Paralegal

Program outcomes and goals

The Paralegal program supports student success by delivering quality legal education focused on practical skills in a challenging, inclusive, and supportive environment.

Legal assistant less than one year career pathway certificate (not ABA approved)

  1. Recognize basic legal ethics issues, and perform work within the legal, ethical, and economic constraints of the law office environment.
  2. Communicate effectively with legal professionals and consumers of legal services, and exhibit effective people skills to deal with a variety of personalities and diverse individuals.
  3. Apply planning and time management principles to prioritize and accomplish assigned tasks.
  4. Evaluate and analyze tasks to determine what computer technology should be utilized to effectively complete the tasks, then effectively create, organize, maintain, manage and present data and documents to various audiences using current software and hardware technology.
  5.  Perform legal office tasks in a timely and professional manner to maintain workplace efficiency

One year certificate (ABA approved)

  1. Describe the fundamentals of the legal system and litigation of legal disputes, its processes and alternatives.
  2. Demonstrate basic principles of legal analysis and apply critical thinking skills. (e.g., integrate and synthesize concepts, generate options, and make logical and rational decisions).
  3. Locate, collect, organize, update and prepare materials and information required to pursue legal matters.
  4. Perform computing tasks typical to a law office.
  5. Recognize legal ethics issues, and demonstrate appropriate knowledge to perform work within the legal, ethical, and economic constraints of the law office.
  6. Compose cogent, well-organized, and plain English legal documents satisfying at least one set of local & specific practice area rules and customs.
  7. Communicate effectively in writing.
  8. Conduct efficient legal research.
  9. Demonstrate understanding of the responsibilities of professionalism, including knowledge of the variety of diverse personalities, cultures, and work styles essential to legal professionalism.

Associate degree (AAS) (ABA approved)

  1. Describe the fundamentals of the legal system and litigation of legal disputes, its processes and alternatives.
  2. Demonstrate basic principles of legal analysis and apply critical thinking skills. (e.g., integrate and synthesize concepts, generate options, and make logical and rational decisions).
  3. Locate, collect, organize, update and prepare materials and information required to pursue legal matters.
  4. Perform computing tasks typical to a law office.
  5. Recognize legal ethics issues, and demonstrate appropriate knowledge to perform work within the legal, ethical, and economic constraints of the law office.
  6. Compose cogent, well-organized, and plain English legal documents satisfying at least one set of local & specific practice area rules and customs.
  7. Communicate effectively in writing.
  8. Conduct efficient legal research.
  9. Demonstrate understanding of the responsibilities of professionalism, including knowledge of the variety of diverse personalities, cultures, and work styles essential to legal professionalism.

Paralegals may not practice law and may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.

Paralegal program students must complete 14 quarter credit hours of synchronous instruction. Synchronous instruction means students must attend a scheduled class meeting time each week. This restriction is not applicable to Legal Assistant students.