Program Description
This American Bar Association approved Paralegal Studies Program is designed to prepare graduates to work as professional assistants under the supervision of attorneys. All Paralegal Studies students receive training in civil procedure, contracts, real property, legal research and writing, drafting of documents, litigation support, law office systems and management, and use of computers in the legal environment. Students will take at least ten semester credits, or the equivalent, of legal specialty courses through traditional classroom instruction. Upon satisfactory completion of the course requirements, including a grade of “C” or better in all Paralegal courses, graduates are eligible to apply for the examination given by the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. to be Certified Legal Assistants (CLA), or the National Association of Legal Professionals to earn the Professional Paralegal (PP) credential. Tulsa Community College is a member of the American Association for Paralegal Education.
UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW: The paralegal may be asked to accomplish a variety of duties as part of his or her job. However, paralegals are prohibited from offering legal advice and arguing cases in court; and Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law. Paralegals either work with attorneys who assume professional responsibility for the final work product or in areas where ‘lay’ individuals are explicitly authorized by statute or regulation to assume certain law-related responsibilities.
Admission To The Program:
- Complete all admission requirements to Tulsa Community College.
- Complete all admission requirements to the Paralegal Program.
- Complete Paralegal Application, available in the Business and Information Technology department office, Metro Campus, MC 416.
- Completion of CSCI 1203 , ENGL 1113 and ENGL 1213 , COMM 1113 , POLS 1113 , and PLGL 1213 with a “C” or better.
Tulsa Community College will refuse program completion credit for legal specialty courses taken more than six years prior to completion of the program, unless the student’s proficiency in the area can be demonstrated.
Transfer of Legal Specialty Courses
For questions about Admission to the Program and/or the Legal Specialty Course Transfer Policy please contact the Program Coordinator.
Michael Speck, Paralegal Program Coordinator
Metro Campus: (918) 595-7317
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, you will be able to:
- Recognize the various sources of substantive and procedural law.
- Identify federal, state, and local judicial and quasi-judicial functions.
- Apply the ethical standards adopted by State and Federal Courts, as well as professional organizations, to a variety of factual circumstances.
- Research the law with text and electronic resources.
- Identify the facts, issues, rules, analysis and conclusions (known as the FIRAC method) in reported case law.
- Apply the FIRAC method to hypothetical legal problems.
- Communicate legal conclusions to legal professionals.
- Describe the basic operation principles of software used in the legal profession
- Demonstrate the time and resource management required to meet multiple deadlines in several, simultaneous projects.
- Prepare pleadings, documents, and demonstrative exhibits used in the practice of law.
Careers
Search careers in Paralegal studies at TCC Career Explorer and visit TCC Career Services to learn more about our free career planning and job preparation services.
Student Organizations
Student Association of Paralegals and Legal Assistants (“SAPLA”), a TCC Student Organization, and Lambda Epsilon Chi (“LEX”), a National Honors Organization.
Degree Requirements
View a semester-by-semester course plan of study and information on transferring this degree to other colleges and universities on the Paralegal Studies A.A. Degree Map.
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