Program Overview

Paralegal Studies Certificate

The American Bar Association has approved this program for the education of paralegals. Paralegals work under the supervision of an attorney or perform work for which an attorney is responsible. Paralegals do not practice law nor give legal advice.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements are a bachelor's degree or 60 semester hours (including a minimum of 18 in general education) from a regionally accredited college or university. The general education must include at least three semester hours in college-level English composition and 15 hours from at least three of the following academic areas:

• Social and behavioral science
  • English composition and literature
  • Foreign language
  • Mathematics
  • Humanities
  • Natural science
  • Appreciation or history of the arts Students at the University of La Verne in any major may earn a certificate.

Transfer Policy

Transfer courses are accepted into the program if approved by the Legal Studies Department. We do not transfer:

• Civil procedure
• Business law
• Litigation
• Advanced legal research and writing
• Internship courses Courses transferred must be legal specialty courses as defined by the American Bar Association.

Legal Studies Statute of Limitations

Because of continuous changes in the legal field, admissible transfer courses cannot be over seven years old. Additionally, courses previously taken at the University of La Verne also cannot be over seven years old in order to be applied to the degree.

Requirements

32 semester hours. Same as the Core Requirements for the B.S., Legal Studies, except that LS 499 is not required. An elective in an area of interest is encouraged.

Course List

• LS 301: American Legal Studies (4 semester hours)
• LS 304: Legal Research and Writing (4 semester hours)
• LS 311: Law Office Computer Applications (2 semester hours)
• LS 355: Advanced Research & Writing (2 semester hours)
• LS 365: Litigation I (4 semester hours)
• LS 368: Litigation II (4 semester hours)
• LS 380: Torts (4 semester hours)
• LS 390: Contracts (4 semester hours)
• LS 490: Paralegal Internship & Ethics (4 semester hours) Total Semester Hours: 32