Program Code: 260
The Paralegal Studies program prepares students for careers as paralegals in offices specializing in general practice or litigation. A cooperative education program enables students to earn academic credit and supplement their income while gaining work experience at local sites. Students should be eligible to enroll in ENG 111 prior to registering for any LGL course offering.
The Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Paralegal Studies prepares students to work as a paralegal in diverse settings. Electives can be selected to enable students to concentrate in general practice, litigation, or a combination of each.
Students in the Paralegal Studies program will be subject to an audit of their transcripts in the first month of their last semester before graduation. This audit will serve as a preliminary review to insure that all requirements for graduation have been met and further, to confirm that the maximum credit hours completed through online coursework and permissible under program accreditation standards has not been exceeded. The audit will be conducted by the Program Head or such other designees as may be appointed by the Program Head or Academic Dean.
The TCC Paralegal Studies program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).
Program note: Legal assistants and paralegals cannot give legal advice to members of the public. Most jurisdictions impose significant penalties for the unauthorized practice of law. This program is not intended to give legal advice to students or to educate or train students to give legal advice or otherwise engage in the unauthorized practice of law.
Program Objectives:
1. All Paralegal AAS degree students will demonstrate requisite skills involved in assisting attorneys with trial preparation.
2. All Paralegal Studies graduates will demonstrate knowledge of computerized legal software and databases.
3. All Paralegal Studies graduates will demonstrate knowledge of legal research.
4. All Paralegal Studies graduates will demonstrate knowledge of legal writing.
5. All paralegal studies students will demonstrate an ability to analyze ethics issues and apply principles of legal ethics to resolve them.
Students must take at least three courses (LGL 125, LGL 126 and LGL 216) through synchronous instruction.
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