Paralegal Studies | A.A.B.

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Transfer Agreements

The Paralegal Studies program is perfect for students who may be interested in supporting the work of attorneys as paralegals. Students will learn both substantive and procedural aspects of the types of law practiced in this area of Ohio, which include business, domestic, probate, litigation and real estate. This program will help students develop skills essential to the role of a paralegal including research, communication and writing. These skills will be useful when retrieving information from public records, preparing evidence for civil trials, interviewing clients and drafting documents like contracts, wills and pleadings. A career as a paralegal/legal assistant is included in the top 10 best careers requiring an associate degree. The Edison State degree offers elective classes in criminal and constitutional law, an optional internship experience and access to its strong library of legal resources. Students wishing to transfer legal specialty courses to Edison State should review the credit Legal Credit Transfer Policy . ♦ NOTE Although paralegals assume many preparatory and drafting tasks essential to the practice of law and work under the supervision of an attorney, they are strictly prohibited from carrying out the duties considered to be the practice of law including setting legal fees, accepting cases, giving legal advice and presenting cases in court.

Some possible careers include ►
claim examiner, documents clerk, law office manager, legal assistant, legal technician, paralegal, paralegal manager, patent agent and law librarian

Program Outcomes ►
The student will

demonstrate competence in the substantive principles and procedures related to probate administration, litigation, real estate, domestic relations and business organizations as the major areas of local practice;
develop proficiency with the various tools for research and inquiry common to the legal profession;
communicate effectively;
think critically to draft legal documents;
demonstrate understanding of the ethical standards of the legal profession;
show professionalism and effective interpersonal skills as an integral part of the legal services team and the paralegal profession serving diverse clients; and
demonstrate knowledge of computer applications.

Semester 1

COM 121S Introduction to Communication	3		►Meet with advisor to establish student education plan, two-way communication and academic partnership. ►Advisor and student agree on schedule for Semester 2.
ENG 121S Composition I	3
FIN 119S Business Mathematics	3
LEG 110S Introduction Legal Assisting	3	B
PSY 121S Introduction to Psychology	3
SOC 121S Introduction to Sociology	3
Credit Hours	18

Semester 2

ACC 121S Introduction to Financial Accounting	4		►Submit FAFSA by April for next academic year. ►Advisor and student agree on schedule for Semester 3. ►LEG 130S offered spring semester only.
LEG 130S Legal Research and Writing	3	C
LEG 231S Litigation I	3	C
MTH 120S Quantitative Reasoning OR	3
MTH 125S General Statistics
Humanities Elective ¹	3
Credit Hours	16
¹Refer to AAB general education requirements.

Semester 3

BUS 223S Business Communication	3	C	►BUS 223S creates job-search documents for internship or employment. ►LEG 211S offered fall semester only. ►Advisor and student agree on schedule for Semester 4. ►Apply for internship; see Program Coordinator.
CIS 201S Word Processing	3	C
LEG 211S Probate Administration	3	C
LEG 232S Litigation II	3	C
Related Elective¹	3
Credit Hours	15
¹To be chosen from ACC 217S, CRJ 112S, ALH 151S, or PLS 225S.

Semester 4

BUS 235S Business Law	4		►Meet with Career Services for interview and document preparation skills. ►Complete graduation application by March 1 for spring graduation. ►Submit LEG portfolio for program assessment by April 15. ►If taking LEG 218S as an elective, student must have basic computer skills as LEG 218S is offered in online format only.
LEG 216S Family Law	3	C
LEG 240S Real Estate Law	3	C
Technical Elective¹	3	C
Technical Elective²	3	C
Credit Hours	16
¹To be chosen from LEG 235S or LEG 251S. ²To be chosen from LEG 218S or LEG 290L and LEG 290R.

Total Credit Hours | 65

♦ Designed for students who have completed prerequisites and have met college preparatory requirements in math, English and basic computer skills.