Paralegal Studies Certificate

Approved by the American Bar Association

HEGIS Code 5099 – 30 Credits

See your Degree Audit for specific requirements.

Only students who have completed an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree or higher are eligible to enroll in the Certificate program.

 

Suggested 2-Semester Course Sequence

First Semester

LGS 10110Introduction to Law

3

LGS 10210Legal Research & Writing

3

LGS 10310Civil Litigation

3

CRJ 10600Introduction to the Court System

3

CSP 10100Computer Concepts and Application

3

or

MGT 11110Management Information Systems

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Second Semester

LGS 10710Contract Law

3

LGS 11010Torts/Personal Injury Law

3

LGS 11210Criminal Law and Procedures

3

ELEC Elective*

3

ELEC Elective*

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Elective*

CRJ 10100Introduction to Criminal Justice

3

CRJ 10300Juvenile Justice System

3

CRJ 20300Criminal Investigation

3

CRJ 21600Wrongful Convictions

3

CSP 13000Social 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.