Associate of Science in Paralegal Studies
NHTI Concord Community College
Key Information
Campus location
Concord, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
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Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
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Application deadline
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Earliest start date
Sep 2023
Scholarships
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Introduction
The Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies, approved by the American Bar Association, will prepare students to perform effectively in today's legal and business communities. This program is an expanded version of the Certificate Program. The American Bar Association approves both programs. The Degree trains students for professional status as lawyers' assistants in banks, corporations, government agencies, insurance companies, and law firms. The program provides students with a broad-based academic curriculum, emphasizing the skills, substantive knowledge, and ethics a paralegal needs to assist lawyers effectively. Graduates may either enter the workforce directly after graduation or continue their education at a four-year institution.
The Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Most major field courses, however, are offered in the evenings at this time. The general education courses are offered both days and evenings.
The work of the paralegal requires discretion and independent judgment. A paralegal always works under the supervision and direction of an attorney. Even though a paralegal can perform many of the tasks which have otherwise been performed by attorneys, a paralegal may not give legal advice, represent a client in court, or otherwise engage in the practice of law.
NHTI graduates will be exposed during their course of studies to the legal system and the role of paralegals within the profession, the ethical rules governing lawyers and paralegals, and a law office's operation. Through the course sequence in the Degree, NHTI's graduates will be:
able to assist in most aspects of legal research, and the preparation of clear and concise legal writings on a topic of their choosing;
introduced to Lexis/Nexis;
able to assist in virtually all phases of litigation and real property transactions;
able to assist in the formation, daily administration, and dissolution of a corporate entity;
able to assist in the planning and administration of a decedent's estate;
prepared to assist in the drafting of pleadings and the completion of preliminary research in the area of family law;
exposed to the various elements of New Hampshire criminal practice and procedure.