Short Description
This American Bar Association-approved program provides students with the essential knowledge and skills to find employment as paralegals or legal assistants. 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 a lawyer is responsible.”
Type of Credential
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Contacts and Additional Information
Department Chair/Coordinator
CCBC Dundalk, Donna S. Mandl, J.D.
443-840-3477 or dmandl@ccbcmd.edu
Program Coordinators:
CCBC Catonsville, Meisha Grimes, J.D.
443-840-4025 or mgrimes@ccbcmd.edu
CCBC Essex, Amelia Lazarus, J.D.
443-840-1734 or alazarus@ccbcmd.edu
Additional Information:
Semester Sequence
This is a suggested full-time schedule for a student who has completed any developmental course work and has no transfer credits. Refer to the College catalog for specific requirements in selecting General Education Courses .
Semester 4
- LGST 273 - Internship-Legal Studies 3 Credit(s).
- Gen. Ed. Elective - Biological and Physical Sciences (with lab) 4 Credit(s).
- Program Electives 3 Credit(s).
- Program Electives 3 Credit(s).
Courses Needed for This Program*
General Education Requirements and Electives - 23 Credits
General Education Requirements:
General Education Electives:
Choose courses from the list of approved General Education Courses. One course must be a Diversity course.
- Arts and Humanities 3 Credits.
- Biological and Physical Sciences (with lab) 4 Credits.
- Social and Behavioral Sciences ( recommended) 3 Credits.
Program Requirements and Electives - 37 Credits
Total Credits Required for Degree: 60*
Notes
*Credit students who are new to college (no successfully completed transferable college credits from other institutions) are required to take ACDV 101 - Academic Development: Transitioning to College . This 1-credit course is designed to be taken in the first semester at CCBC. Students must provide an official transcript(s) from an accredited institution to document successful completion of college coursework for the ACDV 101 requirement to be waived.
**The American Bar Association requires that students must complete 10 credits of instruction in legal specialty courses through face to face instruction or a combination of hybrid and face to face instruction. Also, students who want to transfer in legal specialty classes from other institutions should refer to the Transfer Credit Policy for additional information.
NOTE: The Legal Studies courses were formerly designated as PALG.
Program Description
This American Bar Association-approved program provides students with the essential knowledge and skills to find employment as paralegals or legal assistants. 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 a lawyer is responsible.”
Graduates of this program will possess a knowledge of the jurisdiction and function of legislative, judicial, and administrative bodies; the structure of the court system; and the roles of attorneys and paralegals as they pertain to the legal system. They will be knowledgeable in a variety of fields, including but not limited to: estate administration, personal injury law, civil litigation, contract law, family law, criminal law and business organizations. They will possess the basic research and writing skills that apply to these fields. This combination of knowledge and skills will enable the graduate to fully assist the lawyer in the practice of law. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.
Program Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this degree, students will be able to:
1. recognize the impact that laws, rules and regulations have on society, businesses and individuals;
2. analyze and effectively apply legal concepts, terminology and procedures necessary to the practice of law and to a variety of legal specialty areas;
3. research, analyze and effectively communicate, orally and in writing, as paralegal professionals using relevant, current legal authority;
4. successfully demonstrate a mastery of analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills;
5. identify, understand and independently apply principles of legal ethics and professional responsibility, including identifying situations that may result in the unauthorized practice of law; and
6. utilize legal theory and practical skills to competently assist lawyers in the provision of legal services.
Transfer Credit Policy
It is the policy of the Legal Studies program to accept legal specialty transfer credits from accredited institutions, subject to the following provisions.
Degree and certificate students must complete a minimum of 12 legal specialty credits at CCBC. CCBC will accept a maximum of 75% of the program credits for a degree or certificate through transfer or other types of prior learning assessments. Courses completed by portfolio or credit by examination will not be considered for transfer as legal specialty courses. Students must complete a minimum of 25% at CCBC, of which a minimum of 12 credits must be CCBC legal specialty credits.
Consideration for transfer credit will only be given to courses in which the student earned a grade of “C” or better. For legal specialty courses completed in any format other than traditional face to face instruction, acceptance of transfer credits will also be subject to Department Chair verifying that the student has or will be completing a minimum of 10 credits of legal specialty coursework through traditional face to face classroom instruction.
Students seeking to transfer legal specialty credits must meet with the Legal Studies Department Chair. The student must provide an official transcript listing the legal specialty course, the date the course was taken, the grade earned, and the number of credits received for the course. The student must also provide a catalog description and/or a course syllabus, which indicates the format in which the course was taken (accelerated, traditional, hybrid, online, independent study, etc.), and be able to discuss the goals and objectives completed during the course. The length of time between when a legal specialty course was completed and the date a student is requesting transfer of the credit to CCBC will be a factor used by the Department Chair in deciding whether or not to accept the legal specialty credits.
If it is determined that the course is sufficiently similar to a legal specialty course in the CCBC program and all of the foregoing requirements are met, the Department Chair will notify the CCBC Records and Registration Office to accept the transferred course as a substitute for the legal specialty course. Final decision on the acceptance of transfer credit for legal specialty courses is made by the Legal Studies Department Chair. Credits earned for prior learning or by examination will not be accepted for transfer of legal specialty credits.
The following courses are considered legal specialty courses: LGST 103, LGST 104, LGST 108, LGST 201, LGST 202, LGST 203, LGST 205, LGST 206, LGST 207, LGST 208, LGST 209, LGST 217, LGST 225, and LGST 230.
The Legal Studies transfer credit policy is subject to change without notice due to changes in requirements from the American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Paralegals. For the most recent transfer credit policy, please contact the Department Chair, Donna S. Mandl, dmandl@ccbcmd.edu.
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