Program Info
Program Description
Provides students who have earned an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree with 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. Paralegals are not lawyers and are not permitted to provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law. Paralegals must work under the supervision of an attorney.
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- 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.
Employment in a law office, in government, or in the private sector.
Admission Requirements
Students must have already successfully completed an A.A., A.B., A.S., or Bachelor’s degree, from a regionally accredited institution. A four-year degree is highly recommended. Students following this curriculum must have proof of their A.A., A.B., A.S., or Bachelor's degree on file and entered on their official Henry Ford College transcript before beginning this curriculum.
Program Requirements
| Course name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 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 |