paralegal for non native English speaker

Hi, I am thinking of taking a paralegal course in order to get a certification. I want to work as a paralegal. I am Japanese, have a bachelor degree in English literature and nine years' experience as an executive assistant in my country. My question is whether it is possible for a non native English speaker to be a paralegal. I am fluent in English and have no problem living in US, but I still need to learn more vocanulary to reach to a native level. Since my area does not have many Japanese companies I can not appeal myself as a bilingual when I look for a job. Do you think it is disadvantage not to be a native speaker to find a job? I also want to know if any law firm supports visa for foreign paralegal. Thank you.

Paralegals must have excellent English reading, writing and speaking skills. Legal English is nearly a language unto itself. Legal English can be hard to comprehend even for native English speakers with good language skills. There's no reason why you cannot be a paralegal if you can keep up with the language.

While it's conceivable firms could sponsor visas for foreign nationals, it's far easier for them to hire paralegals who are U.S. citizens or who already have the right to work in the U.S.

Thanks for your comment. I agree that we need a excellent language skill to be a paralegal. I am ready to work harder to compensate for my disadvantages.

m.a in Chapel Hill, North Carolina said: I am ready to work harder to compensate for my disadvantages.

As an English Lit major you probably studied Shakespeare and Chaucer, and read Beowulf. If you could learn those authors and that poem, you probably can learn legal English.