Some educational institutions accept student and afterward award paralegal certificates to those who finished at least three semesters in college or 36 units credits. There are also eight courses in legal studies to finish before a paralegal certificate can be given. These are Business Law, Family Law, Introduction to Civil Procedures, Introduction to Criminal Law, Bankruptcy, Real Estate Law, Legal Research and Writing, and Legal Ethics.

Upon completion of course, but before awarding of paralegal certificate, individual is not yet to be called paralegal, because paralegal certificate can be obtained by standards set by American Bar Association. The standard requires completion of Certified Legal Assistant certifying (CLA) examination of National Association of Legal Assistants. The school that award paralegal certificate should have “American Bar Association approved program of study for legal assistants.” The candidate should first graduate “from a course of study for legal assistants which is institutionally accredited but not ABA approved, and which requires not less than equivalent of 60 semester hours of classroom study.”

In addition, a paralegal certificate can be obtained he candidate graduated from “a course of study for legal assistants, other than those set forth in (2) and (3) above, plus not less than six months of in-house training as a legal assistant.” He or she should also have an attained baccalaureate degree in any field with an "in-house training as a legal assistant" not lower than six months. Achieving all these, paralegal certificate is ready to be given.

Paralegal schools also offer elective course that are geared towards specific areas of study. Today's paralegal schools have introduced new courses and classes that cover newfound duties of paralegals. As demand for paralegals increase duties that a paralegal performs also increases. Many law firms expect paralegals to perform duties that only lawyers used to do. These duties are offered as training courses in most paralegal schools. Thus, enrolling in a paralegal school greatly benefits future paralegal. By completing advanced courses that accredited paralegal schools offer, future paralegal can acquire skills and knowledge that will give him edge when applying for a legal professional job. Paralegal schools can also open opportunity of specialization that will further improve chances of employment as more law firms favor applicants with specialized skills.

The internet revolution also offers a new, more convenient way for potential paralegals to obtain formal training and instruction. Online paralegal schools now offer distance learning courses that students can take in their own homes and at their own pace. Students can now take paralegal courses at their most convenient time. This further enhances rising popularity and demand for paralegals in country.