Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies, AS

Upon successful completion of the Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies Associate in Science degree, the student will be qualified to work in California as a Paralegal (Legal Assistant) and legal support professional in a variety of settings, including administrative agencies, corporations, governments, insurance companies, nonprofit organizations, and especially private law firms or other legal environments. This degree program is specifically designed to provide students with the analytical abilities, oral and written communication skills, technological proficiency, and legal competency necessary to assist attorneys in the practice of law. In this program, students take academic courses, including general education and legal specialty courses, to complete the requirements to become a paralegal according to California law. Topics embedded in most legal specialty courses in the program include Paralegal (Legal Assistant) skills and practices, technology use, research, writing, oral communication, legal document production, ethics, and professional responsibility and development. Students participating in the Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies degree program, who are also interested in attending law school, should consider completing, concurrently or in sequence, the Pre-Law Studies Certificate of Achievement at San Joaquin Delta College. The Pre-Law Studies certificate secures the benefits of the statewide Pathway to Law program and enhances success in the Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies program.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate substantive legal knowledge and practical skills for positions as paralegals/legal assistants as a means of improving their own quality of life and the accessibility, quality and affordability of legal services for the people of the State of California.
2. Demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills to produce legal documents, to ethically and effectively interact with others, and to complete tasks performed by paralegal/legal assistants.
3. Demonstrate technology skills appropriate to work successfully as a paralegal/legal assistant.