For those who are ineligible to sit for the bar exam. Hearings and appeals officers at state and federal agencies often do not need a law degree. Arizona's legal paraprofessionals can do many of the things licensed attorneys can do. https://www.azcourts.gov/cld/Legal-Paraprofessional Other states with limited legal professionals are Oregon, Minnesota, and Utah. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/paralegals/blog/how-states-are-using-non-lawyers-to-address-the-access-to-justice-gap/ You don't need to be admitted to a state or territory's bar to practice in the U.S. Tax Court. https://www.ustaxcourt.gov/practitioners.html Non-attorneys can practice before immigration court. https://www.justice.gov/eoir/reference-materials/ic/chapter-10 Non-attorneys can be representatives before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. http://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/public_list.php Becoming a patent agent is an alternative to becoming a patent attorney. https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/patent-and-trademark-practitioners/becoming-patent-practitioner State-certified mediator https://onlinemasteroflegalstudies.com/career-guides/become-a-mediator/court-certified-mediation-requirements-by-state/
Non-attorneys can represent Social Security claimants. https://www.ssa.gov/representation/index.htm?tl=3,4 A 2021 Report for the Administrative Conference of the United States, "Regulation of Representatives in Agency Adjudicative Proceedings," refers to some federal agency rules. https://www.acus.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Cohen%20Final%20Report%20December%202021%20GY%20formatted.pdf California licenses Legal Document Assistants who can help clients complete legal documents. https://www.aldap.org/ https://www.calda.org/
This verbiage grinds my gears. For the U.S. Department of Education, there's no such thing as nationally accredited. For CHEA, nationally accredited means not regionally accredited. I'm sure Oregon is not disqualifying all the regionally accredited schools out there, including their own state universities. (b) Graduate with Bachelor Degree from Higher Learning Institution: The applicant has obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher in any course of study from a nationally accredited U.S. institution of higher learning; or https://www.osbar.org/_docs/rulesregs/RulesforLIcensingParalegals.pdf
A lot of these pseudo law positions above have competency requirements or need to be associated with a law office. But you sure don't need a Masters degree for any of these though or to be a paralegal which is whatever the lawyer says is it is and is a neat way for law firms to cheat clients by billing separately for support services. I used instruct the MSLS program at Kaplan, I am certain most of the students were either in it to defer student loans, get student loans, or worked for the government and needed an easy masters degree. I doubt any of them actually went to work in a legal environment.
JD Advantage career guide (PDF): https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.law.upenn.edu/live/files/10344-nalp-jd-advantage-guide-001&ved=2ahUKEwinitLsy-mAAxWyMn0KHae3CGMQFnoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2-CH3C2rICl_6bUaIuzjlR
Anyone ever seen this, Barbri CLS offers an online paralegal certificate apparently to be issued by partner schools like Cal State, North Carolina State and Cal Poly? Unclear how that would work without enrolling at the partner school? https://www.legalstudies.com/about-cls/cls-course-locations/
Two things. First, the Tax Court exam has a bad reputation for being exceptionally difficult. The vast majority of advocates are attorneys who don't have to take it. But if you're a CPA or Enrolled Agent and tax is your career, go for it. Second, you don't need to be a lawyer to do legal mediation. Mediation is a large and growing profession and knowing law is helpful.
Villanova University offers VIISTA, Villanova Interdisciplinary Immigration Studies Training for Advocates, an asynchronous online non-credit program intended to train students "to apply to become Department of Justice 'accredited representatives,' authorized to provide low-cost legal representation to migrant and refugee families when they work for DOJ 'recognized organizations.'" The program comprises three modules each with its own certificate, in Immigrant Accompaniment, Immigrant Advocacy, and Immigration Trial Advocacy. Total cost for the program is $3990 plus about $250 for books and materials.
