Paralegal
Step into a career in the legal world with a Paralegal Associate of Applied Science degree or Paralegal Certificate from Arapahoe Community College.
Our ABA-approved paralegal program employs an accomplished faculty to deliver a challenging curriculum addressing the conceptual, practical, and technological skills current in today’s legal community so that our graduates have the tools to succeed and advance in the legal profession. We mentor our students to excel professionally and to lead by example through competency, professionalism, and high ethical standards.
At ACC, you will have access to resources to support your success, including technology and software commonly used in today’s legal settings, a full-service library, talented faculty, guest speakers, industry events, networking opportunities, and notary training.
The Paralegal Program at ACC has been approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1977.
What You'll Learn
Getting your Paralegal Certificate or Associate of Applied Science degree at ACC will prepare you to work in the legal profession. When you graduate, you’ll be able to:
- Employ critical thinking to understand and analyze legal issues
- Show basic legal knowledge by locating and analyzing sources of law and understanding basic legal processes
- Draft written research assignments that effectively communicate legal research results and outcomes
- Display entry-level career preparedness
- Display knowledge of professional ethics
While paralegals may not practice law in the State of Colorado, they work under the supervision of attorneys in law firms, government agencies, and various business settings.
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
- Completion of all general education courses is required before students are allowed to register for paralegal (PAR) courses.
- Students must contact the Program Chair, full-time Faculty member or Program Coordinator for advising and program planning prior to enrolling in any PAR courses. Once this is accomplished students may enroll in PAR classes; enrollment in classes will not be permitted without such Program approval.
- Program 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. A maximum of (nine) semester credit hours of paralegal legal specialty courses (PAR) may be transferred in to ACC and such courses must be approved by the Program.
- The Paralegal Department expects all students in the paralegal program to abide by the code of ethics promulgated by the American Bar Association (ABA) and National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). The code of ethics may be viewed at www.americanbar.org and www.nala.org
Program Requirements
All general education classes must be successfully completed prior to taking PAR classes. PAR 1115 must be taken the first semester a student begins taking paralegal (PAR) classes. All classes, except for PAR 1115, have corequisites or prerequisites; see Course Descriptions. Students who are enrolled in at least one paralegal (PAR) class will be charged a program fee each semester.
Students must select additional general education classes from the Guaranteed Transfer (GT) courses as follows:
Choose nine credit hours from the following:
- PAR - Any PAR Elective 3 Credits
Progression and Course Completion
In order to progress through the Paralegal program:
- A student must successfully complete each course in the Paralegal curriculum (general education and paralegal classes) by achieving a grade of "C" or better
- If a student withdraws from a PAR class, this will be treated the same as a failure to successfully complete a course
- If a student earns a grade lower than a "C" in any PAR course, or withdraws from any PAR class, the student will be allowed to retake the course a maximum of one time.
- No more than two PAR classes may be retaken during the completion of the Paralegal program
- If a student is not successful, i.e., a "C" or higher grade on the re-take attempt, the student will be dismissed from the Paralegal program.
- If the student withdraws for reasons other than academic reasons, the student may provide documented proof of reasons and petition the Paralegal Program for an additional one-time opportunity to retake the class. Approval of the exception is strictly the decision of the Program Chair.
- Students must take at least 9 semester credits or the equivalent of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction.
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 cumulative 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
- Apply for graduation online at www.arapahoe.edu/graduation.
- 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.
- Information regarding occupations, completion rates, placement rates, program costs and median loan debt may be found at arapahoe.edu/gainful.
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. If you have 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
- Admission requires one of the following:
- A baccalaureate degree or an associate of arts or science degree from an accredited post-secondary institution. This does not include an associate of applied science degree or equivalent occupational or vocational degree.
- An official transcript must be on file in Admissions and Records prior to enrolling in paralegal classes.
- Students must contact the Program Chair, full-time Faculty member or Program Coordinator for advising and program planning prior to enrolling in any PAR courses. Once the advising process is completed students may enroll in PAR classes; enrollment in classes will not be permitted without such Program approval.
- Program 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. A maximum of (nine) semester credit hours of paralegal legal specialty courses may be transferred to ACC and such courses must be approved by the Program.
