Paralegal Studies Technical Certificate

Location(s): Macon Cove Campus, Online

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The Paralegal Studies Technical Certificate program is designed for students with either an associate or baccalaureate degree who wish to start or enhance a career as a paralegal.

Note: Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

identify basic legal concepts and vocabulary employed in the law.
recognize the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct and how they apply to paralegals and attorneys.
demonstrate knowledge of the litigation process, formal discovery tools, and the structure of the civil court system.

First Semester: 9 Credit Hours

Second Semester: 12 Credit Hours

LEGL 1301 Legal Ethics and Professionalism
LEGL 1330 Legal Writing
LEGL 2380 Civil Litigation Skills I
Technical Elective¹

Total Credit Hours: 21

¹ Students must choose either LEGL 2370 or LEGL 2390 .

Limitations on Legal Specialty Courses in the Paralegal Studies Program

The maximum number of credit hours of legal specialty courses a student may transfer to the Associate of Applied Science degree or technical certificate in Paralegal Studies is nine (9) credit hours. The legal specialty credit hours to be transferred must have been earned from a fully accredited institution of higher learning and must be approved by the program coordinator or a qualified full-time faculty member of the Paralegal Studies program to ensure that the credit can be classified as legal specialty and is comparable to course work offered within the program. The Paralegal Studies program does not award legal specialty credit by examination or portfolio.

Paralegal Studies students are required to take at least nine (9) semester credits or the equivalent of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction.