2012-2013 Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2012-2013 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Paralegal - Associate of Technical Arts Degree


PGM Code – 586T

Program Description The Paralegal Program is an American Bar Association approved program designed to train students for careers as paralegals (legal assistants) in law firms, governmental agencies, public service organizations and corporate legal departments. Paralegals work under the supervision of attorneys to provide nonclerical professional support in the delivery of legal services to clients and the community. Paralegals are not licensed to practice law.

Computer Skills and Traditional/On-Campus Course Requirement To graduate from the program, all students are required to obtain and demonstrate certain minimum computer skills and take 15 paralegal credits in traditional, on campus (face-to-face) courses. Students must have the Paralegal Program Computer Skills and Traditional/On-Campus Course(s) Verification Form signed by their faculty adviser and submitted to the Enrollment Services prior to or at the time of applying for graduation.

Common Course Numbering  Please refer to www.edcc.edu/ccn for more information.

Credit/Grade Requirements This ATA degree requires successful completion of a minimum of 90 credits as outlined. A minimum of 30 credits or one-third of the required credits, whichever is less, must be earned at Edmonds Community College. A minimum of 25 of these 30 credits must be earned in the Paralegal Program at Edmonds. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all college-level courses and must have a minimum 2.0 grade in LEGAL 200 , 205 , 210 , and 240 .

Transfer of Credits Non-legal credits will transfer from any accredited college to satisfy some or all of the 45 non-legal credit requirement. A Bachelor degree or an Associate of Arts/Sciences degree will satisfy all non-paralegal requirements including ENGL& 101.

Legal credits from any other ABA approved paralegal program may transfer to satisfy some of the 45 legal credits required. Up to 20 legal credits may be transferred from other ABA approved paralegal programs. Legal courses from schools or departments that are not part of an ABA approved paralegal program will not be accepted as legal credits under the requirements of this degree. Any paralegal course transfer approval must be in writing and signed by your Paralegal Program full-time faculty adviser. To transfer any credits, enrolled students must request an evaluation of their college transcripts through Enrollment Services. This should be done during the student’s first quarter at the college. See your adviser if you have any questions about the transfer of credits.

Cultural Diversity Requirement All students earning degrees and certificates of 45 credits or more must meet a cultural diversity (CD) requirement by completing courses marked as “CD” on the requirement sheet and/or “Meets Cultural Diversity Requirement” in the quarterly class schedule. Those courses may also be used to fulfill other requirements of the degree or certificate.

Students are advised to

  • Plan their schedule several quarters in advance in order to accommodate courses that are offered only once or twice a year. Students who are new to the college or with little college experience are recommended to take one quarter of non-legal courses prior to starting legal classes;
  • Review the college catalog for required course prerequisites and include these in schedule planning; and
  • Communicate with a faculty adviser.

Graduation Application A completed Graduation Application form must be submitted to Enrollment Services by the 10th day of the quarter in which the student expects to graduate. Forms are available online or at Enrollment Services located in Lynnwood Hall. Note applications for summer quarter are due by the 8th day of the quarter.

College Resources
College Website | www.edcc.edu
How to Enroll | www.edcc.edu/es
Transfer Center | www.edcc.edu/transfer
College Bookstore | www.edcc.edu/bookstore
Advising Appointments | 425.640.1458

Advisers
The advisers for this program are
Anne Kastle | akastle@edcc.edu | 425.640.1688
Clark Silliman | csillima@edcc.edu | 425.640.1431

Department website
Paralegal | www.edcc.edu/legal

Advising Note


This program requirement sheet is not a substitute for meeting with an academic adviser. Meeting the requirements to graduate with an Edmonds Community College certificate or degree is ultimately the responsibility of the student.

I. General Education/Related Instruction Requirements (20 credits)


ENGL& 101,  MATH& 107 (or higher level math course), PHIL& 106, and any CMST class count toward the 30-credit Liberal Arts requirement.

B. Computation/Quantitative Skills (5 credits)


 Choose one:

C. Human Relations/Group Interaction Requirement (5 credits)


The Liberal Arts courses listed below marked with an asterisk (*) meet the Human Relations/Group Interaction Requirement mentioned in the General Education/Related Instruction Requirements section above.

Cultural Diversity Requirement


___ Cultural Diversity Requirement met

General Education/Related Instruction Requirements Learning Outcomes


Students will demonstrate General Education/Related Instruction Learning Outcomes in each of the following areas:

Communication Skills: Write in clear, effective ways, adapted to audience, context, and purpose.
Quantitative Skills: Apply mathematical, quantitative or symbolic models to solve problems, draw inferences, or support conclusions appropriate to an individual discipline.
Human Relations/Group Interaction: Identify and explain how to apply the skills needed to maintain effective working relationships in multicultural settings.
Cultural Diversity: Apply multiple perspectives when examining cultural differences and interacting in multicultural settings.

II. Liberal Arts (30 credits)


ABA Requirement: ABA Guidelines require that students select courses from at least three (3) disciplines (departments). ENGL& 101 and MATH& 107 (or higher level math course) and PHIL& 106 and any CMST class count toward the 30-credit Liberal Arts requirement. Courses not listed may also satisfy the Liberal Arts requirement. Consult a faculty adviser.

To view course choices see Paralegal Liberal Arts Distribution Course List - ABA Specified .

  • _____ Credits
  • Course Taken - ______________________________

  • Course Taken - ______________________________

  • Course Taken - ______________________________

  • Course Taken - ______________________________

  • Course Taken - ______________________________

III. Approved Non-Legal Electives (maximum 15 credits)


Additional credits necessary to complete this section may be selected from any college-level, non-legal course(s) of your choice, provided that requirements in sections I and II are also met.

V. Legal Courses (25 credits)


  • _____ Credits
  • Course Taken - ______________________________

  • Course Taken - ______________________________

  • Course Taken - ______________________________

  • Course Taken - ______________________________

Specified Legal Elective Course List


A maximum of five (5) credits may be earned in each of these classes: LEGAL 291, 296, 297, and 299 with a total combined limit of 15 credits that can be earned in all of these courses cumulatively.


Program Requirements Learning Outcomes


Upon completion of the Program Requirements for this degree, students will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply legal knowledge and practical skills necessary to perform substantive legal work under the direction of an attorney.
  • Identify and apply the procedural rules and practical skills necessary to perform tasks, under the direction of an attorney, in preparation of judicial, administrative and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
  • Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of print and electronic resources to research and update primary and secondary legal authority.
  • Apply effective writing, speaking and listening skills to work collaboratively with others involved in the delivery of legal services to the public.
  • Prepare legal correspondence, legal memoranda, transactional and operative documents, and litigation-related documents in appropriate format and tone to effectively communicate the necessary information.
  • Demonstrate the ability to use computers and technology necessary to perform paralegal tasks.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of legal ethics, the Rules of Professional Conduct, the role of paralegals in the delivery of legal services to the public, and how social, economic, cultural and ethnic factors affect equal access to the justice system.
  • Career Management: Demonstrate the ability to research employment opportunities, prepare an effective employment package, and present oneself positively in a job interview.

Signatures


____________________________________________________________
Adviser’s Signature and Date

____________________________________________________________
Dean’s Signature and Date

Eff: summer 2012  |  Rev: 06/12