• Corporate Paralegal: Corporate paralegals help attorneys with shareholder agreements, employee benefit plans, employee contracts, and stock-option plans. They may also assist with financial reports and prepare paperwork for a corporation to secure loans.
• Litigation Paralegal: Legal materials for internal use are analyzed by litigation paralegals, and their other tasks consist of maintaining reference files, helping attorneys with research, and gathering and analyzing evidence for agency hearings.
• Lawyer: A lawyer represents an individual in civil and criminal trials, argues for a client, and presents evidence while also counseling clients on obligations and rights, suggesting a course of action for those clients.
• Appraiser: Property is valued by an appraiser and specializations are in commercial, residential, or general practice where all real property is appraised.
• Mediator: Alternative dispute resolutions are handled by mediators and are conducted out of court in confidential and private hearings. Sometimes, the mediator must also make a final, binding, decision to resolve the dispute.

• Associate Degree: 2 years to complete
• Bachelor's Degree: 4 years to complete
• Law School: 3 years to complete
• Master's Degree: 1.5 to 3 years to complete
• Doctoral Degree: 3 to 5 years to complete

A career in legal studies can be attained whether an individual possesses an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. An individual's educational pursuits can instill the knowledge and credentials necessary for a career in legal studies, advance a career for an individual already employed in legal studies, or provide a change in a current job to a desired career where legal studies knowledge is necessary.

Paralegals and legal assistants sometimes receive only on-the-job-training for their position. It is recommended to obtain an associate's degree if an individual plans to work as a legal assistant or paralegal. Employers are more apt to hire an individual with an understanding of the industry when compared to someone with little or no knowledge of the legal world. With any program, it is ideal to have applied training when receiving any degree. There are also bachelor degree programs for paralegals and legal assistants. These programs extend the amount of information studied and furthers an individual's understanding of legal studies. For those interested in becoming a lawyer, law school is the next step. The American Bar Association (ABA) requires that a Law School Admission Test (LSAT) be completed before a student is accepted into law school.

Master's and doctoral degrees in legal studies are for individuals wanting to continue their refinement of knowledge in a specific area of legal studies. Many programs incorporate research into instruction, and students should be prepared to conduct studies specifically on legal studies.

If an individual plans to work as a paralegal or legal assistant, most businesses do not require certification. However, there are voluntary certification programs. The National Associations of Legal Assistants (NALA) offers the Certified Paralegal (CP) or Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) certification. The American Alliance Certified Paralegal (AACP) certification is provided by American Alliance of Paralegals Inc. The Registered Paralegal (RP) designation is given to paralegals from the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). The National Association of Legal Secretaries (NALS) awards the Professional Paralegal (PP) certification.   

Those pursuing legal studies will take courses that introduce them to all of the different types of law. For example, students will have to take at least one -- though likely more -- course in criminal law. Criminal lawyers defend or prosecute those who are accused of crimes, and they need to have an understanding of how people move through the criminal justice system and what the different penalties are for various crimes. Constitutional law is a popular course for legal studies majors as it explores high-profile judicial cases and how the Constitution is interpreted. 

Legal studies majors will also study contracts, as lawyers are required to help draw up contracts and ensure that they are properly signed and maintained. Some lawyers build whole careers around contracts. Other courses for legal studies majors include legal terminology and legal research. In a legal terminology class, students will learn how to present their findings -- both verbally and in writing -- in the appropriate legal language. A legal research class will probably be one of the first that legal studies majors take, and it will introduce students to professional databases and citation techniques. 

A legal studies course will be mostly reading, writing, and discussion based, and therefore, all necessary components of a legal studies degree program can be completed online. 

A legal studies major may be able to work in a legal office administration career, and such a degree will probably take less time than a traditional legal studies degree. An online paralegal degree will also take less time than an online legal studies degree, but will lead to a comparable career. A paralegal professional will work in a law office, helping conduct research and manage the operations of a law office. Finally, some of those who are interested in legal studies choose to pursue degrees in social work. A social work degree trains students for a wide variety of careers, all in the service of others. Some social work graduates end up working in the criminal justice system as probation officers or rehabilitation counselors.