For Immediate Release
November 17, 2008

Learn about the Paralegal Certificate Program at UCR Extension's Paralegal Career and Information meeting

RIVERSIDE, CALIF – Economic times are tough now, but the Bureau for Labor Statistics reports that the outlook for paralegals remains bright. Employers, seeking to reduce costs, are hiring paralegals to handle business that more expensive attorneys might have been hired to do. Find out more about this growing profession at UCR Extension's Paralegal Career and Information Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the UCR Extension Center, 1200 University Ave., Riverside.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics, employment for paralegals is expected to grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2016. During recessions, corporations seek assistance from paralegals for bankruptcies, foreclosures and divorces. Though paralegals do not practice law, highly trained professionals educated at a qualified institution are skilled to handle many tasks once done by lawyers. UCR Extension's Paralegal Certificate Program is one of approximately 260 paralegal programs approved by the American Bar Association in the United States.

Learn more about employment opportunities in this profession, what is required to earn UCR Extension's Paralegal Certificate, and the California law that regulates paralegals and establishes educational requirements.

The fee is $10 and includes parking and refreshments. Students receive a 10 percent discount on the first program course in which they enroll.

For more information about the Paralegal Certificate Program, contact (951) 827-1616, e-mail justice@ucx.ucr.edu or visit www.extension.ucr.edu. To register, call (951) 827-4105 or (800) 442-4990 or visit www.extension.ucr.edu.

UCR Extension is the continuing education division of the University of California, Riverside. Extension offers more than 3,800 courses and 90 certificate programs in a variety of academic programs, including agriculture and landscape, arts and humanities, business and management, education, forensic investigations and public safety, teacher's credentialing, English, environmental management, geospatial analysis and technology, health services and behavioral sciences, information technology, languages, law and public policy, Native American studies, natural sciences, and yoga.