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What are some classes you wish you had taken in order to get more of a educational background on your career?

Paralegal Investigator #criminal-justice #law

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Donna’s Answer

I think every lawyer would be better served by learning psychology. Several reasons: (1) how do you deal with your clients when they start crying, (2) dealing with issues of closure for clients, and (3) understanding personality types to determine how to succeed. How do you deal with a narcissistic personality? It certainly affects our ability to get cooperation from an opposing counsel, be successful in court, and in dealing with clients. Identifying personality disorders is important because you will face a lot of different types of clients, judges and opposing counsel.

Another class would be debate or public speaking.

English is important too!
Thank you comment icon Donna i appreciate your answer and will make those classes a goal. Thank you for those tips. Trinity
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Michelle’s Answer

I went to school over 30 years ago getting my Bachelor's. I spent 7 years at the university and took many basic courses - Intro to Sociology, Intro to Anthropology, Intro to Social Work, art classes, music classes, many English classes (enough to have a minor). So many in fact that my GPA suffered. My degree was in Criminal Justice. But I was finding myself and learning what I wanted to do. When I couldn't get into my field, I went back to school and received an Associates degree in Paralegal Studies, which helped me later on. But I also took Photography and thought about becoming a nurse and so took Anatomy and Physiology (both classes) and Pharmacology. I am a Crime Scene Investigator, which all the above courses helped broaden my resume and allowed me my dream job. Make any class or course work for you later on in your field. But take classes and courses that interest you as well. It doesn't hurt, well maybe the pocketbook or the bank account, but not your interest or mind.
Thank you comment icon Thank you Michelle I did find this helpful. I am doing the same trying to find my place so its been a bumpy ride but i expect that later on I'll have what is needed to live my life to the fullest. Im glad you are living yours. Goodluck. Trinity
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Kim’s Answer

I think I regretted not doing more to develop my self-confidence and push myself beyond my comfort zone. In today's world, you will want to stay current on technology. You will learn to learn as you go. For example, if you are reviewing a company's time records, there's no way you can learn their system prior to that then!

Investigations can revolve around many things, so unless you already know which way you are headed, you will want to be exposed to as much as possible.

1. Math/science: How long did it take the driver to react and stop, with 6/32 tire tread depth on a road that was newly laid asphalt, that was wet - in the dark, with only moonlight for visibility, if he had a blood alcohol level of .02?

2. Science: Should a doctor have foreseen an adverse drug reaction when the patient was prescribed two different medications, both of which had a side effect of causing seizures? How does each medication work on the body?

3. Finance: How much is the company worth? Is the company following standard bookkeeping procedures or does something look strange? What are they doing, what are they hiding?

4. Basic sociology/psychology, understanding of diverse human cultures and subcultures, etc.

5. I don't know, but some understanding of how computers work, metadata, etc. There is a wealth of information on computers. People think they are clever and delete things, but, are they really deleted?

6. A class covering basic business organizational structures and business operations.

I always encourage people interested in law to take Logic. It is usually in the philosophy department. It is good. You will need to learn to think sequentially, to break things down into timelines, etc. Critical thinking is extremely important to your success.

Please use your electives wisely! Also, sometimes there are classes you can substitute for required classes, such as possibly taking Constitutional Law rather than US Government. Read through and find these substitutions!

good luck!
Kim
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much Kim. This was extremely helpful and I understand where you are coming from exactly what i was thinking. I am in a basic business class right now so at least I know Im on the right track. Trinity
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Tania N.’s Answer

No matter what practice area you choose, the legal profession requires constant strategy, analysis and critical thinking. I wish I had taken more statistics and logic courses to sooner and better tap into my analytical muscles. Also, contractual relationships and agreements overlap almost everything. Definitely take courses on contracts, mergers, acquisitions, etc. especially courses which engage you in drafting documents, not just understanding structure of documents. Finally, typing was the best course I ever took to prepare me as a professional.
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