Can a paralegal work in Canada?

Can a paralegal trained in Canada work in the United States?

• I'm just wondering... I am a Canadian citizen, but I want to live and work in the United States first as a paralegal and then work up to a bachelor's degree in law to become a lawyer... I know the legal system is entirely different in the United States so I don't expect to be able to learn here and work there, but I would like to know... Thanks =)

• Answer:

  Ontario is the only jurisdiction I know of in which paralegals need to be licensed (and that's only been true since 2007). Where they don't need to be licensed, there's no fixed education requirement - prior to the licensing requirements in Ontario, I heard an anecdote about a judge asking a paralegal what the "H.S.D." behind his name stood for. After trying to dodge the question at first (unsuccessfully), the paralegal grinned and answered "High School Dropout". The point is, if you're looking to work in a jurisdiction without licensing requirements for paralegals, you don't need any specific education. If you're looking for a job with an existing paralegal firm, they may have their own requirements. And you may run into immigration difficulties if you're trying to move to the States to open up a paralegal practice with no real training or knowledge in U.S. law.