Paralegal Studies, Associate of Arts Degree
Banner Code: 3_AA_PARA
Control Number: 03747
Financial Aid Eligible
The American Bar Association (ABA) approves Coastline’s Paralegal Studies Program. The Paralegal Program prepares personnel for the intermediary position between the legal secretary and the attorney, performing work under the supervision of an attorney. Paralegals work in law offices and other legal and law related environments, and many interact with clients. A paralegal shall not provide legal advice or engage in conduct that constitutes the unauthorized practice of law, including contracting with a natural person other than an attorney for the performance of paralegal services (California Business & Professions Code, Sections 6450 et seq.). This program is not intended to prepare students for law school or the practice of law.
Students who do not already possess an Associate of Arts or bachelor degree from a regionally accredited college or university must complete the associate degree (60 units) as specified below. These requirements are in compliance with the ABA Guidelines for paralegal programs.
Degree candidate students are required to attend a paralegal orientation or a counseling session and complete the English and Math Placement Testing and Group A General Education requirements prior to entering LAW C105 Civil Litigation 1, LAW C118 Legal Analysis and Briefing, LAW C121 Legal Research/CALR, LAW C390 Legal Clinic Practicum/Ethics and/or any major elective with a “LAW” designation. The remaining general education units are to be completed concurrently with the remaining paralegal courses. Students must achieve a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in each paralegal studies course.
Paralegal studies course work taken at other institutions in an ABA-approved program, with approval by the paralegal studies department, will qualify for no more than six (6) units of transfer credit in legal specialty courses in the paralegal studies certificate program. Paralegal studies courses taken for other than a letter grade are limited to seven (7) units within the 27 unit total, and 21 units of paralegal course work must be completed at Coastline College. (Credit by examination is not available for courses within the Paralegal Studies Certificate.) Upon completion of the degree program, students will be awarded an associate degree in Paralegal Studies and a Certificate of Achievement in Paralegal Studies approved by the American Bar Association.
Students possessing a transferable Associate of Arts or bachelor degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with official transcripts on file at Coastline, will be awarded a Certificate of Achievement in Paralegal Studies approved by the American Bar Association upon completion of the 27 units of required paralegal courses. All students are required to attend a paralegal orientation or a counseling session and must achieve a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in each paralegal studies course. All students are required to demonstrate computer proficiency (see Requirements).
Program Level Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Analyze and communicate conclusions both orally and in writing.
- Apply legal concepts to the clients’ problems.
- Apply legal ethics in the paralegal field.
Associate Degree Requirements
Unit Requirement
Complete at least 60 units of acceptable college work with a minimum of 12 units completed in residence at Coastline. Earn an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher from all colleges attended and a 2.0 or higher grade point average at Coastline.
*Students must be in good academic standing (not on probation and/or disqualification) during the semester graduation is petitioned.
Program of Study
Complete the required courses in one of the programs as detailed In the Requirements for the Major section of this catalog. All coursework must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
General Education
Complete one of the three General Education options below (visit the General Education page for details):
Option 1 — AA/AS Local Degree GE: designed for students pursuing an Associate degree and who may or may not be planning to transfer to a four-year university. The degree is transferable to many colleges and universities.
Option 2—CSU GE Breadth: designed for students who are planning to transfer to a university in the CSU system. It may also be appropriate for transfer to some independent colleges and universities.
Option 3—IGETC: designed for students who are planning to transfer to a university in the CSU or UC system. It also may be appropriate for transfer to some independent colleges and universities.
