Paralegals are not regulated throughout Prince Edward Island. Presently there are no paralegal licensing or certification requirements in the province. According to the Prince Edward Island Legal Profession Act, only attorneys, barristers, and solicitors may practice law. That means that as a paralegal you can only engage in activities that do not constitute the practice of law.
And those types of activities can be numerous. Because you’re free to pursue any type of paralegal education you desire –none is mandated by law– you can choose to gain an education or specialization in one or many types of focuses. While there are some options for education in PE your educational prospects increase if you’re willing to travel further throughout Canada.
In a market without official licensing and certification it becomes increasingly important to be able to distinguish yourself from your competition with a concrete demonstration of your abilities. One of the best ways of doing this is by earning relevant paralegal education.
Educational programs in PE offer undergraduate options in legal assisting, office administration, and business administration. Diploma programs tend to take longer to complete than certificate programs, while bachelor’s degrees take approximately four years. As a graduate of these programs you’ll develop skills like:
- Occupational safety and health laws
- Business law
- Business communications
- Real estate law
- Computer word processing and data management programs
- Bookkeeping and business skills
- Corporate law
- Employment training and job preparedness skills
- Legal office procedures and transcription
- Family law
- Civil litigation
- Estate law
We’ve searched through every college, university, community college, and career school in the province and found the following options for relevant paralegal education in Prince Edward Island.
Holland College – Legal Assistant Diploma
Offered from its Summerside Waterfront campus, this one-year 990-hour accelerated undergraduate program starts every September and includes a 150-hour job training placement giving you real-world experience in the field.
Holland College – Business Administration Diploma
This program is offered from the Charlottetown campus and takes two years to complete. It includes 960 hours of didactic classroom study plus an additional 180 hours of on-the-job training in a supervised workplace setting.
Academy of Learning Career College – Administrative Assisting Diploma, Office Administration Assistant Certificate
Both these programs are offered from campus locations in Charlottetown and Summerside. Both are at the undergraduate level and require completion of Grade 12 or equivalent to be eligible for admission. The diploma program takes 42 weeks to complete while the certificate program takes 22 weeks to complete.
University of Prince Edward Island – Bachelor of Business Administration
This 120-credit four-year program is offered from the Charlottetown campus. It offers the option to tailor a specialization towards an area of focus that can be applicable to your work as a paralegal. Specializations include accounting, finance, international business, and organizational management. You can also add an honors concentration with an additional six-credit thesis in an area of your choice.