Paralegal Studies Certificate
Approved by the American Bar Association
HEGIS Code 5099 – 30 Credits
Suggested 2-Semester Course Sequence
First Semester
Second Semester
Elective*
| CRJ 10100 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ 10300 | Juvenile Justice System | 3 |
| CRJ 20300 | Criminal Investigation | 3 |
| CRJ 21600 | Wrongful Convictions | 3 |
| CSP 13000 | Social and Ethical Issues in Computing | 3 |
| | Any LGS Course | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Total Credit Hours: 30
(15 of the 18 Paralegal credits must be taken at RCC) A minimum of 9 credits of legal specialty courses through traditional classroom instruction or synchronous remote instruction are required.
According to the American Bar Association, “a legal assistant or paralegal is a person qualified by education, training, or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work, for which the lawyer is responsible.” Paralegals are not licensed and always work under the supervision of an attorney. The goal of both the degree and certificate program is to prepare students to become entry-level paralegals.