Legal Assistant Certificate

Certificate of Completion: 78 credits

Enrollment Point: Fall, Winter or Spring Quarter

This program prepares students to work in law firms, law-related offices, including the courts, government agencies, non-profits, and corporate legal departments as legal assistants, paralegal assistants, legal receptionists, clerks, litigation practice assistants, and legal support professionals.

To earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree, the student must complete an additional 15 credits of general education courses. Transfer credit from other institutions is considered upon validation of transcript and course work.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Be able to work effectively and professionally in a legal environment. 
• Demonstrate confidentiality and knowledge of ethics in the legal environment. 
• Be able to prepare correspondence, pleadings, and a variety of legal documents from scratch, rough draft, forms, and boilerplate language. 
• Demonstrate core level computer skills using current and widely used computer software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access. 
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills to prioritize, anticipate, and analyze problems, and then to evaluate and implement solutions. 
• Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills to work effectively with clients, attorneys, paralegals, and other support staff. 
• Demonstrate knowledge of basic legal office skills, such as proofreading, time and billing procedures, basic math computations, client intake, records management, handling mail, telephone and receptionist procedures, making travel and meeting arrangements and using office equipment.