2022-2023 EGCC Catalog and Student Handbook 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 EGCC Catalog and Student Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Paralegal Certificate


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The Paralegal Program is designed to prepare students for employment in a law environment in both public and private sectors or any other environment where a basic understanding of the law is valued. That is, upon completion of this program this graduate is one who will have an enhanced understanding as a business executive, entrepreneur, realtor, social worker, journalist, forensic scientist, law enforcement officer, and a wide variety of other workplace positions. Traditional paralegals work in government agencies, law firms, corporations, real estate firms, as well as non-profit organizations. The demand for paralegal professionals is expected to increase by more than 50% over the next ten years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Paralegal Program at Eastern Gateway Community College, offering both a Paralegal Certificate and an Associate’s Degree, is open to any high school graduate or any person who has earned a GED certificate. The paralegal certificate is an option that exists for those who do not want an associate’s degree at this time but may pursue the degree at a later time. Therefore, a student can pursue the certificate if they already have a degree, or just work toward the certificate without pursuing the degree.

Upon successful completion of the degree in paralegal, the graduate will be able to:

  • Articulate and adhere to the paralegal’s ethical responsibilities and the ethical interrelationship between paralegal and supervising attorney in all legal settings
  • Demonstrate professionalism towards clients, coworkers, and the legal community and apply the Rules of Professional Conduct in all settings
  • Develop a knowledge base of substantive law, principles, process and procedures in specific areas of practice
  • Demonstrate effective legal research and writing based upon appropriate traditional and digital resources
  • Utilize effective time management, organizational skills, and information management in all legal settings
  • Analyze and synthesize the law so as to evaluate that law against varying legal issues presented by a client or case
  • Identify the structure and functionality of the United States Courts at the Federal, State, Local, and Administrative levels and address legal questions in the appropriate venue
  • Apply the five sources of law to resolve legal questions-the United States Constitution, Federal and State Statutory Law, Rules of Court (statutory or discretionary from the bench), Case Law/Judicial Opinions, and Administrative Regulations
  • Use technology necessary to the paralegal’s practice in the legal community from legal research databases to office technology to programs designed for specific areas of practice

Paralegal

Recommended System Requirements

    • OS: Windows 10 or higher
    • Processor: 2 GHz or higher
    • RAM: 4 GB or more
    • Hard Drive: 100 GB or more
    • Graphics: DirectX9 or higher
    • Display: 720p
    • OS: Mac 10.14 or higher
    • Processor: Intel Core i5 or higher
    • RAM: 8 GB or more
    • Hard Drive: 256 GB or more
    • Display: 1280x800 resolution or higher

Chromebooks are not recommended

 

 

Total Semester I Credit Hours: 18


Semester II


Total Semester II Credit Hours: 18


Total Credits: 36


▲Student must obtain a letter grade of C or better to progress to graduation/certification.

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