2012-2013 Catalog

Home > Schedules/Catalogs > 2012-2013 Catalog > Academic Programs > Degree Requirements > Associate of Applied Science > Paralegal AAS

Print this page

Paralegal AAS

Associate of Applied Science Degree

CIP 220302 (LGA2)

Paralegals (Legal Assistants) play an important role in assisting attorneys to provide affordable legal services.

ACC’s American Bar Association – approved Paralegal Program provides a solid foundation of knowledge and practical experience to prepare students for this profession. While paralegals may not practice law, they work under the supervision of attorneys in private law firms or businesses, as well as in many government agencies. Tasks performed by paralegals include interviewing, investigation, research, preparing legal forms, assisting attorneys in court and other activities.

Please contact the Paralegal Department Chair or Coordinator if you have questions about the academic requirements.

ABA Approval

The Paralegal Program has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1977. The approval process ensures that the program complies with the high academic standards of the American Bar Association. For questions about the approval process, the American Bar Association may be reached at 321 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610, 312-988-5000.

Admission Requirements

• Admission to Arapahoe Community College
• ACCUPLACER sentence skills score of 95+ and an ACCUPLACER reading score of 80+ or completion of college-level English with a grade of "C" or better
• Department approval is required in order to transfer in credit for paralegal classes (PAR) from other institutions; courses may be transferred to the program ONLY if they were taken from an ABA-approved program at a regionally accredited institution, and out-of-state courses may only be transferred in if the law content is not state-specific. Only 9 (nine) semester credit hours of paralegal courses (PAR) may be transferred in to ACC and such courses must be approved by the Paralegal Department Chair
• The Paralegal Department expects all students in the paralegal program to abide by the code of ethics promulgated by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). The code of ethics may be viewed at www.nala.org

Program Requirements

The majority of general education classes should be successfully completed prior to taking PAR classes. PAR 115 must be taken the first semester a student begins taking paralegal (PAR) classes.

PAR 115 must be taken the first semester a student begins taking PAR classes. All classes, except for PAR 115, have corequisites or prerequisites; see Course Descriptions.

Choose six credit hours from the following:

Graduation Requirements

• All paralegal and general courses required for the degree must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
• To graduate, students must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Students must complete a Paralegal Exit Survey/Interview
• At least 27 (twenty-seven) hours of paralegal (PAR) courses must be taken at Arapahoe Community College
• Paralegal (PAR) courses must be taken within six years of a student's graduation. General education courses are not subject to this six year requirement
• To graduate, students must apply for graduation and complete the graduation survey (available via myACC). (form available at www.arapahoe.edu/graduation)
• After applying for graduation, all correspondence to a student about the status of their program conferral will be sent to their student email address only.
• As a graduate of a Career and Technical Education program you will be contacted by an ACC employee in approximately six months to verify your employment information. This information gathering is a federal requirement to ensure that ACC receives certain federal funding.

Contents

Catalog Links

• Catalog Home
• Alphabetical Index
• Site Map