Associate of Arts with Emphasis in Paralegal

This is an archived copy of the 2018-19 Catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.jccc.edu/.

The expanding role of the paralegal in the delivery of legal services has created increased opportunities with private law firms, corporate legal departments, insurance companies, real estate and title firms, banks, and government agencies. If you are interested in entering this career field, you should be aware that although the number of jobs for trained paralegals is rising, competition for these positions is increasing. A minimum of 18 hours of legal specialty courses must be taken at Johnson County Community College. Please contact Gwenda Hawk for more information.

PARALEGALS MAY NOT PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICE DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC, EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY LAW.

JCCC, as an ABA approved paralegal program, requires its students to take at least ten semester credits through traditional classroom instruction.

The paralegal program at JCCC:

  • Has a challenging curriculum
  • Requires that you possess excellent communication skills, analytical ability and a high level of motivation
  • Is approved by the American Bar Association
  • Is a selective admission program based on various academic and testing criteria

Suggested Sample Course Sequence

Students may take any number of courses each semester that will also allow them to fulfill their other personal and professional responsibilities.

(Major Code 264A; State CIP Code 24.0101)

Associate of Arts Degree

Prerequisite Semester

ENGL 121Composition I*3
LAW 120Introduction to Paralegal Studies3
LAW 121Introduction to Law3
Total Hours9

First Semester

LAW 195Legal Research*3
SPD 120Interpersonal Communication3
or SPD 121 Public Speaking
or SPD 125 Personal Communication
Humanities Elective ^3
Mathematics Electives ^3
Total Hours12

Second Semester

Paralegal Electives (see below)3
ENGL 122Composition II*3
LAW 134Introduction to Legal Technology*3
LAW 132Civil Litigation*3
Social Science and/or Economics Electives3
Total Hours15

Third Semester

LAW 201Advanced Legal Technology*3
LAW 205Legal Analysis and Writing*3
Humanities Elective ^3
Science course with lab ^4
Total Hours13

Fourth Semester

Paralegal Electives (see below)6
LAW 271Legal Ethics, Interviewing and Investigation*3
Science and/or Mathematics Electives ^2
Social Science and/or Economics Electives ^3
Total Hours14

Paralegal Electives

LAW 142Tort Law*3
LAW 144Contract Law*3
LAW 148Criminal Litigation*3
LAW 152Real Estate Law*3
LAW 162Family Law*3
LAW 165Forensic Science and the Law3
LAW 226Immigration Law*3
LAW 245Elder Law and Estate Planning*3
LAW 247Intellectual Property Law*3
LAW 266Employment Law*3
LAW 269Bankruptcy Law*3
LAW 275Paralegal Internship I*1
LAW 276Paralegal Internship II*1
LAW 292Special Topics:*3

Total Program Hours: 63