Taught by Sitting Judges
YOUR FACULTY
The USF Paralegal Certificate is taught by sitting judges and practicing attorneys who bring real courtroom and law office experience into every lesson. You learn the work from the people who see it done right.
Every law firm, legal department, and government office depends on paralegals to keep cases moving. The people who get hired and move up are the ones who show up ready to do the work from day one.
This certificate builds that readiness. Designed by paralegals, attorneys, and sitting judges, it gives you hands-on practice in real legal processes, like research, document preparation, court structure, and substantive law, so you enter the field with the skills to back it up.
The Legal Field Runs on Paralegals. Trained Ones Are Hard to Find.
HOW YOU'LL STAND OUT
WHAT GRADUATES SAY
Careers Changed by the Method
Real outcomes from professionals who started where you are now.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Everything
You're Wondering
Take the first step toward a legal career with real skills, a portfolio to prove them, and a credential built by judges and attorneys.
USF Corporate Training
& Professional Education
Noncredit professional certifications built for working adults, helping people upskill, reskill, and advance without pursuing a traditional degree.
Contact
4202 E. Fowler Ave, NEC 116
Tampa, FL 33620
813-974-0950
Course fees must be paid in full before the class start date. These are noncredit programs and are not eligible for federal financial aid. For registration, payment, withdrawal, or refund questions, contact a USF CTPE advisor before the course start date.
© 2026 University of South Florida · Corporate Training and Professional Education. All rights reserved.
The program is online and self-paced. You meet with your instructor during Zoom office hours about once a month, and by request.
Are there any live or in-person meetings?
Yes. The program is self-paced. As long as you work through all the materials and do not trade understanding for speed, you can finish sooner than six months.
Can I finish in less than six months?
START TODAY
Ready to Step Into the Legal Field?
Become the Paralegal Law Firms Rely On
USF's Paralegal Certificate
gives you the real-world legal skills law firms, attorneys, and government agencies look for, taught by sitting judges. Self-paced and online, with no degree, application, or prior experience required.
A noncredit professional certificate from the University of South Florida
"I have learned more about professional ethics and quality of work than throughout my entire collegiate background."
- USF Paralegal Certificate Recipient
Designed by Today’s Professionals
Learn directly from a faculty of sitting judges and attorneys who know what the work demands.
WHY IT WORKS
A Credential
Employers Trust
A Portfolio
Employers Want
Finish with a case study portfolio that proves you can do real paralegal work.
A Head Start Toward
Law School
Torts, contracts, procedures, legal writing, and research are all first-year law school courses.
No. The certificate is open enrollment with no application or prior experience required. It is built for people entering the legal field, current paralegals adding credentials, and anyone considering a future in law.
Do I need experience or a background in law to enroll?
Yes. It is an educational certificate, so you can work as a paralegal anywhere. You will learn Florida procedures along with the transferable skills to adapt to the rules of any state.
Can I use my Paralegal Certificate in another state?
Yes. Tort law, contract law, procedures, legal writing, and research are all first-year law school courses, so the program is a strong foundation for law school and an introduction to the law.
Will this help if I want to go to law school?
- 6-month course | January 26 to July 26, 2027
For the professional ready to step into the legal field with a credential built by judges and attorneys.
Case Ready
Own it from kickoff to close.
- 100% online, self-paced
THE PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE
$4,995
- Individual Lexis subscription included
- No prior experience or application required
USF's Paralegal Certificate is a hands-on program designed by paralegals, attorneys, and judges to build the real-world skills law firms, corporations, and government agencies need. You go at your own pace, fully online, with six months to complete.
You will work through legal processes and court structure, interviewing and investigation, document preparation and file management, research, writing, and analysis, along with the substantive law that anchors the field, including torts, contracts, and civil procedure. Legal research is taught with your own individual subscription to Lexis, and every student finishes with a case study portfolio to show employers.
WHAT YOU'LL MASTER
Real Legal Skills,
Built for the Job
Learn how cases move and how courts are organized from the inside.
Legal Processes
& Court Structure
Build a foundation in torts, contracts, and civil procedure.
