The American Bar Association defines a paralegal as a person “who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.” The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Paralegal Studies provides students with the specialized skills and knowledge to build a career performing substantive legal work under the supervision of a lawyer, in accordance with American Bar Association standards, or to work in a variety of public service and government agencies where familiarity with government regulation and legal processes is required. The program is approved by the American Bar Association.
The AAS in Paralegal Studies is coordinated with the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Legal Studies. Students obtaining the associate degree may apply their core courses and general education credits toward completion of the baccalaureate degree. The AAS in Paralegal Studies is designed to articulate directly into the Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies. Both programs are approved by the American Bar Association.
Please note that students obtaining an Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies are not authorized to provide direct legal services to the public. The program offers training for paraprofessionals who are authorized to perform substantive legal work under the supervision of a licensed attorney. The program does not train lawyers.
The AAS in Paralegal Studies provides students with the specialized skills and knowledge to build a career performing substantive legal work as paralegals and legal assistants under the supervision of a lawyer, in accordance with American Bar Association standards. Graduates are also prepared to work in a variety of corporate, public service, judicial, and government agency settings where familiarity with government regulation and legal processes is required. The AAS does not authorize students to provide direct legal services to the public and the program does not train students to practice law.
Proficiency in the use of computers and standard office software is an important component of legal practice. Students are strongly encouraged to build their technological skills as they progress through the program.
Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admission Requirements for Associate Degrees.
Special Considerations
- LEGL courses beyond LEGL A101 are all available on the Anchorage campus and may be available online. Campus restrictions for this program are enforced in accordance with the American Bar Association Guidelines for the Approval of Paralegal Education Programs.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Associate Degrees.
- Complete the General Education Requirements for Associate of Applied Science Degrees.
- All students in the AAS in Paralegal Studies must take the Legal Studies Exit Examination. No minimum score is required for graduation.
- Complete the following major requirements with a minimum grade of C, and a minimum grade of B in all ENGL courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication Skills | ||
| Complete the Oral Communication Skills requirement with a minimum grade of C. | 3 | |
| Written Communication Skills | ||
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| Complete one of the following with a minimum grade of B: | 3 | |
| Writing and the Humanities | ||
| Writing and the Professions | ||
| Writing and the Sciences | ||
| Arguing Across Contexts | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| LEGL A101 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| LEGL A215 | Legal Ethics and the Role of the Legal Professional | 3 |
| LEGL A356 | Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing | 3 |
| LEGL A367 | Civil Procedure and Pretrial Practice | 3 |
| LEGL A377 | Evidence, Investigation, and Discovery | 3 |
| LEGL A487 | Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes | 3 |
| LEGL A495 | Legal Studies Internship | 3 |
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Writing in Public Life | ||
| Technical Writing and Design | ||
| Professional Writing | ||
| Research Writing | ||
| Complete one of the following courses focused on a field of legal practice: | 3 | |
| Family Law | ||
| Criminal Law: Murder, Robbery, and Other Crimes | ||
| Contracts, Property, and Debt | ||
| Torts: Law of Injury, Death, and Consumer Protection | ||
| Health Care Law | ||
| Legal Studies Senior Seminar | ||
Other upper-division Legal Studies (LEGL) or Justice (JUST) law courses with Legal Studies Program Coordinator approval. | ||
| Complete one of the following legal studies courses focused on the US Constitution and/or judicial systems: | 3 | |
| The Courts | ||
| Law, History and Social Change | ||
| Constitutional Law | ||
| Civil Liberties | ||
| Complete one additional Legal Studies (LEGL) or Justice (JUST) elective course at the 100-level or above. | 3 | |
| Complete 9 additional credits from the GER Tier II Disciplinary Areas of the General Education requirements for baccalaureate degrees. No more than seven credits, including those used to satisfy General Education requirements, may be from a single disciplinary area. | 9 | |
| Total | 51 | |
A minimum of 60 credits is required for the degree.
Pro Bono Service Honors
The Justice Center recognizes distinguished achievement by conferring pro bono service honors to those legal studies students who work toward improving access to justice by contributing volunteer service to Alaska legal aid agencies. Students in the AAS in Paralegal Studies are eligible to graduate with pro bono service honors on satisfactory completion of the requirements. See the Justice Center website for more information.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with an Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of fundamental principles of the legal discovery process.
- Conduct effective and comprehensive legal research using commonly available legal research databases.
- Analyze statutes, case law, and secondary sources and synthesize into convincing legal arguments.
- Draft standard legal documents in accordance with commonly used stylistic conventions in legal practice.
Sample Plan
The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the plan below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.
Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.
- Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
- GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
- Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
- Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| LEGL A101 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| LEGL A215 | Legal Ethics and the Role of the Legal Professional | 3 |
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| GER Oral Communication Skills | 3 | |
| GER Tier II Disciplinary Areas 1 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GER Quantitative Skills | 3 | |
| GER Tier II Disciplinary Areas 1 | 3 | |
| GER Tier II Disciplinary Areas 1 | 3 | |
| Program Elective: LEGL or JUST | 3 | |
| Program Elective (Written Communication): WRTG A211 or WRTG A212 or WRTG A213 or WRTG A214 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LEGL A356 | Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing | 3 |
| LEGL A367 | Civil Procedure and Pretrial Practice | 3 |
| LEGL A377 | Evidence, Investigation, and Discovery | 3 |
| Program Elective (US Constitution and/or Judicial Systems): JUST/LEGL A374 or LEGL A315 or LEGL/PS A343 or LEGL A443 | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (Advanced Written Communication): ENGL A311 or ENGL A312 or ENGL A313 or ENGL A414 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| LEGL A487 | Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes | 3 |
| LEGL A495 | Legal Studies Internship | 3-6 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Program Elective (Legal Practice): LEGL A340 or LEGL A352 or LEGL A362 or LEGL A380 or LEGL A385 or LEGL A489 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15-18 | |
| Total Credits | 60-63 | |
- 1
No more than seven credits of GER Tier II Disciplinary Areas may be from a single disciplinary area