Associate of Applied Science
in Paralegal Studies

The Paralegal Studies Program is designed to provide students with the information they need to work in the legal environment under the supervision of an attorney.  Core courses provide basic skills, such as composition and accounting, that are foundational to the legal education.  Students study the law and legal theory, and learn strategies of legal research.  Students learn to analyze the law as it applies to concrete situations and to express their findings in formal legal documents.  Students learn the flow of litigation and how to draft litigation, as well as non-litigation documents.  Law office management is an integral part of the curriculum, including effective use of technology.  At the end of their coursework, students are placed in an internship position in a legal environment, supervised by an attorney. 

Students graduating from the South College-Asheville Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies program are prepared to work as a Paralegal in an array of environments, under the supervision of an Attorney. Paralegals may serve many roles in a legal office but may not provide legal services directly to the public unless permitted by law.

Program Goal

The goal of the Associate of Applies Science in Paralegal Studies Program is to prepare students for employment as a paralegal in law-related occupations, including public and private law practice and/or corporate or government law-related activities.

Program Objectives

1. Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills by recognizing relevant facts in a given scenario, identifying the area of law that applies, applying law from a recognized legal authority, and using legal analysis to resolve a legal issue.
    
2. Students will demonstrate effective legal research skills by creating a research plan, using both print and electronic resources to find primary sources of law, and applying them to issues requiring legal analysis.
    
3. Students will apply subject-specific legal knowledge to concrete scenarios to produce litigation and non-litigation legal documents using correct grammar, correct citations, proper format, and content appropriate to the specific document.
    
4. Students will identify responsibilities of a legal professional and the basic rules of legal ethics, and identify and resolve ethical dilemmas confronted in the workplace.
5. Students will demonstrate basic legal knowledge and draft basic documents or forms used in the areas of criminal law, tort law, domestic law, real property law, wills and estate law, and contract law.
    
6. Students will demonstrate knowledge of basics of law office management and litigation management, including the effective use of technology and organizational skills critical to those environments.
    
7. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the flow of civil litigation by creating a trial notebook that includes discovery documents, a complaint or answer, motions, and evidence to be used at trial.
   
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