Global and Multicultural Studies Requirement
Complete at least 2.5 units from any Global and Multicultural Studies courses. See what courses fulfill the Global and Multicultural Studies Requirement.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core | ||
| Complete the following: | ||
| LAW C100 | Introduction to Paralegal Studies | 3 |
| LAW C127 | Legal Procedure 1 | 3 |
| LAW C128 | Legal Procedure 2 | 3 |
| LAW C105 | Civil Litigation 1 | 3 |
| LAW C118 | Legal Analysis and Briefing | 3 |
| LAW C121 | Legal Research/CALR | 4 |
| or LAW C120 & LAW C122 | Legal Research and Computer Assisted Legal Research | |
| LAW C390 | Legal Clinic Practicum/Ethics | 2 |
| Program Electives (2) | ||
| Select six units of the following: | 6 | |
| Civil Litigation 2 | ||
| Criminal Litigation | ||
| Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration | ||
| Law Office Management | ||
| Family Law | ||
| Probate Administration/Estate Planning | ||
| Elder Law | ||
| Corporate/Business Organizations | ||
| Conflict Analysis and Resolution | ||
| Bankruptcy Law and Procedures | ||
| Intellectual Property | ||
| Civil Trials and Evidence | ||
| Tort Law | ||
| Contract Law | ||
| Computer Applications for the Paralegal (1) | ||
| Units Required for Major | 27 | |
| (1) | American Bar Association Computer Proficiency Requirement. Computer proficiency may be demonstrated by the satisfactory completion of LAW C170 Computer Applications for the Paralegal or BC C148 Intermediate Microsoft Word and LIBR C110 Library Research and Information Competency; by completion of similar courses; by transfer credit course work; by workplace substantiation; by Microsoft Certification; or by other computer industry certification. |
| (2) | Work Based Learning courses apply only to these elective units and are not a part of the paralegal studies courses. Earn credit for work you do on the job. [Effective catalog 2012-2013] |
GENERAL EDUCATION, Paralegal Program
Students are required to complete at least 18 units in courses numbered C100-C299 listed in Groups A to D. (Course work in Group A2 is limited to ENGL C100 Freshman Composition. Course work in Group C1 is limited to ART C100 Survey of Art: Prehistory through Late Gothic, ART C101 Survey of Art: Renaissance to Contemporary and /or MUS C100 History and Appreciation of Music. All course work in C2 is acceptable.) In addition, 3 units in Group E are required. Students can meet the general education requirements under Options 1 (local general education), 2 (CSU general education), or 3 (IGETC pattern) Associate degree academic plans.
| Requirement | Units |
|---|---|
| Local General Education, CSU General Education, or IGETC pattern | Varies |
| Electives to satisfy unit requirement | Varies |
| Total Degree Units | 60 |
Paralegal Degree Program Map
This program map is a recommended example of all major (program) requirements as well as general education requirements for two-year completion or transfer. This path may be altered to fit your individual academic needs. This two-year program map was created by program faculty and counselors and demonstrates a recommended path to completion. Students are advised to meet with a Coastline Counselor for individualized program planning.
Your Path to Success
Follow this path to earn your degree in Paralegal in 2 years.
Don’t forget to consult a counselor for an education plan!
See a graphic of the Paralegal Associate Degree roadmap.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Semester | ||
| ENGL C100 | Freshman Composition | 4 |
| CMST C110 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| LAW C100 | Introduction to Paralegal Studies | 3 |
| COUN C105 | Strategies for College Success | 3 |
| ART C100 | Survey of Art: Prehistory through Late Gothic | 3 |
| 2nd Semester | ||
| LAW C127 | Legal Procedure 1 | 3 |
| LAW C128 | Legal Procedure 2 | 3 |
| MATH C100 | Liberal Arts Mathematics | 3 |
| ENGL C102 | Critical Reasoning, Reading, and Writing | 3 |
| SOC C185 | Analysis of Social Problems | 3 |
| Summer Classes | ||
| Law Electives | ||
| 3rd Semester | ||
| LAW C105 | Civil Litigation 1 | 3 |
| LAW C118 | Legal Analysis and Briefing | 3 |
| PSCI C180 | American Government | 3 |
| ASTR C100 | Introduction to Astronomy | 3 |
| ASTR C100L | Astronomy Laboratory | 1 |
| PHIL C100 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| 4th Semester | ||
| LAW C121 | Legal Research/CALR | 4 |
| LAW C170 | Computer Applications for the Paralegal | 3 |
| LAW C390 | Legal Clinic Practicum/Ethics | 2 |
| MRSC C100 | Introduction to Marine Science | 3 |
| HIST C170 | United States History to 1876 | 3 |
| SOC C233 | Racial and Ethnic Relations in America | 3 |