- The Paralegal Department expects all students In the paralegal program to abide by the code of ethics promulgated by the American Bar Association (ABA) and National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) . The code of ethics may be viewed at www.americanbar.org and www.nala.org
Program Requirements
Choose nine credit hours from the following:
- PAR - Any PAR elective 3 Credits
Progression and Course Completion
In order to progress through the Paralegal program:
- A student must successfully complete each course in the Paralegal curriculum by achieving a grade of "C" or better
- If a student withdraws from a PAR class, this will be treated the same as a failure to successfully complete a course
- If a student earns a grade lower than a "C" in any PAR course, or withdraws from any PAR class, the student will be allowed to retake the course a maximum of one time.
- No more than two PAR classes may be retaken during the completion of the Paralegal program
- If a student is not successful, i.e., a "C" or higher grade on the re-take attempt, the student will be dismissed from the Paralegal program.
- If the student withdraws for reasons other than academic reasons, the student may provide documented proof of reasons and petition the Paralegal Program for an additional one-time opportunity to retake the class. Approval of the exception is strictly the decision of the Program Chair.
- Students must take at least 9 semester credits or the equivalent of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction.
Graduation Requirements
- All paralegal courses required for the certificate must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
- To graduate, students must have a cumulative 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
- Apply for graduation online at www.arapahoe.edu/graduation.
- 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.
ACC academic plans will help guide you through your chosen program. The academic plan will provide you with important information, like which semesters courses are offered if there are any prerequisites or co-requisites for courses, program outcomes, course sequence recommendations, notes for the program, graduation requirements, and other important information. These are updated annually, so we recommend downloading a copy of yours to keep on track to graduation.
ABA approval
The Paralegal Program at Arapahoe Community College has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1977. This approval ensures that the program complies with the high academic standards of the ABA for a legal career training program. If you have any questions about the approval process, the American Bar Association may be reached at www.americanbar.org or at 321 N. Clark St, Chicago, IL 60610.
Affiliations:
Member, American Association for Paralegal Educators (AAfPE)
Member, National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA)
Member, National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA)
Member, Rocky Mountain Paralegal Association (RMPA)
The ACC Paralegal Program Advisory Committee is a representative group of professionals whose experience and knowledge represent a cross-section of the educational and legal services industries. The primary purpose of the advisory committee is to assist the Paralegal Department at ACC in establishing, operating, and evaluating the program and how it serves the needs of students, the legal industry, and the local legal community by informing about changes and trends in the legal field, advising on the job market and developing career opportunities for paralegal students, generating community cooperation and interest, reviewing the program’s effectiveness in terms of its curriculum and objectives, and informing the program of the needs of the legal community.
Job Opportunities in Paralegal
"The Paralegal Program is an intensive first step into the world of law. It teaches you the intricacies of the legal system and how to apply critical thinking but also gives valuable insight into the role of a Paralegal. Classes are taught by lawyers, judges, and paralegals to give students first-hand knowledge and experience. I’m endlessly grateful for the support I’ve received from ACC and recommend this program for anyone looking for a rewarding and interesting career."
- ACC Paralegal student
"I will forever be grateful for my time at ACC. Every single professor went above and beyond to help, advise, and teach. I went to a good undergrad school, but that university doesn't come close to the instructors at ACC. Hoping to continue taking classes here and there. But overall, between the faculty and the classmates, this was an amazing experience. Thank you!"
- ACC Paralegal student
"I loved how practical and applicable the assignments in our classes were. The professors were all supportive and approachable. They really went above and beyond to help me and I could tell they cared by how they advocated for me outside the classroom. I think I learned a lot and am happy I chose ACC. I don't think I would have had as positive of an experience elsewhere. I like how the program is structured too because we first take the time to understand why we are following a process, and then get to try applying that in an experimental way to get a feel for it before adding in time pressures or having the assignment be graded. I love that the internship is a requirement to graduate because even with a solid foundation of knowledge, it is not the same as learning on the job. It's been a valuable experience and allowed me to change direction in life, so I cannot say enough good things about the program."
- ACC Paralegal student
Meet our Paralegal Program Team
