View Paralegal Studies AAS (G, TP/SS): 341
View Paralegal Studies Certificate (G, TP/SS): 156
View Legal Analysis Letter of Recognition (G, TP/SS): 804
This curriculum
provides the student with a general knowledge of the American legal system and
concentrated knowledge on the various aspects of law. The student will be
given basic skills in legal research, legal writing, interviewing, and law
office administration and knowledge of legal ethics. The student will learn to
prepare and interpret legal documents and analyze procedures and processes.
Students will have the option to focus on various areas of the law including
business law, civil law, criminal law, and domestic relations and family
law. This curriculum will expose students to the new and growing fields
within the legal system to include Cyber Law, Health Law, Intellectual
Property, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Students will have the
opportunity to participate in an internship gaining real world experience.
This curriculum is
designed for those interested in careers as a paraprofessional. Such
careers include: working in a law office, court personnel, corrections
employee, loan processor, etc. This curriculum is also designed for legal
assistants presently employed in private law offices and corporate and
government legal divisions who wish to improve their skills for career
advancement. A paralegal is a trained specialist who can manage a law
office operation under the supervision of an attorney, relieving a practicing
attorney of those routine components of managing legal cases that require
knowledge of the legal process and assisting the attorney with handling of
complicated legal issues. The paralegal also assists the attorney in
legal research and in preparing and interpreting legal documents. The
paralegal will analyze procedural problems through the selection, compilation,
and use of technical information from various legal references. Paralegals
may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by
law. Completion of all requirements for this curriculum will lead to the
award of the A.A.S. in paralegal studies.
First Semester
|
| CMAP 120 | Introduction to Computer Applications | 3 |
| ENGL 101 | Introduction to College Writing * | 3 |
| POLI 101 | American Government (BSSD) | 3 |
LGST 101
| Introduction of the Legal System
| 3
|
| | Mathematics foundation | 3 |
Second Semester
|
| ENGL 102 | Critical Reading, Writings, and Research (ENGF) | 3 |
| LGST 102 | Legal Research | 3 |
| LGST 103 | Legal Writing | 3 |
LGST 104
| Interviewing, Investigating, and Communication Techniques
| 3 |
LGST 106
| Legal Ethics
| 3
|
Third Semester
|
| LGST 122 | Law Office Administration
| 3 |
| Speech foundation
| 3 |
| Arts or humanities distribution
| 3 |
| | LGST elective and BSAD 101
| 6 |
Fourth Semester
|
| Health foundation
| 1-3
|
| | Natural sciences distribution with lab | 4 |
| | LGST electives | 10-12 |
Total Credit Hours 62-64
|
* ENGL 101 if needed for ENGL 102/103 or LGST course
Program Outcomes for the Paralegal AAS Degree
Upon completion of the program, the student will be able to:
Prepare and interpret legal documents.
-
Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical obligations of
paralegals and attorneys.
- Demonstrate an understanding of various areas of law within
the U.S. legal system.
-
Perform legal research: print and electronic formats.
-
Prepare and interpret legal documents.
-
Demonstrate proper methods of citation for legal documents.
-
Demonstrate an ability to effectively communicate in a
professional setting.
- Demonstrate their knowledge of facts, evidence, and rules of
law.
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The curriculum provides the student with basic skills in legal research, legal writing, and legal interviewing techniques. Competency is developed in at least three areas of substantive law selected by the student.
| Required Courses |
| ENGL 101 | Introduction to College Writing | 3 |
| LGST 101 | Introduction to the Legal System | 3 |
| LGST 102 | Legal Research | 3 |
| LGST 103 | Legal Writing* | 3 |
| LGST 104 | Interpersonal Communications, Legal Interviewing, and Investigating Techniques | 3 |
| Electives (Select three courses)† |
| | Select
any 3 LGST courses number 106 or above | 9 |
| Total credit hours 24 |
|
|
Program Outcomes for the Paralegal Certificate
Upon completion of this program a student will be able to:
- Locate and interpret legal statutes.
- Locate and interpret legal cases.
- Draft simple legal documents.
- Interpret the legal concepts in three areas of substantive law.
- Interpret the concepts of procedural law.
- Interpret citations of the law.
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This sequence of three courses is designed for persons who wish to develop skills in legal analysis. To complete each course in this sequence, students must demonstrate skills in the following areas: identifying the kinds of law books and their components, using the various indexes and digests, evaluating the role of key facts in issue development, and organizing materials and writing them in a clear style. A grade of C or better is required in each course.
Program Requirements
|
LGST 101
| Introduction to the Legal System | 3 |
| LGST 102 | Legal Research | 3 |
| LGST 103 | Legal Writing | 3 |
| Total credit hours 9 |
Upon successful completion of this course of study, and application to the Admissions and Records Office, the letter of recognition in legal analysis will be issued by the chief enrollment services and financial aid officer.
Program Outcomes for the Legal Analysis Letter of Recognition
Upon completion of this program a student will be able to:
- Locate legal legislation.
- Locate legal cases.
- Draft simple legal documents.
This program is not approved for federal or state student financial aid.
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Refer to course description pages to identify courses with prerequisites.
Courses in italics meet General Education requirements.