Paralegal Studies Certificate Program

Upcoming events:

Spring classes begin April 2, 2013 LAPA New Student Membership Information LAPA Scholarship Information Student Information Meeting Summer 2013 Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Room: TBA

Summary Description

Cal State L.A.'s Certificate Program in Paralegal Studies strives to produce competent, well-rounded paralegals who communicate effectively, demonstrate professional skills, and have the training and experience to assist attorneys effectively in a variety of legal practice settings.

The paralegal studies program at Cal State L.A. has been American Bar Association (ABA) approved since 1978, making it one of the earliest approved programs in a university setting in California. A successful student must complete eight courses (the equivalent of 32 continuing education units), earning a minimum grade of “C” in each course, to receive a certificate of completion. Students may complete a "general" track, emphasizing legal writing, or one of three "specialty" tracks - in Litigation; Corporate Practice; or, newly approved in Summer, 2011, in Legal Technology. Students may pursue more than one specialty track by substituting up to 2 courses (that is, no more than 8 units) from one track to another, although most "dual specialties" will require more than 8 courses to finish. As we wish to assure good student orientation at the beginning of the program and facilitate placement of our graduates in the legal profession at the conclusion, we require that students attend a Student Information meeting and at least one program workshop in Career Development offered during their tenure as students. Such attendance is a requirement of graduation.

We are excited to begin offering courses in a new Legal Technology track, following ABA-approval of this curriculum as of June 2011. The class offerings in this track will equip students to use the most popular types of software and legal programs currently in use in law firms - including training in electronic filing of pleadings; in database design to store and retrieve documents received in "e-discovery;" in the use of 'data-mining' techniques employed in computer investigations; and in the use of graphics and visual presentation methods that bring technical innovation into the courtroom. Technically-oriented classes are balanced with courses that overview developing areas of practice in Cyberlaw, including issues of regulation of online activities, and the resolution of disputes arising in online commerce. Students are encouraged to take individual courses in the program as well as the series of electives (see details below) that will lead to specialization in this track.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete the Paralegal Studies program will be prepared to:

• Understand and use legal terminology
• Conduct effective legal research and write competently in legal conventions
• Have a practical knowledge of the workings of the court system to use appropriate practice forms, and to understand filing procedures and deadlines
• Perform general paralegal tasks, such as interviewing clients; conducting investigations; assisting with law office management, and using legal practice software
• Develop a specialty area of practice such as litigation, corporate law; criminal procedure; family law; or immigration; and
• Observe the ethical standards of paralegal practice, including avoiding the “unauthorized practice of law,” and preserving client confidentiality.

These basic learning outcomes prepare the student for the professional competencies needed to meet the American Bar Association's definition of a paralegal: "a person employed by a law office, corporate legal department, or public entity to carry out specifically delegated, substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney. A paralegal is not an attorney and may not give legal advice, accept cases, argue in court, or set fees."

Who Can Enroll? Application Process and Academic Advisement

Prospective students must hold at least an Associate's degree in any field, from an accredited institution. In lieu of such degree, students may have completed the equivalent of the lower division, general education units of a bachelor's program (that is, 58 quarter units, or 44 semester units, of college training, of which 27 quarter units, or 18 semester units must be in general education). Further, to demonstrate the level of writing competency required in the program, students must have completed the equivalent of "freshman composition" with a grade of "C" or better.

Prospective students must file an application for admission, available on this website, and must submit official transcripts with their application to the program that verify their meeting these requirements for admission.

Transfer applicants should note that a maximum of 2 courses (that is, 8 quarter units, or the equivalent of 6 semester units) may be transferred for credit from another ABA-approved paralegal program, with the written approval of the Advisement Coordinator. For purposes of such transfer, however, non-paralegal specific courses, such as Business Law; Constitutional Law; and Criminal Justice, are not eligible for transfer.

International student applicants: For applicants who completed their academic requirements outside of the United States, an acceptable TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 paper-based; or 79-80 internet-based test, must be submitted to demonstrate the applicant's level of proficiency in English satisfactory to the academic level of this program.

Mandatory Advisement for New Students. Students who are accepted to the Paralegal Studies program will receive an e-mail informing them that they have met all the requirements for admission, and that they may begin study in an upcoming quarter. However, before being permitted to register for classes, students must make an appointment for academic advisement. This required advisement appointment is to allow students, in consultation with a program adviser, to complete a Program Plan (available on this website) indicating their anticipated sequence of taking courses. Students whose last names begin A-M may make an advisement appointment with program director, Jeffrey Brandt, at (323) 343-4847; while students whose last names begin N-Z may make advisement appointments with Student Advisement Coordinator, Robin Hall, at (323) 343-4967. A completed program plan is subject to modification with the approval of a program adviser, but such plan must be on file before a student may initially register for classes.

Gainful Employment Disclosure

As a program that seeks to "prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation," the Paralegal Studies program complies with U.S. Department of Education regulations requiring the disclosure of information relevant to the program's cost; the normal time to completion and on-time completion rates; and job placement rates.
Click here for Gainful Employment Disclosures.

Rotation of Course Offerings.

The program for students seeking the Paralegal Studies certificate consists of: (a) required "core" courses - these are the 4 courses required in all specialty tracks and the general track; (b) courses required for a particular legal specialty; and (c) elective courses, including a quarter of internship experience eligible for 4 units of credit.

The courses of the core curriculum are: (1) PLS 750 "Role of the Paralegal;" (2) PLS 752 "Legal Research;" (3) PLS 755 "Law Office Technology;" and (4) PLS 760 "Civil Procedure I," and these courses are offered in most quarters, and at least in 3 out of the 4 quarters making up an academic year. Required courses for a legal specialty track are generally offered in alternate quarters (such as Fall and Spring); or, in the case of the Corporate law series, in successive quarters. Finally, elective courses are offered on a rotational basis so that they are generally available at least one quarter per academic year. However, as all extension classes must be self-sustaining, scheduled courses may be cancelled in a particular quarter for insufficient enrollments. This may require students to wait an additional quarter in order to take a course needed in their individual Program plan. (See Course Descriptions, below).

Click here for Spring 2013 Schedule

 

Course Descriptions:

The general certificate and the specialty certificate tracks contain the following representative courses, and are generally offered in the quarters indicated, subject to change, as noted above.

I. General track:
This track is designed to give the student a general background to function as a paralegal in a variety of legal settings, with some emphasis placed on the ability to draft legal documents and write effective legal memoranda. Courses required for this track are as follows: (Quarters offered are subject to change to accommodate scheduling of instructors.)

Course Number	Course Name	Units	Quarter(s) offered
PLS 750	Role of Paralegal	4	Fall, W, Sp, Su
PLS 752	Legal Research	4	F, W, Sp, Su
PLS 755	Law Office Technology	4	F, W ,Sp ,Su
PLS 760	Civil Procedure I	4	F*, W, Sp
PLS 753 (reqd. for this track)	Legal Writing	4	Sp, Fall

(*Except Fall 2012)

Plus, any three electives, such as Family Law; Probate Procedures; Real Estate Law; Criminal Law; Immigration; or the Legal Practicum, Internship quarter.

II. Litigation tack:
This track prepares a student to work in litigation practice, where more paralegals are currently employed than in any other area of law.  Students receive significant instruction and grounding in the rules of procedure that relate to filing a legal action, preparing a case for trial, and assisting in the motions and preparation of evidence for the trial itself. 
Courses required for this track are as follows: (Quarters offered are subject to change to accommodate scheduling of instructors.)

Course Number	Course Name	Units	Quarter(s) offered
PLS 750	Role of Paralegal	4	Fall, W, Sp, Su
PLS 752	Legal Research	4	F , W, Sp, Su
PLS 755	Law Office Technology	4	F, W, Sp , Su
PLS 760	Civil Procedure I	4	F* , W, Sp
PLS 761	Civil Procedure II	4	W**, Sp, Su
PLS 762	Civil Procedure III	4	F, Sp, Su

(*Except Fall 2012)
(**Except Winter 2013)

Plus, any two electives, such as Family Law; Probate Procedures; or the Legal Practicum, Internship quarter.  (Note:  taking 2 electives from the Corporate track may qualify the student for a “dual” specialty in Litigation and Corporate practice.)

III. Corporate track:
This track prepares students to work in “in-house” corporate law departments or for law firms that represent corporate clients.  Training in the steps required to organize a California corporation, and to create and maintain corporate documents.  Advanced course covers corporate financing through the issuance of stock and other securities.
Courses required for this track are as follows: (Quarters offered are subject to change to accommodate scheduling of instructors.)

Course Number	Course Title	Units	Quarter(s) offered
PLS 750	Role of Paralegal	4	Fall, W, Sp, Su
PLS 752	Legal Research	4	F, W, Sp, Su
PLS 755	Law Office Technology	4	F, W, Sp , Su
PLS 760	Civil Procedure I	4	F*, W, Sp
PLS 766	Corporate I	4	F, Sp
PLS 767	Corporate II	4	W, Su
PLS 768	Securities Regulation	4	Alternate Summers

(*Except Fall 2012)

Plus, any two electives, such as Real Estate for the Paralegal; Intellectual Property/Entertainment Law; Income Tax; Bankrupty, or the Legal Practicum/internship quarter.  (Note:  taking 2 electives from the Litigation track may qualify the student for a “dual” specialty in Corporate and Litigation practice.)

IV. (NEW as of Fall 2011):  Legal Technology track:
The Legal Technology track prepares paralegals for the dramatic impact the technology explosion has had on legal practice.  Students learn the specialized software developing to support litigation practice from the electronic filing of pleadings, through the discovery and investigative process, up through graphic presentations at trial.  Developments in Cyberlaw, including criminal activity of hacking and computer mischief, and issues of e-commerce are also covered in this innovative track, which may be useful to experienced paralegals, or students in other tracks, on a single course basis, as well as students taking a series of courses to attain the specialty designation. 
Courses required for this track are as follows: (Quarters offered are subject to change to accommodate scheduling of instructors.)

Course Number	Course Title	Units	Quarter(s) offered
PLS 750	Role of Paralegal	4	Fall, W, Sp, Su
PLS 752	Legal Research	4	F, W, Sp, Su
PLS 755	Law Office Technology	4	F, W, Sp Su
PLS 760	Civil Procedure I	4	F* , W, Sp
PLS 761	Civil Procedure II	4	W**, Sp, Su
Plus 3 electives from among:
PLS 764	Applied Legal Technology	4	F, Sp
PLS 765	Computer Forensics	4	W
PLS 771	Trial Technology	4	W
PLS 772	Data Base Design and e-Discovery	4	Su
PLS 772	Cyberlaw	2	F (not yet offered)
PLS 769	On-line Dispute Resolution	2	F (not yet offered)

(*Except Fall 2012)
(**Except Winter 2013)

Legal Technology Course Descriptions: 
PLS 755 “Law Office Technology”, now required in all tracks, provides a general introduction to computer hardware and software used in the law office, including application of the Microsoft Office suite of programs to legal practice.  Coverage is also given to timekeeping and billing programs and to calendaring programs beyond the capabilities of Microsoft Outlook.

PLS 764  “Applied Legal Technology”, begins with a review of basic computer uses in the law office, including e-filing of pleadings, and moves to coverage of the popular legal database Concordance, used for e-discovery and of specialized software for litigation support, including CaseMap, TimeMap, and Visionary.

PLS  765  “Computer Forensics”, covers computer investigation, ‘data mining,’ of electronic sources to recover and preserve evidence for trial.  Recovery of e-mail trails, archived and deleted material, and cell phone information are examples of areas covered in this introduction to the methods of conducting “high-tech” investigations.

PLS 771 “Trial Technology” covers software available for visual presentations at trial, including graphics, text enhancement, and video clips.  Introduces students to use of programs such as Power Point, Visionary, and Sanction.

PLS 772  “Database Design, and e-Discovery” introduces students to the creation of databases for litigation support, including techniques of imaging, storing, and retrieving of documents received in the discovery process.  Coverage includes concepts of bibliographic document coding and abstract vs. full-text data bases.

PLS 773 “Principles of Cyberlaw” provides background on crimes in cyberspace, including regulation of pornography and cyber stalking, hacking and computer mischief, and International conventions on cybercrime. (2 units)

PLS 769 “On-line Dispute Resolution” overviews the resolving of disputes in electronic commerce, including domain name disputes, and the trends in using online capabilities as a form of mediation; “on-line dispute resolution” versus alternate dispute resolution. (2 units). 

Course Descriptions

Click here for course descriptions

Program Cost

The cost for each 11-week class (10 weeks of instruction + finals week), is $600 plus a required Westlaw fee of $41 per quarter.  (The Westlaw fee allows the student quarterly access to the electronic Westlaw database, which may be required for research purposes in all program courses.  Only one fee is due per quarter regardless of the student’s class load).  Program cost does not include the price of textbooks, which the student must purchase or rent separately from a source of the student’s choice.  (Note, that students enrolled in a quarter in which they take only PLS 782, the internship course, must still pay the course fee and Westlaw fee for that quarter.)

Several discounts are available to the regular course fee, including a 10% discount per class for members of the Cal State L.A. Alumni Association, or students who join as members of the Los Angeles Paralegal Association (LAPA).  Students may receive only one of any available discounts for which they may be eligible. 

Instructors

All Paralegal Studies courses are taught by adjunct faculty, who are practicing attorneys, practicing paralegals, or paralegal supervisors, and all of whom have experience in working with, or practicing as, paralegals.  All are familiar, especially, with the requirements and laws of California pertaining to the training and practice of paralegals.

Job Prospects and Salary Ranges

The job prospects for certified paralegals, as of Summer 2011, are still very good, with the Yahoo!Education website ranking “Paralegal” number six in its list of “Booming Career Options.”  Job openings in the field, according the U.S. Department of Labor statistics cited by Yahoo!, are expected to increase by some 28% by 2018, as law firms continue to seek qualified persons to add value to their staffs.  California Occupational Employment Projections concur in estimating job growth in the paralegal field, projecting an increase of some 19% in paralegal job openings through 2016 (as compared with the market in 2006). 

Median annual salary figures for paralegals are currently (Summer 2011) in the range of $49,000 - $54,000, with Department of Labor statistics from May 2010 indicating that paralegals earning in the top 10% of their profession make some $74, 870 per year.

 

Student Testimonial

Testimonial	Student
In this current economy. I'm very thankful to be offered another position [a promotion]....I'll be going to work for GEICO's legal department and I'm very excited. Just wanted to keep you updated and say thanks for always being so encouraging. Keep up the great work with all the students and paralegal program! I wouldn't have been able to get this job if it wasn't for the program. Thanks again!	Stefanie Dare Graduate , CPS Program Fall 2009

Contact Us:

For more information on the program contact Program Director, Jeffrey Brandt, in the College of Extended Studies and International Programs, at (323) 343-4847; or email to: jbrandt@calstatela.edu
www.calstatela.edu/extension.

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