Associate of Science in Legal Assisting and Paralegal
This program prepares students with the skills and academic knowledge necessary for a career as a legal assistant, paralegal working under the supervision of a licensed attorney. The American Bar Association defines a paralegal as “a person qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, government agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.” The career opportunities may be in small or large firms working as a legal assistant, paralegal. The duties of a legal assistant paralegal include assisting the lawyer with research, brief preparation, and other legal office administration, but do not include practicing law, advising clients, or setting fees since paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law. Upon completion of this program, students should be able to draft legal documents in areas of law studied including torts and family law, probate procedure, and contracts; demonstrate the ability to define and articulate law practices in a variety of legal settings where legal assistants, paralegals work, including small and large private firms, corporations, and governmental agencies, the emerging role of the legal assistant, paralegal, and the place of the legal assistant, paralegal in expanding the delivery of legal services; demonstrate the ability to define and articulate the affect of change in the delivery of legal services and corresponding needs for well-qualified legal assistants, paralegals; demonstrate mastery of word-processing, Internet and legal research technologies in a typical law office environment; demonstrate the ability to define and articulate alternatives to litigation including mediation, voluntary and mandatory arbitration; demonstrate the ability to articulate ethical decision-making in the legal environment; think critically both conceptually and by using mathematical analysis, write and speak effectively, use basic computer applications, and understand human behavior in the context of the greater society. The potential entry-level job position titles include legal assistant and paralegal.
| Prereq Degree |
Verified high school education (HS diploma, GED or HSED) |
| Credit Transfer Restrictions |
Applicants desiring to transfer to Herzing University from other colleges must have official transcripts sent to Herzing University from those
colleges. It is best if Herzing University receives official transcripts before class starts so that proper schedules can be prepared. This is
typically done during the admission process prior to the beginning of the first semester but must be done by the end of the first eight weeks
of the first semester. For a degree or diploma to be awarded by Herzing University, the last 12 semester credit hours and at least 25
percent of the total credits required for the degree/diploma must be taken at Herzing University. The total number of credits transferred
to Herzing University, plus course exemption credits, must not exceed 75 percent of the credits required for a degree/diploma.
To receive credit for any course taken elsewhere, the following applies:
1. The course for which credit is being sought must have been taken at an accredited post-secondary institution and must be comparable
to the course at Herzing University for which transfer credits are being sought.
2. The student must have earned a grade of at least a “C” or better in that course.
3. The proper authorities at Herzing University must receive the official transcript.
A catalog or official description of the course from the previous college is needed. As always, the acceptance of transfer credit is entirely at
the discretion of the receiving college. In addition to the grade received, the length of time since the course was taken will be considered.
Once an individual matriculates as a Herzing University student for the first time and his/her prior college work has been evaluated
for transfer, all future coursework must be completed at Herzing University for it to apply to any degrees or diplomas awarded by
Herzing University. |
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