Paralegal AAS
The Paralegal Associate's Degree educates and trains students to perform substantive and procedural legal work under the supervision of a lawyer. Paralegals are non-lawyers who assist attorneys in their professional duties.
Upon completion of this degree, students will:
- Be able to think critically
- Demonstrate organizational skills
- Work effectively with a variety of legal office professionals and clients
- Understand and apply legal ethics as required by law
- Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the legal system and its various agencies
- Demonstrate solid interviewing and investigation skills
- Draft legal documents and memoranda pertinent to specific areas of law
- Demonstrate excellent writing, listening, and speaking skills
- Demonstrate knowledge in legal research and writing skills
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of computer programs
- Maintain confidentiality
Completion of a Technical Skill Assessment is required.
General Education Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Written Communication | ||
| ENGL-101 | WRITING AND RHETORIC I | 3.00 |
| Oral Communication | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3.00 | |
| FUNDAMENTALS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION | ||
| PUBLIC SPEAKING | ||
| Mathematical Ways of Knowing | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3.00-5.00 | |
| MATH IN MODERN SOCIETY | ||
| ALGEBRAIC REASONING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING | ||
| PRECALCULUS I: ALGEBRA | ||
| PRECALCULUS | ||
| STATISTICAL REASONING | ||
| CALCULUS I | ||
| STATISTICAL METHODS FOR THE SCIENCES | ||
| MATHEMATICS FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS II | ||
| FINITE MATHEMATICS | ||
| MATH FOR TECHNOLOGY | ||
| STATISTICAL REASONING | ||
| Social & Behavioral Ways of Knowing | ||
| HRPT-185 | HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS | 3.00 |
| or SS-185 | HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS | |
| Additional General Education Core Course | 3.00 | |
| *Additional Core Course cannot be used to fulfill a requirement above. | ||
| Select the link below to review LC State's General Education Core courses | ||
| http://catalog.lcsc.edu/general-education/ | ||
| Total Credits | 15.00-17.00 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GNBPT-101 | BASIC ACCOUNTING | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-110 | BUSINESS COMPUTER SKILLS | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-185 | BUSINESS COMMUNICATION | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-222 | BUSINESS EDITING | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-233 | OFFICE PROCEDURES | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-219 | LEGAL TERMINOLOGY | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-223 | LEGAL SUPPORT FUNDAMENTALS AND ETHICS | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-224 | INTRODUCTION TO LAW | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-230 | LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING I | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-235 | PARALEGAL PROCEDURES FOR CRIMINAL LAW | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-265 | BUSINESS LAW I | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-274 | LEGAL PROCEDURES | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-275 | CIVIL LITIGATION | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-285 | LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING II | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-294A | INTERNSHIP IN LAW I | 3.00 |
| Completion of a Technical Skills Assessment is required | ||
| Total Credits | 45.00 | |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| CORE | Mathematical Ways of Knowing | 3.00 |
| ENGL-101 | WRITING AND RHETORIC I | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-101 | BASIC ACCOUNTING | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-219 | LEGAL TERMINOLOGY | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-223 | LEGAL SUPPORT FUNDAMENTALS AND ETHICS | 3.00 |
| Credits | 15.00 | |
| Spring | ||
| GNBPT-110 | BUSINESS COMPUTER SKILLS | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-185 | BUSINESS COMMUNICATION | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-233 | OFFICE PROCEDURES | 3.00 |
| HRPT-185 or SS-185 |
HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS or HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS |
3.00 |
| LAWPT-224 | INTRODUCTION TO LAW | 3.00 |
| Credits | 15.00 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CORE | Additional General Education Course | 3.00 |
| CORE | Oral Communication | 3.00 |
| GNBPT-222 | BUSINESS EDITING | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-230 | LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING I | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-274 | LEGAL PROCEDURES | 3.00 |
| Credits | 15.00 | |
| Spring | ||
| LAWPT-235 | PARALEGAL PROCEDURES FOR CRIMINAL LAW | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-265 | BUSINESS LAW I | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-275 | CIVIL LITIGATION | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-285 | LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING II | 3.00 |
| LAWPT-294A | INTERNSHIP IN LAW I | 3.00 |
| Credits | 15.00 | |
| Total Credits | 60.00 | |
Graduates from Paralegal programs go on to obtain careers in a variety of fields:
- Legal Assistant
- Law Clerk
- Litigation or Judicial Assistant
- Legal Practice Assistant
- Court Clerk
- Title/Abstract Examiner
- Legal Researcher
- Contract Specialist
- Claims Adjuster
- Court Assistance Program Specialist
- Limited Practice Officer
Check out the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website for more information about the potential careers listed above.