Substantive Law
Train on the industry standard research platform with your own subscription.
Legal Research with Lexis
Draft, organize, and maintain the documents that keep a case on track.
Document Preparation
& File Management
Gather facts and prepare information the way legal teams rely on.
Interviewing
& Investigation
Handle the pushback, the scope creep, and the hard updates with confidence.
Legal Writing & Analysis
PROGRAM DETAILS
Everything You Need to Know
FORMAT
ACCESS
DATES
INVESTMENT
6 Months
Self-paced Online
January 26 to July 26, 2027
$4,995
NEXT COHORT DETAILS
Paralegal is one of many ways to move your career forward with USF Corporate Training and Professional Education. Browse the full catalog of training programs and find the path that's right for your goals.
See Everything
USF CTPE Has to Offer
STILL EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS?
WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH
One Certificate.
A Portfolio to Prove It.
✓USF Paralegal Certificate
✓A case study portfolio of working documents
✓Hands-on legal research experience in Lexis
✓Shareable digital badge for LinkedIn
Law Firms
Insurance
WHERE A PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE TAKES YOU
One Certificate. Every Corner of the Legal World.
Legal skills are needed everywhere the law touches business and government. Paralegals work across:
Real Estate
"Being supported by a professor who truly cared about my learning and performance made this experience more than worthwhile.”
- USF Paralegal Certificate Recipient
Become the Paralegal Law Firms Rely On
USF's Paralegal Certificate gives you the real-world legal skills law firms, attorneys, and government agencies look for, taught by sitting judges. Self-paced and online, with no degree, application, or prior experience required.
A noncredit professional certificate from the University of South Florida
For the professional ready to step into the legal field with a credential built by judges and attorneys.
Case Ready
Real legal skills taught by judges.
$4,995
- 100% online, self-paced
- 6-month course | January 26 to July 26, 2027
THE PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE
- Individual Lexis subscription included
- No prior experience or application required
HOW YOU'LL STAND OUT
The Legal Field Runs on Paralegals. Trained Ones Are Hard to Find.
Every law firm, legal department, and government office depends on paralegals to keep cases moving. The people who get hired and move up are the ones who show up ready to do the work from day one.
This certificate builds that readiness. Designed by paralegals, attorneys, and sitting judges, it gives you hands-on practice in real legal processes, like research, document preparation, court structure, and substantive law, so you enter the field with the skills to back it up.
Real Legal Skills, Built for the Job
WHAT YOU'LL MASTER
Learn how cases move and how courts are organized from the inside.
Legal Processes & Court Structure
Build a foundation in torts, contracts, and civil procedure.
Substantive Law
Draft, organize, and maintain the documents that keep a case on track.
Document Preparation
& File Management
Train on the industry standard research platform with your own subscription.
Legal Research with Lexis
Gather facts and prepare information the way legal teams rely on.
Interviewing & Investigation
Write clearly and think critically about the issues in a case.
Legal Writing & Analysis
PROGRAM DETAILS
Everything You Need to Know
USF's Paralegal Certificate is a hands-on program designed by paralegals, attorneys, and judges to build the real-world skills law firms, corporations, and government agencies need. You go at your own pace, fully online, with six months to complete.
You will work through legal processes and court structure, interviewing and investigation, document preparation and file management, research, writing, and analysis, along with the substantive law that anchors the field, including torts, contracts, and civil procedure. Legal research is taught with your own individual subscription to Lexis, and every student finishes with a case study portfolio to show employers.
NEXT COHORT DETAILS
DATES
January 26 to July 26, 2027
FORMAT
Self-paced Online
ACCESS
6 Months
INVESTMENT
$4,995
A Credential Employers Trust
WHY IT WORKS
Learn directly from a faculty of sitting judges and attorneys who know what the work demands.
Designed by Today’s Professionals
Finish with a case study portfolio that proves you can do real paralegal work.
A Portfolio Employers Want
Torts, contracts, procedures, legal writing, and research are all first-year law school courses.
A Head Start Toward Law School
Taught by Sitting Judges
YOUR FACULTY
The USF Paralegal Certificate is taught by sitting judges and practicing attorneys who bring real courtroom and law office experience into every lesson. You learn the work from the people who see it done right.
WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH
One Certificate. A Portfolio to Prove It.
✓USF Paralegal Certificate
✓A case study portfolio of working documents
✓Hands-on legal research experience in Lexis
✓Shareable digital badge for LinkedIn
STILL EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS?
See Everything USF CTPE Has to Offer
Paralegal is one of many ways to move your career forward with USF Corporate Training and Professional Education. Browse the full catalog of training programs and find the path that's right for your goals.
Corporate Legal Departments
Real Estate
Insurance
Nonprofits
Banking and Finance
Law Firms
Government Agencies
Healthcare Compliance
WHERE A PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE TAKES YOU
One Certificate. Every Corner of the Legal World.
Legal skills are needed everywhere the law touches business and government. Paralegals work across:
Courts
WHAT GRADUATES SAY
Careers Changed by the Method
Real outcomes from professionals who started where you are now.
No. The certificate is open enrollment with no application or prior experience required. It is built for people entering the legal field, current paralegals adding credentials, and anyone considering a future in law.
Do I need experience or a background in law to enroll?
Yes. The program is self-paced. As long as you work through all the materials and do not trade understanding for speed, you can finish sooner than six months.
Can I finish in less than six months?
The program is online and self-paced. You meet with your instructor during Zoom office hours about once a month, and by request.
Are there any live or in-person meetings?
Yes. It is an educational certificate, so you can work as a paralegal anywhere. You will learn Florida procedures along with the transferable skills to adapt to the rules of any state.
Can I use my Paralegal Certificate in another state?
Yes. Tort law, contract law, procedures, legal writing, and research are all first-year law school courses, so the program is a strong foundation for law school and an introduction to the law.
Will this help if I want to go to law school?
COMMON QUESTIONS
Everything You're Wondering
START TODAY
Ready to Step Into the Legal Field?
Take the first step toward a legal career with real skills, a portfolio to prove them, and a credential built by judges and attorneys.
USF Corporate Training & Professional Education
Noncredit professional certifications built for working adults, helping people upskill, reskill, and advance without pursuing a traditional degree.
Contact
4202 E. Fowler Ave, NEC 116
Tampa, FL 33620
813-974-0950
Course fees must be paid in full before the class start date. These are noncredit programs and are not eligible for federal financial aid. For registration, payment, withdrawal, or refund questions, contact a USF CTPE advisor before the course start date.
© 2026 University of South Florida · Corporate Training and Professional Education. All rights reserved.
$73,480
Average salary in Florida
6,970
Open paralegal job postings in Florida right now
In Demand
A credential law firms, corporate legal teams, and government agencies look for
317,913
Currently employed in the legal field in Florida
$73,480
Average salary in Florida
6,970
Open paralegal job postings in Florida right now
In Demand
A credential law firms, corporate legal teams, and government agencies look for
317,913
Currently employed in the legal field in Florida
- USF Paralegal Certificate Recipient
"I have never received more personalized and attentive feedback than I have in the last six months.”
- USF Paralegal Certificate Recipient
"Being supported by a professor who truly cared about my learning and performance made this experience more than worthwhile.
- USF Paralegal Certificate Recipient
"I have learned more about professional ethics and quality of work than throughout my entire collegiate background."
No. It is a noncredit professional certificate from USF Corporate Training and Professional Education, designed for working professionals.
Is this a credit bearing program?
Course fees are paid in full before the start date. For payment or enrollment questions, contact USF CTPE at lifelonglearning-advising@usf.edu.
How do I pay, and when is payment due?
Government Agencies
Courts
Corporate Legal Departments
Healthcare Compliance
Banking and Finance
Nonprofits
No. It is a noncredit professional certificate from USF Corporate Training and Professional Education, designed for working professionals.
Is this a credit bearing program?
Course fees are paid in full before the start date. For payment or enrollment questions, contact USF CTPE at lifelonglearning-advising@usf.edu.
How do I pay, and when is payment due?
"I have never received more personalized and attentive feedback than I have in the last six months.”
- USF Paralegal Certificate Recipient