Program Overview

Program Overview

The UNC-Chapel Hill Paralegal Certificate Program is an intensive program of study that takes place over 19 weeks, during which the participant will attend Tuesday/Thursday evening and Saturday classes for approximately 10 hours per week.

Program Structure

Outside of the classroom, participants will be required to complete at least 110 hours of study, as well as conduct research, and prepare writing assignments. This totals approximately 300 hours of overall academic engagement. The content is organized into Paralegal Skills courses, 5 Law courses, and 4 Survey courses.

Paralegal Skills

Paralegal Skills teaches the basic “nuts and bolts” of being a paralegal, regardless of the legal environment. The first part of Paralegal Skills is devoted to legal terminology. The course also covers professional responsibility and legal ethics, the federal and state court systems, rules of evidence, rules of civil procedure, proper citation of cases and statutes, legal research (online and in a law library), and legal writing (such as demand letters, complaints, motions, and briefs). Participants take 3 examinations, including a final exam, and complete several writing assignments.

Law Courses

The Law courses cover five major areas of law. Each Law course consists of 4-5 sessions, and the courses are scheduled throughout the 19 weeks of the program. Participants must pass an examination at the end of each Law course, with a minimum grade of 70%.

• Contracts: Participants learn the fundamentals of contracts, including mutual assent (offer and acceptance), consideration and consideration substitutes, damages, and defenses to contract formation, such as duress, incapacity, statute of frauds, statute of limitations, and mutual mistake.
• Criminal Law: Participants learn the fundamentals of criminal law and procedure, including the elements of various crimes, probable cause, arrest, search and seizure, indictment, discovery, and trial practice.
• Family Law: Participants learn about the many facets of family law, including adoption, divorce, custody, paternity, alimony, domestic violence, grandparent visitation, and more.
• Real Property: Participants learn about the various forms of ownership of real property (types of estates), easements, eminent domain and condemnation, water rights, trespass to property, landlord-tenant law, and the basics of title searching and closings.
• Torts: Participants learn about the intentional torts, including assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, trespass, conversion, and invasion of privacy. Participants also learn about unintentional torts, including simple negligence, negligent hiring/supervision, premises liability, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Survey Courses

The Paralegal Certificate Program also includes Survey courses that present overviews of the law in the following areas:

• Constitutional Law
• Wills, Trusts and Estates
• Administrative Law / Business Law
• Law Office Technology These courses offer participants an insight into the breadth and diversity of the law, as well as helping to prepare participants for the Paralegal Certification Examination.

Course Dates

The Paralegal Certificate Program runs two 19-week cohorts per year. The Spring program typically runs from late January through early June. The Fall program typically runs from late July through early December. Classes are typically held on weekdays, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 10 pm. One Saturday class is typically held each month from 9 am to 4 pm.

Format

The UNC-Chapel Hill Paralegal Certificate program will be offered in-person and online. Live classes streamed online are allowed by the NC State Bar as part of a qualified paralegal studies program, meaning students will still be eligible to sit for the certification exam. Saturday sessions will be in a hybrid format and give participants the option to attend in person at the Friday Conference Center, or remotely using Zoom. For participants attending in person, refreshments and lunch will be provided. The graduation event will also be offered using the same hybrid (in-person or online) format.

Technology Requirements

Participants wishing to enroll in the UNC-Chapel Hill Paralegal Certificate program must have a laptop or desktop computer (PC or Mac) with the following:

• Internet Access
• Internet Browser (Google Chrome is recommended, but most will work)
• Email address
• Functioning camera, speakers & microphone (earbuds/headphones recommended)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Zoom
• Microsoft Word or other word-processing software Please note that while you may participate in class sessions using a tablet or phone, you will find that some lessons will be more difficult on a smaller screen size. It is strongly recommended that you connect to class sessions using a laptop/desktop.