College of Professional Studies
Administrative and Technology Management
Paralegal Studies Program –
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a Paralegal?
Paralegals, also called legal assistants,
work closely with attorneys, judges, prosecutors, or public defenders and
perform a wide range of professional tasks, such as legal research, writing,
interviewing, document preparation, and office management. Paralegals
work in law firms, business corporations, and government agencies.
According to the American Bar Association (ABA), "A legal assistant or
paralegal is a person, qualified by education, training or work experience who
is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental
agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive
legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.
Also, State Bar of Georgia Advisory
Opinion No. 21, revised, sets forth the following definition:
"For the purposes of this opinion,
the terms "legal assistant," "paraprofessional," and
"paralegal" are defined as any lay people not admitted to the
practice of law in this state who is an employee of or an assistant to, an
active member of the State Bar of Georgia or of a partnership or professional
corporation comprised of active members of the State Bar of Georgia and who
renders services relating to the law to such member, partnership or
professional corporation under the direct control, supervision and compensation
of a member of the State Bar of Georgia."
Did that help? If not, we’ll go over
all of this in the
2. How are paralegals
regulated?
In the state of
In addition, there is no certification
requirement for paralegals working in
Individual certification is a voluntary
process offered by national Paralegal organizations through rigorous
examinations. For more information on such organizations, including the
National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and the National Federation of
Paralegal Associations (NFPA), please visit their web sites which are linked to
our Home Page under "Paralegal Organizations." To be a
"certified paralegal", you must pass one of the two national exams,
either the CLA exam or the PACE exam. If you pass one of these exams, you are
authorized to call yourself a "certified paralegal" and you may use
the letters "CLA or CP" or "RP" after your name.
3. How much education is
required to become a paralegal?
There are no formal education requirements
to work as a paralegal in the state of
Information on the
Certificate, A.A.S., and BAS programs - available on our Home Page.
4. What work qualities are
important to become an effective paralegal?
This is a very subjective question. The
answer depends on the attorney you eventually work for and the type of tasks
you will be performing. Some of the qualities attorneys look for in a paralegal
are:
An ethical,
detail-oriented, computer-proficient person who can work in a "team"
setting, and who possesses effective organizational, communication (especially
writing), and critical thinking skills.
These are some of the skills we work on in
the Paralegal Studies Program.
5. Is
the
Yes, our Paralegal Studies
Program is ABA-approved.
Our Paralegal classes meet at
least once during weekday evenings. Most of these courses are offered once a
week from 6:00pm-8:30pm, Monday-Thursday. In addition, we have occasionally
offered a class on Saturdays. We also sometimes offer additional sections
of a class during the afternoon.
All general education classes
are offered at a variety of times in the morning, afternoon and evening hours.
6. What is the cost of the
Paralegal Studies Program?
It depends - if you qualify
for admission to the Certificate Program, and if at the time of application you
are a "resident" of Georgia, then under the HOPE Grant, you may be
able to attend our Certificate Program virtually TUITION-FREE (plus receive some money for books each
semester). The HOPE Grant
differs from the more highly publicized HOPE Scholarship, which is available to
graduating high school seniors in Georgia who obtain a 3.0 Grade Point Average
(GPA) in high school.
You should contact the CSU
Financial Aid Office (678-466-4185) for all questions pertaining to HOPE Grant
and other forms of financial aid.
See the Registrar's Home Page
for tuition/fees if you do not qualify for the HOPE Grant (listed on the
University Home Page, http://www.clayton.edu - click the
"Offices" button). For the Clayton State Admissions Office, call
(678)-466-4115, or visit its web site on the University Home Page.
Visit the State of Georgia's Home Page for
HOPE at http://www.gsfc.org/gsfc/hpreg.htm
.
7. How are computers Used in the Program?
In the Paralegal Studies
Program, we recognize that there are many learning styles which deviate from
traditional lectures. In addition, attorneys and other employers are demanding
that college graduates become computer-savvy in order to effectively compete in
the workplace. Our graduates obtain extensive computer training and are exposed
to the use of case management and billing software; legal research via the
internet, Westlaw, and several word processing languages. In short, they will
be ready to walk into a law office or other legal setting with an array of
skills.
8. Can I obtain an
Associate or Bachelor's Degree after obtaining a Certificate?
A student who does not qualify
for the Certificate program should enroll straight into the AAS in Paralegal Studies
Program without obtaining a Certificate.
See our curriculum on the main
web page for information on these programs. The A.A.S. degree leads into
the B.A.S. degree in Administrative Management.
9. What is the curriculum
like in
The Program receives input on curriculum
development from an Advisory Board comprised of community leaders, including
judges, attorneys, paralegals, supervisors of paralegals, and businesspeople.
Students learn substantive rules of law
and gain "real world exposure" to the legal field. In addition, students may complete an internship in a law firm,
corporation, or government agency.
The Program places a heavy emphasis on
file organization, form preparation, and drafting skills. Students learn how to
draft several pleadings, contracts and other legal documents in an interactive
classroom environment and then must draft these documents for a grade.
10. Who teaches the law
courses in the Paralegal Program?
Instructors in the Paralegal Studies
Program are attorneys with experience in the discipline that s/he teaches.
11. To which Professional Associations does
American Association for Paralegal
Education (AAfPE)
National Association of Legal Assistants
(NALA)
National Federation of Paralegal
Associations (NFPA)
Legal Assistants Management Association
(LAMA)
12. Where can I get
assistance with resume writing and my job search?
The Paralegal Studies Program works very
closely with CSU’s Office of Career Services on
developing job leads. Potential employers are given a "Job Posting
Form" to fill out and fax back to the Program Coordinator. The Program
Coordinator then places the posting in a Job Book in T-109.
NOTE: All Paralegal Job Listings are also posted in the Office of Career
Services, which is located in the
Counselors are available to review your
resume and cover letter, and to discuss job search/networking strategies. In
addition, they have expertise in counseling you on interviewing skills and in
helping to select appropriate attire to wear to interviews and to your job.
Further, there are several resources in their office and in the CSU Library
geared exclusively for paralegals on these topics.
13. When do I need to think
about graduation and the Regents Exam?
Graduation applications may be picked up
in Room T-211 (ask the secretary) in the
A.A.S. majors are required to pass the
14. What if I have further
questions?
Please call the