Paralegal Studies

Paralegal Studies: Bachelor of Arts Degree

Program Code: SAC.PS.BA

Program Control Number: 45342

The baccalaureate degree in Paralegal Studies will create a more highly skilled paralegal who is better prepared by education to perform substantial legal work under the direction and supervision of an active member of the State Bar of California, as defined by section 6450 of the California Business and Professions Code, who are qualified by education, who either contracts with or is employed by an attorney, law firm, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity, and who performs substantial legal work under the direction and supervision of an active member of the State Bar of California, as defined in Section 6060, or an attorney practicing law in the federal courts of this state, that has been specifically delegated by the attorney to him or her. This program is approved by the American Bar Association.

As an additional benefit, it will prepare the student to take the NALA Certified Paralegal Exam. The upper division course work will provide more in-depth training in specific areas of professional paralegals, including civil litigation, discovery and administration of electronically stored information, trial preparation and presentation, legal project management, advance technology issues such as privacy and security, advanced electronic research, contract management, regulatory compliance, legal investigations, clinic and work experience opportunities, and advanced legal ethics.

This program is not designed to prepare students for the practice of law.

To complete the Bachelor of Arts in Paralegal Studies, students must:

1. Complete Program Prerequisites of either: a. Associate Degree from an ABA-approved paralegal program that is from a U.S. institutionally accredited institution (that meets district standards of rigor).

 b. Or a Certificate from an ABA-approved paralegal program that is from a U.S. institution with accreditation from a formerly regional accrediting agency with any associate or baccalaureate degree from any regionally accredited institution.

2. General Education Requirement: complete the Cal-GETC lower division general education pattern; the CSU-GE Breadth pattern or IGETC pattern may be used in some cases, please see a counselor for details; OR complete the Santa Ana College Associate Degree General Education (GE) Requirements (Plan 1) with coursework completed from Plan 1 to total a minimum of 27 semester units (note that Plan 1 consists of a minimum of 24 units so additional Plan 1 coursework may be needed to reach 27 units).

3. Upper Division General Education Requirement: A minimum of 9 units of Upper Division Level General Education coursework as listed in program information.

4. Major Course Work: Complete all upper division major course requirements as listed in program information.

5. Major Requirement: Complete all upper division major course requirements with a grade of “C” or better or Pass ("P").

6. Complete any elective courses that are baccalaureate level for a minimum of 120 units. Lower-division courses acceptable towards a baccalaureate degree are designated as CSU transferable or determined to be at the baccalaureate level.

a. Lower-division courses from other U.S. institutions with institutional accreditation (that meets district and program standards of rigor) will be reviewed by a counselor and graduation specialist to determine baccalaureate credit based on course description, comparable content, appropriate prerequisites, or C-ID number.

7. Residence Requirement - At least 12 units of upper division coursework must be completed at Santa Ana College or Santiago Canyon College or a combination of the two.

8. All lower-division requirements and pre-requisites must be met before the baccalaureate degree is granted.

Learning Outcome(s):

1. Students will be able to critically analyze and evaluate legal systems and sources of law, apply advanced electronic research techniques, manage complex legal projects, and create comprehensive strategies for civil discovery processes.
2. Students will have technical and practical skills to evaluate, create, and safeguard information that is electronically created, stored, collected, reviewed, produced, and encountered in the criminal and civil litigation process, as part of transactional work, or within the legal profession.
3. Students will demonstrate advanced proficiency in paralegal roles and duties, including client communication and legal ethics as established by the California Business and Professions Code Section 6450 and the California Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys.