Whether you are interested in becoming a paralegal, legal assistant, or a lawyer choosing a degree program that has been approved by the ABA can dramatically improve your chances of reaching your professional goals in the legal field. Attending law school can be a great idea for graduates from liberal arts backgrounds who naturally thrive in debates, enjoy examining various points of view, and want to join a rewarding profession working on cases with clients in need of representation in court. However, as competition continues to heat up among the legal careers, attending a top-notch degree program is an absolute necessity to stand out to prospective law firms. Therefore, here you will find all you must know about the American Bar Association to ensure you find a solid degree program to boost employment prospects.
About the American Bar Association
Since being founded in 1878, the American Bar Association has grown to become one of the world’s largest voluntary professional membership organizations with nearly 400,000 members from every corner of the globe. As the leading global voice for the legal field, the American Bar Association is focused on promoting programs that assist lawyers and legal support staff in their work, accrediting law schools with rigorous standards, providing continuing legal education opportunities, and working to build public understanding of the law system in our democratic society. With national headquarters based in Chicago, IL and a satellite office in our nation’s capital of Washington DC, the American Bar Association offers membership to lawyers, law students, paralegals, and others participating within the legal profession.
Importance of Accreditation
Beyond looking for institutional accreditation of your prospective university to ensure you qualify for receiving federal financial aid and can properly transfer your credits to other institutions, it is very important that you seek out programs that have been accredited by the American Bar Association. As such a trusted leader in the legal field, American Bar Association accreditation is essential for law students who want to sit for their state’s bar exam and paralegal students who want to take advantage of every opportunity to secure employment. In addition to guaranteeing that you are receiving a top-notch legal education that will translate well into the field, accreditation through the American Bar Association also usually signifies that the school will provide career resources, access to publications, and even discounts on memberships.
How to Find Accredited Schools and Programs
Within the American Bar Association, there are a total of 204 institutions that have been fully accredited for offering superior law school programs and 206 paralegal training programs that have been approved with a long track record of excellence. In order to locate a program in your geographic region that will deliver the highly sought after skills needed to gain successful entry into this competitive field, then you should search through the ABA-approved program directory, which acts as an official guide to the nation’s best accredited law schools. Once you have found accredited programs that meet your interests, be sure to carefully review the admissions guidelines to understand the grades, LSAT scores, and work experiences needed to apply.
Overall, the American Bar Association is a vast association committed to supporting the legal profession by providing practical resources for legal professionals, improving the administration of justice, and accredited law and paralegal degree programs. When you make the right decision to attend a program that has been approved by the ABA, you will be in a position for success in competing for employment in the rewarding and dynamic law field.
