its members. These courses are also affordable and accessible to non-members.
How to Make the Most of Your Paralegal Career: This on-demand webinar covers ways for paralegals to advance their careers. It also provides a launching-off point and information for various certifications that can further bolster paralegals’ careers.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: This course covers the evolution of diversity, equity, and inclusion and its importance to the legal profession. It also covers ways that paralegals can step up to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in their roles.
Stay Healthy as a Leader – Learn Your Stressors: A high-demand, fast-paced career such as a paralegal, particularly in a management role, can lead to stress — and this course aims to help professionals address that. The course covers how to identify stressors, tendencies when stressed, and ways to stay mentally healthy.
The Ethics of AI: Artificial intelligence has become a major topic of conversation across industries, including the legal profession. This course provides an overview of ethics surrounding AI and how to use it securely and safely.
Leadership Basics: This course focuses on the fundamentals of leadership, including promoting teamwork, team building, and leading during a crisis. The course focuses on building trust as well as the characteristics of solid leadership.
Podcasts are another helpful educational resource for both seasoned paralegals and students looking to break into the legal field. If you want to hear legal professionals talk about their careers and give helpful tips on how to succeed as a paralegal, these podcasts are a great resource in addition to free online classes.
Paralegals on Fire!: Hosted by entrepreneur and former paralegal and paralegal manager Anne Pearson, this podcast focuses on strategies to help paralegals and to help boost their careers. Episodes include interviews with professionals, career advice, tips on how to avoid pitfalls in the profession, and more.
Let’s Talk Paralegal: “Let’s Talk Paralegal” brings together a diverse range of legal professionals to discuss everything from career pathways to self-care. The podcast is hosted by paralegal consultant Eda Rosa, who is also the author of the “Let’s Talk Paralegal” book.
Paralegal Voice: “Paralegal Voice,” hosted by Jill I. Francisco and Tony Sipp, features interviews with legal professionals on career tips, trends within the legal profession, and other topics related to paralegal work. Topics include anything from from self-care tips to career advice.
Paralegal Tea Time: “Paralegal Tea Time,” created by Melissa Acosta Freelance Paralegal Services LLC and Jessica Williams of Williams Paralegal Services, features both interviews with experts and discussions of topics affecting the paralegal profession. Recent topics include wellness and networking within the legal profession and the impact of AI.
Areas of Law With High Demand for Paralegals
Paralegals are vital in law practices across the legal profession, but they’re in especially high demand in rapidly growing areas of law. Intellectual property law, for example, has been supercharged by the emergence of the internet and more recently, quickly evolving technologies like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Environmental law is another high-demand field as government agencies implement new rules and regulations and businesses scramble to adapt.
Corporate law and litigation also have a high need for paralegals as attorneys handle high caseloads and complicated cases. Paralegals are critical in these fast-paced fields to help lawyers stay on top of deadlines, research case law, and prepare for high-stakes court cases.
Legal Topics and Law Subjects Paralegals Need to Know
Paralegal degree and certificate programs typically cover a wide range of topics, including overviews of civil and criminal procedure, business and contract law, legal research and writing, and litigation. Regardless of the area of law they specialize in, paralegals need to be familiar with the court system, procedures, and how to write legal documents.
Specializing in a specific legal area can make you more marketable as a paralegal. Programs often offer elective courses in contract law, business law, intellectual property law, and even courses based on the law in a specific state or region.
Paralegal Skills and Responsibilities
As a paralegal, you’ll be asked to write briefs, conduct legal and case law research, and help attorneys prepare for trial. Communication and effective writing skills are important, as paralegals help prepare and submit legal documents. Organizational skills are also critical, as paralegals assist attorneys dealing with heavy caseloads and are tasked with keeping complicated documents in order, often for multiple cases at once.
Paralegals need to be deeply familiar with the court system and how to write documents for both civil and criminal trials. They also need to be familiar with courtroom procedures, legal timelines, and how to research case law.
Additionally, paralegals increasingly need technical skills and digital literacy to help attorneys with online outreach, scheduling, and preparing cases.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paralegals
Labor law, elder law, environmental law, and health law are all fast-growing areas within the legal profession, according to the legal technology company CLIO. Additionally, paralegals remain in high-demand in longstanding but changing areas like corporate law and litigation.
While paralegal requirements vary by state, becoming a paralegal is generally faster than becoming a lawyer and leads to rewarding, impactful work in the legal profession without having to go to law school. Additionally, becoming a paralegal can lead to other roles within the legal profession through networking and real-world experience.
You don’t necessarily need a bachelor’s degree to become a paralegal, but a degree or certification can boost your skills and employability. A number of colleges offer paralegal degree programs that cover key areas like civil and criminal procedure, legal writing, research, and more to prepare you for the high-demand profession.
Being a paralegal will get you real-world experience working with law firms and familiarize you with legal procedures and the court system. While being a paralegal is by no means a requirement for law school, it can prepare you for some of the concepts covered in law school.
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