Paralegal courses: How to become a paralegal in South Africa
The legal field is one of the most lucrative career paths in the country. Not only do the individuals in this profession work towards ensuring that laws are formulated, but they also ensure that the enacted laws are followed. Some of the individuals working under this field are the paralegal officers. Are you looking forward to becoming one of these individuals and are wondering about the paralegal courses that you ought to study? If that is so, you might want to jump onto the bandwagon for more details.
Source: UGC
Who is a paralegal? What does this career entail? Would you like to be more informed about what individuals in this field do and what it takes for one to be recognised as a paralegal? This list of paralegal courses shades more light on the responsibilities of an individual in this line of work.
Paralegal studies
These are the essential details you ought to be familiar with before making up your mind about joining this field. The details will help you better understand the scope that the job title covers as well as the paralegal meaning.
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What is a paralegal?
Paralegals are individuals who perform legal research as well as business-related research for lawyers. In most cases, they work for legal departments, law offices, or courts. Their scope of work also involves providing legal support services to attorneys.
Their job position does not allow them to assume the duties of a lawyer or an attorney to sign official documents. Neither are paralegals permitted to advocate for the rights of the clients whom they represent nor give them legal advice.
Paralegal salary in South Africa
On average, an individual working in this field earns an average salary of R166,899.
How do I become a paralegal in South Africa?
Source: UGC
If you wish to venture into this field, here is all about the required courses that you should pursue:
Wills and Estates
Wills and Estates encompasses testate succession and matters drafting of wills and codicils, evaluation of wills and codicils, the legal formalities entailing execution, and the revocation of wills.
Family Law and Divorce
Family Law and Divorce focuses on the institution of legal marriages, engagement, and breach of promise. It also encompasses the consequences of marriage and the ante-nuptial contract.
Family Court Practice
Family Court Practice is a continuation of the family law and divorce course. It provides a more detailed insight into the issues that are related to family law and divorce. These areas of interest include domestic violence, child guardianship, and custody.
Debt Collecting
Debt Collecting deals with the legal procedures entailing the recovery of debts. This procedure involves the drafting of summonses and letters of demand.
Labour Law
Labour Law focuses on the relationship between the employer and the employee concerning the details provided in the employment contract.
Legal Writing
This course is designated to empower students with the required tools for the construction of legal documents like debt collecting documents and pleadings.
As a paralegal, you can offer your services to any of the following institutions:
- Government departments
- Estate agents
- Legal firms
- Legal aids
Paralegal courses
Unlike most legal careers that require one to have pursued their LLB and spent not less than four years studying, paralegal studies do not require that much time.
If you are passionate about this line of work and would like to pursue your studies in the field, you can check out the courses that these institutions have to offer.
The South African School of Paralegal Studies
Source: UGC
The courses are divided into two categories: the core courses and the additional courses. The core courses are:
- Property law & conveyancing
- Business law
- Criminal law & procedure
- Wills & estates
- Debt collecting
- Civil litigation
The additional courses are:
- Introduction to the legal profession
- Introduction to the South African law
The South African School of Paralegal Studies also offers distance learning paralegal courses. The courses are subdivided into three categories; the short courses which comprise of the six core courses, the senior paralegal course, and the commercial law course. You might want to know more about these programmes before enrolling.
The South African Law School
This institution offers a National Certificate in Paralegal Practice. The course is offered on both a full-time and part-time basis; hence, it is more convenient for employed students.
The University of South Africa
The University of South Africa offers Introduction to Paralegal Studies under NQF level 5. Before proceeding to enrol, going through the details about the programme is crucial.
University of Johannesburg
Are you looking forward to enrolling for a Diploma in Paralegal Studies? If that is so, you might want to check out the National Diploma Law (Paralegal Studies) that the University of Johannesburg offers. It is a three-year programme that will qualify you for the job.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
This institution offers a Bachelors's degree in Paralegal studies. Since it is a new programme in the institution, you might want to go through further details about it before enrolling.
These details about the paralegal courses will be beneficial to you if you want to enrol in a paralegal course. For more insight about the programmes, it will be prudent to conduct more research on the scope of each one of the courses before proceeding with the application.
DISCLAIMER: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. Therefore, it is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility.
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Source: Briefly News
