Certified Paralegal (online, voucher included)
California State University San Marcos Extended Learning · San Marcos, CA
- Cost
- $3,150
- Length
- 48 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
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
- 51
- Finished the program
- 85%Based on 33 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
- 100%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.
Where California publishes a separate figure for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
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.
What this pays in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $49,560 | $78,436 | $110,386 |
| Across California | $51,873 | $79,556 | $122,927 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $79,556per yearSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: $79,658
- Projected openings
- 52,900San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 4,090
- 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.
Paralegals play a vital role in the legal profession. These qualified professionals take on a variety of tasks ranging from legal research to drafting legal documents in traditional law office settings and in the corporate, government, and public arenas. Formal training is a critical part of preparing for a career as a paralegal.The Paralegal course will help you gain the skills you need to enter the paralegal workforce. You will learn how to conduct legal research and legal interviews, how to perform legal analyses, and more. As you prepare for your paralegal career, you will also receive soft skills training to increase workplace effectiveness. The course concludes with a capstone project and a portfolio review. You will first create a complete litigation file that includes: a legal analysis brief, an investigative report, client interview checklist, intake memo, complaint, legal research, and interoffice memorandum of law. Then, you will learn how to create a strong resume that encompasses your specialized skill set and showcases the impact you would make for your next employer.Through a partnership with National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), you will also receive membership and access to NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP) Exam Review courses should you choose to take the NALA CP exam at a future time.
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
America`s Job Center of California-North County Coastal Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 760-666-6763
1949 Avenida Del OroSuite 106Oceanside, CA 92056about 9.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
North County Coastal Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 619-319-WORK (9675)
3708 Ocean Ranch Blvd.North Coastal Live Well CenterOceanside, CA 92056about 10.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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 →