Paralegal Studies Certificate

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education · Davis, CA

Cost: $6,995
Length: 26 weeks
Working 6 months later: 7%

Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

People enrolled: 333

Finished the program: 81%Based on 221 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Working 6 months later: 7%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Earnings in one quarter after: Not reported

The job this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

No regional figures for this program

This program's ZIP code reaches into more than one of the labor-market areas California publishes, and nothing in the state's own area titles says which one it belongs to. Either answer would look exactly like a correct answer here, so neither is given and the statewide figures stand alone.

Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Job ads may call this: Paralegal · Legal Clerk · Law Associate · Legal Analyst

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.

Show 4 more things this job involves

Meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases.
File pleadings with court clerks.
Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, and documents.
Direct and coordinate law office activity, including delivery of subpoenas.

Typical pay in California: $79,556per year
Projected openings: 52,900
Projected change: +6%
Usually needs: Associate's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

Program details

This program provides online instruction, e-learning, or distance learning only.

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Educations Paralegal Studies Certificate Program is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), approved by the UC Davis School of Law, and aligns with the California Business & Professions Code for paralegal education. Through the curriculum, you will gain the skills needed to succeed in this high-demand field. Youll learn how to conduct legal research, prepare documentation for trials, and apply proven methods for managing clients. The program also covers litigation procedures, basic appellate processes, and laws related to personal injury, product liability, and malpractice. In addition, youll develop the ability to analyze and draft contracts, as well as support their litigation.

Provider's website →

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

Ask before you enroll, not after

The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

YoloWorks! Career Center- WoodlandComprehensive center
Phone: 530-661-2641
25 North Cottonwood StreetGonzalez BuildingWoodland, CA 95695about 9.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:00pm
YoloWorks! Career Center-West SacramentoAffiliate site
Phone: 916-375-6307
500 Jefferson BlvdHealth and Human Services AgencyWest Sacramento, CA 95605about 14.9 miles away
Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:00am-4:00pm
Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI) AJCCAffiliate site
Phone: 916-324-6202
2411 Alhambra BlvdNeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center Suite 110Sacramento, CA 95817about 17.7 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask →

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →