Berkeley College

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This course will help prepare students with the skills, knowledge, and communication abilities that they need to be successful as legal assistants. It teaches them how to satisfy society's needs for more comprehensive, efficient, and available legal services. This program takes 2 years or less to complete.

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The Berkeley College Paralegal Studies Certificate Program is a 308-contact hour, non-credit program that prepares students with the technical skills, general knowledge, and communication abilities necessary to be successful entry-level paralegals. Paralegals, also known as legal assistants, are individuals qualified to perform law-related work which requires knowledge of legal concepts and procedures and is usually, but not exclusively, performed by lawyers. Under the supervision of a lawyer, a paralegal may analyze legal issues, investigate and evaluate facts, interview clients, assist in case management, and perform other duties to assist the lawyer in the delivery of legal services to clients. In addition, paralegals may prepare pleadings, contracts, forms, legal memoranda, and other documents. Paralegals cannot give out legal advice or provide legal services directly to the public. Areas of practice include litigation, business/corporate, real estate, trusts and estates, family law, criminal law, tax, bankruptcy, immigration, environmental law, collection, employee benefits, computer law, intellectual property, securities, entertainment law, and workers compensation.

The Berkeley College Paralegal Studies Certificate Program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).

Upon completion of the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program students will be better prepared to:

• Secure employment as paralegals/legal assistants in the private and/or public sector.
• Demonstrate understanding of their roles, including delivery of services, emphasizing the ethical rules and principles of professional responsibility that govern the legal profession in general and the work of paralegal/legal assistants in particular.
• Demonstrate competence and understanding of all primary areas of substantive law and be able to perform procedural tasks in these areas of practice and understand how the two relate.
• Demonstrate competence in legal research and writing, problem analysis and critical and analytical thinking as well as application.
• Communicate effectively by being proficient in computer skills and technology utilized in the legal community, including computer assisted legal research necessary for delivery of effective legal services.
• Take on leadership roles as communication liaisons and be able to prepare client correspondence, research memoranda, draft a variety of legal documents and pleadings, brief cases, and complete client intake questionnaires.