CALCampus Legal Assistant/Paralegal Certificate Program

CALCampus

Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Click here for the Enrollment Form and Prices.

This certificate program is approved by the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission.

Program Title: LEGAL ASSISTANT/PARALEGAL Certificate Program
Program Number: BU 525-CP

According to the American Bar Association Guidelines For The Approval of Legal Assistant Education Programs, Legal Assistants are "persons who, although not a member of the legal profession, are qualified through education, training, or work experience, who are employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency, or other entity in a capacity or function which involves the performance, under the direction and supervision of an attorney, of specifically delegated substantive legal work, which work, for the most part, requires a sufficient knowledge of legal concepts such that, absent that legal assistant, the attorney would perform the task. (ABA BY-LAWS 21.12). For the purposes of the guidelines, the terms 'legal assistant' and 'paralegal' are used interchangeably."

The CALCampus Legal Assistant/Paralegal certificate program is designed to acquaint the learner with fundamental knowledge of terminology, policies, and procedures encountered in the law office environment; and with the various forms and documents associated with legal actions for the purpose of fulfilling the basic qualifications of a legal assistant, as specified above. Program topics include family law, business law, the court system and civil litigation, principles of real estate law, legal research and writing, fundamentals of criminal law, and bankruptcy. The program is intended to provide a basic background of legal knowledge and procedures that will serve to enhance the skills of the legal assistant/paralegal in a law office. The program advisor and lead instructor, Attorney Michael A. Morabito, is a practicing attorney who is a member of the Bar Associations of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York; and is a member of the National Association of Legal Assistants. The program is designed to train students from various states and covers fundamental principles and practices that most law offices follow regardless of location.

Incoming students need to have at least three semesters of college study (36 semester credits). Eight courses in legal studies must be completed to earn the certificate.

Students must successfully complete the following courses:

BU311 Family Law
BU310 Business Law
BU325 Legal Research and Writing
BU315 Introduction to Civil Procedures
BU322 Real Estate Law
BU326 Legal and Business Ethics
BU317 Introduction to Criminal Law
BU318 Bankruptcy

For more information about the legal assistant/paralegal profession, visit the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook for Paralegals and Legal Assistants.

Note: We are introducing the following Professional Diploma program for students who do not have the required college study behind them:

Legal Assistant/Paralegal Professional Diploma Program

If the incoming student has a high school diploma, the student may apply for enrollment in the Legal Assistant Professional Diploma Program, consisting of 60 semester credit hours of which at least 24 semester credit hours are legal courses. A special application is required for this diploma program. Click here.

Read Course Descriptions.
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