Paralegal Studies

Note: This program is discontinuing as of Fall 2019

The Paralegal Studies program offers the student a wide range of courses that provide legal training so the student can assume paralegal responsibilities under the supervision of an attorney. The program provides General Education courses and paralegal introductory courses, as well as courses giving specific skills in various areas, including, but not limited to, legal research and writing, fact investigation, client contact, document preparation, litigation preparation including tools of discovery, computer literacy, real estate transactions, family law issues, torts and personal injury issues and ethics. The A.A.S. degree is designed to meet both the professional and educational needs of the student, and is suggested for those who desire to enter the paralegal profession upon earning their degree.

All students are required to work in the field through a four-credit internship course.  Students working in the paralegal field who wish to increase their proficiency or enhance their career opportunities will find this program valuable. The purpose of this program is for training students to become paralegals and is not intended to be a program for training lawyers or legal administrators. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.

The program has been approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the American Association for Paralegal Education. Students can earn a Paralegal Studies degree on a part-time basis.

For further information, including specific questions concerning sequencing, contact program coordinator, Marilyn Malerba Keiner, Esq., (609) 343-4941/ keiner@atlantic.edu.

Upon Completion of this program students will be able to:

• Articulate and apply ethical standards and rules of professional responsibility to ethical issues that arise in the workplace;
•  Explain the role of the paralegal in the law office and other forums in which paralegals are employed;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the organizations, jurisdiction and procedural rules that govern New Jersey state courts;
• Utilize both print and electronic resources to locate and apply statutory law, case law and rules of procedure that govern specific legal issues;
• Demonstrate writing and analytical skills in the preparation of documents, pleadings and interoffice memorandum of law;
• Apply basic legal research and writing skills necessary to gather and analyze the facts and law relevant to legal disputes;
• Demonstrate good organizational and time management skills.