Why Train With Us

Unique Training Center

The Virginia Center for Paralegal Studies campus is located in an active law office. Students can learn legal theory and then see it in action. You can observe how forms and documents are completed and then practice preparing them yourself. By training in a legal environment you will be comfortable with the workings of a law office before your first day on the job.

Train With Professionals

Your instructors are working lawyers, judges, paralegals, private investigators, and legal professionals. They teach you what you need to know as if you were working for them. Paralegals help you understand the job from the paralegal's point of view. We take the practical approach so you know what to do when you get to the workplace.

Internship

Upon satisfactory completion of all course work and exams, you are ready for the internship experience. Placement, wherever possible, is in a law office of the student's special interest. You will be assigned a "real" job under the watchful eye of a helpful job coach. Hours will be arranged to meet both the needs of the student and law office. Length of the internship experience varies but typically follows the student's classroom schedule and personal and professional goals. Upon completion of the internship experience, students participate in a formal evaluation process. A written document is prepared listing the types of work completed and quality of work performed. This write-up can serve as a letter of reference for the job interviewing process.

Coaching

Faculty and staff are always available to assist you with issues ranging from the paralegal career to study skills.

Out of Classroom Application

After you learn the essential elements in class, you are able to apply that knowledge first hand with trips to the Courthouse, seminars and learning conferences throughout the state.

Placement

The training program at Virginia Center for Paralegal Studies is structured for your job search success. You learn legal theory and skills needed for the workplace by studying in an active law office. You gain employment skills by experiencing what it is like to work on-the-job through the internship. All help to build your resume. We assist you in your job search and maintain a referral book of job openings. Our job placement record is excellent. We cannot, however, guarantee employment.

VCPS Graduate Success Story: Clare McBee

The legal field is popular with career changers. They bring administrative and management skills that increase their success in the law field. Teachers also train to become paralegals. Their education skills are put to good use when explaining procedures and documents to clients. Here is a great example of a career changer that graduated from VCPS:

Clare McBee graduated from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Polytechnic in the Northeast region of England in 1981. She obtained employment in Tunisia (North Africa) where she taught English at the University of Tunis. Clare was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel throughout Western Europe and Asia before settling down in Fredericksburg, VA.

A mother of two teen-age children, Clare decided that a career change was in order when she arrived in the United States. Through researching different career fields she learned of the Online Center for Paralegal Studies and its campus-based program. In 2002, she successfully completed the VCPS program.