AAB Legal Assisting

Legal assistants, also called paralegals, perform many tasks in legal offices while working under the supervision of attorneys. 

Their responsibilities may include:

•    Legal and factual research

•    Interviewing clients and witnesses

•    Reviewing and organizing material for cases

•    Drafting legal documents and forms

•    Functioning as a member of a legal team

Jobs for the legal assistant vary in scope and nature from small to large law firms, financial institutions, corporations, law courts, insurance agencies, banks, department stores, credit departments, and health care facilities. It is one of the fastest growing areas of employment in the United States today.

Career Opportunities

A paralegal’s job title may reflect the type of law practiced by their employer, for example, administrative law, banking, bankruptcy, or corporate paralegal. Paralegals are also employed in the areas of criminal, domestic relations, employee benefits, environmental, family, health care, insurance, oil and gas, and worker’s compensation law as well as in estate planning and litigation.

Positions in the federal government which may require a paralegal background include: clerk of courts, civil service retirement claims examiner, compliance inspector, contract representative, criminal investigator, customs inspector, customs patrol officer, dependents and estates claims examiner, equal opportunity assistant, general claims examiner, insurance examiner, internal revenue officer, legal clerk, mediator, railroad retirement claims examiner, securities compliance examiner, social insurance claims examiner, unemployment compensation claims examiner, veterans claims examiner, and worker’s compensation claims examiner.

Nontraditional career positions which require either paralegal skills or a paralegal background, but may or may not utilize the terms ”paralegal” or ”legal assistant,” include: administrative assistant, case manager coordinator, case manager, computer litigation support, executive assistant, human resources staff analyst, legal research aide, litigation manager, project coordinator, resource coordinator, and title clerk.

 

Goals of the Program

The Legal Assisting program has clearly established goals designed to meet the unique needs of our students, potential employers of our graduates, and the mission of Shawnee State University. Our goals are as follows: (1) to graduate ethically responsible legal assistants who work under the direction and supervision of attorneys and who are conscious of the prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law; (2) to create and maintain a program responsive to the needs of its constituency; (3) to strive to qualify graduates who will contribute to the advancement of the profession, rather than to serve only the purposes of one institution or locality; and (4) to develop the student’s sensitivity to emerging concepts regarding the role of the legal assistant in the effective delivery of legal services in both the private and public sectors of our society.

The Legal Assisting courses at Shawnee State are not theory courses, but rather practical ”how to” courses taught by attorneys and judges who have specialized in the area in which they teach.

Class Scheduling

Because most of the legal assisting (BULA) courses are taught by attorneys and judges, these courses are most often offered in the evening sections.

SUGGESTED COURSE SEQUENCE

FIRST YEAR FALL TERM
ENGL	1101	DISCOURSE AND COMPOSITION (A) OR
ENGL	1102	DISCOURSE AND COMPOSITION (B)
BULW	2500	BUSINESS LAW I OR
BULW	2700	LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS
BULA	2640	COMPUTER APPLICATIONS AND THE LAW
BULA	1010	INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL ASSISTING
POLS	1010	INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 15-17
FIRST YEAR SPRING TERM
ENGL	1105	COMPOSITION AND ARGUMENTATION
BULW	2600	BUSINESS LAW II
BULA	2510	LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING I
BULA	2720	ETHICS FOR THE LEGAL ASSISTANT
BULA	2620	INTRODUCTION TO CIVIL LITIGATION
MATH	1200	COLLEGE ALGEBRA
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 19
SECOND YEAR FALL TERM
BUAC	2010	INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING OR
BUAC	1010	ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES I
BULA	2520	LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING II
BULA	2610	TORT LAW: PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATION
BULA	2630	INTRODUCTION TO CONTRACTS & RESTITUTION
BULA	2690	CRIMINAL LAW/CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
BULA	2650	FAMILY LAW
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 18
SECOND YEAR SPRING TERM
BUAC	2030	INTRODUCTION TO MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING OR
BUAC	1020	ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES II
BULA	2700	EVIDENCE
BULA	2660	WILLS, TRUSTS, AND ESTATE ADMINISTRATION
BULA	2790	LEGAL ASSISTING PRACTICUM
PSYC	1101	INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
SOCI	1101	INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY OR
SOSC	1110	FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGY
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 18
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED - 70