Hi All:
I am currently a paralegal in Pennsylvania who has slowly taken on the role of litigation support in my department. I'm very interested in pursuing a forensics degree or certification in order to morph over into the more technical side of things, but I'm unsure about which type of program would be best. (My undergrad is in English, so I'm really looking for a program that will boost my marketability). I'd prefer to keep my job while in school, but the programs offered in my area seem rather heavy on the management and e-law courses and less so on the tech stuff. What do you all think of online courses? What types of classes & requirements should I look for in a program? Is anyone from the PA area who could recommend a school or contacts in my field of choice?
Thanks much!
EM
Well, first thing is to get a good background in general PC's - registry, file systems, logging, domain controllers, AD setups.. you name it. You will be questioned on it under oath at some point…
The good thing is you have a legal background, which gives you a 'heads up' on others with no idea of how the courts work.
My advice would be to get as much practical experience as you can.. a good way to do that is to give yourself away to non-profits. Do their networking, repairs and other things in order to gain experience for the 'ol resume. Do as many data recoveries and civil forensic cases as you can. Then check your state for expert testimony requirements. Many have some basic testing you have to pass to be an 'expert witness'
hope that helps some…