Program Info
Program Description
Offers students a solid foundation of core legal knowledge and essential skills necessary for a career in the legal profession. A paralegal is employed by a law office, business, or government agency, and performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. Graduates may enter the workforce as a paralegal or continue their education by transferring to a four-year baccalaureate-degree institution. Paralegals must work under the supervision of an attorney. Paralegals are not lawyers and are not permitted to provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.
The Paralegal Program at Henry Ford College is approved by the American Bar Association.
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of substantive law in one or more areas of practice.
- Prepare legal documents using proper legal reasoning and analysis of issues, facts and law.
- Use critical thinking skills and legal research skills to solve legal problems and make well-reasoned legal and ethical decisions.
- Articulate the structure of the legal system and the paralegal’s duties and responsibilities for the delivery of legal services within that system.
- Critically analyze and resolve legal problems and communicate these results in a clear and effective manner, both orally and in writing
- Demonstrate the computer, time management, organizational, and communication skills necessary to work professionally and efficiently in a legal environment.
The Paralegal Studies program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).
Admission Requirements
The Paralegal Studies Program at Henry Ford College welcomes transfer students from institutions of higher education. There are no minimal transfer credit requirements. Students may transfer in a maximum of 40 semester credit hours in accordance with Henry Ford College’s policy. Of those, students may transfer in a maximum of 12 legal specialty semester credit hours, of which at least 4 must have been earned though traditional classroom instruction. The transfer credits from legal specialty courses must be approved by the Director of the Paralegal Studies Program to ensure that the credit is classified as legal specialty and meets the course objectives of the course for which credit is being awarded. Legal specialty course are defined by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals as a course that: (1) covers substantive law or legal procedures or process, (2) has been developed for paralegals, (3) emphasizes practical paralegal skills, and (4) meets the instructional requirements of ABA G-301.B. Additional requirements for approval of transfer legal specialty credits are:
- The transferring course must be from a program approved by the American Bar Association.
- The course must be considered college level.
- Only courses in which the student has received a grade of 2.0 (“C”) or higher may transfer.
Official transcripts must be sent directly from the student’s previous college to HFC.
General Education
See General Education Requirements for details.
Program Requirements
| Course name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| BLW-253: Business Law and the Legal Environment | 4.00 |
| PLGL-100: Essential Paralegal Skills | 2.00 |
| PLGL-110: Legal Ethics | 2.00 |
| PLGL-115: Property Law | 3.00 |
| PLGL-126: Legal Research | 4.00 |
| PLGL-200: Civil Litigation | 4.00 |
| PLGL-226: Legal Writing | 4.00 |
| PLGL-235: Contracts | 3.00 |
| 9.00 |
| Course name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| BBA-110: Business Grammar and Punctuation | 3.00 |
| CIS-100: Introduction to Information Technology | 3.00 |
| ENG-131: Introduction to College Writing | 3.00 |
| ENG-132: College Writing and Research | 3.00 |
| SPC-131: Fundamentals of Speaking | 3.00 |
Mathematics: Complete one |
4.00 |
No elective credits are required, but completing a co-op or internship experience is of value to many employers.