Paralegal Program Code 101101

Employment Potential

A graduate of this program will have the potential for employment as a Paralegal or Legal Assistant. Paralegals are not authorized to practice law. Paralegals perform work under the supervision of a lawyer in a variety of settings. A graduate may be employed by a private law firm; insurance company, corporation, bank, private business; legal clinic; agency of the federal, state, or local government; legal service or legal aid office; law departments; special interest group or association; criminal law office; service company or consulting firm.

With additional education and/or work experience, graduates may find other opportunities for employment.

. Law Office Administrator
. Law Office Manager
. Paralegal Supervisor
. Paralegal Instructor
. Corporate Compliance Officer
. Regulatory Specialist
. Research Analyst

Credentials

The Paralegal Program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and is also a member of the American Association for Paralegal Education.
American Bar Association
541 North Fairbanks Ct.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 988-5617

Program Outcomes

. Communicate effectively orally and in writing within the context of a legal environment.
. Work collaboratively while demonstrating professionalism, individual initiative and responsibility.
. Apply ethical principles and critical thinking skills to solve problems in a legal environment.
. Effectively organize legal information.
. Conduct accurate, effective and efficient legal research using both traditional and computerized research techniques.
. Generate work product in various fields of law, using computer software applications typical in a modern legal environment.

Requirements for Program Entry

. Completed application.
. High school transcript or equivalent. (For a list of equivalents, go to www.nwtc.edu/gettingstarted.)
. Ability to use Windows and Microsoft Word proficiently.
. Successful completion of reading and language assessment prior to admission.
. Students should have mastered basic math skills. For a description of basic math, see the Basic Education section of this catalog.
. As a requirement for program entry, an Academic Skills Assessment (Accuplacer) with appropriate benchmark scores is necessary. Program Benchmarks are: Reading Comprehension: 55; Arithmetic: 34; Sentence Skills: 60. However, we recommend a student receive the following scores to be successful in this program: Reading Comprehension: 75; Arithmetic: 66; Sentence Skills: 95. Remediation options are available to reach recommended scores. Equivalent assessment scores are acceptable. To learn more about these assessments and program benchmark scores, please contact a counselor at (920) 498-5444 or (888) 385-6982.

A Special Note to Learners Holding a Bachelor's Degree

Learners holding a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution have the option of pursuing a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate for Paralegal. For more information, contact Enrollment Services at 888-385-6982.

A Special Note to Those Learners Taking Online Courses

The ABA requires each learner to take a minimum of four legal specialty courses in a live, synchronous “real time” format.

* NWTC requires you to take Civil Litigation 1 (10-110-102) and Civil Litigation 2 (10-110-103), and two other legal specialty courses of your choice, from NWTC in a live, synchronous, "real time" format. NWTC has designated the following courses as legal specialty courses:

Required Legal Specialty Courses
*10-110-102 Civil Litigation 1
*10-110-103 Civil Litigation 2
10-110-104 Legal Research
10-110-105 Legal Writing
10-110-107 Legal Aspects/Business Org.

Curriculum

The Paralegal Associate Degree is offered in the day and in the evening. It is a two-year, four-semester program. The program offers both full- and part-time completion options. Upon graduation, a student will have completed 66 credits.

FIRST SEMESTER

SECOND SEMESTER

(or **choice below)

THIRD SEMESTER

(or **choice below)
(or **choice below)

FOURTH SEMESTER

(or **choice below)

Curriculum Note
+ A grade of "C" or better must be achieved in 10-110-101 Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics in order to proceed with core Paralegal courses (those numbered 10-110-XXX).
** Students must take 4 of 8 legal speciality courses below:
10-110-106 Family Law
10-110-110 Real Estate Law
10-110-114 Administration of Estates
10-110-115 Administrative Law
10-110-122 Creditor/Debtor Relations
10-110-160 Employment Law
10-110-168 Paralegal Criminal Procedures
10-110-169 Indian Law

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

These courses provide an opportunity for students to develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding required for employment in this field.

10-101-106 ACCOUNTING-FOR NON-ACCOUNTANTS ...teaching non-accountants to read, analyze, and interpret financial information for making informed business decisions. This class de-emphasizes the use of debits, credits, journal entries and other accounting procedures.

10-102-100 BUS AND INFO TECH OCCUP PREP ...career exploration, self exploration, career planning, career placement, job seeking skills.

10-110-101 PARALEGAL INTRO/LEGAL ETHICS ...introduction to the legal profession: ethics, court system, legal research, and roles of the paralegal.

10-110-102 CIVIL LITIGATION 1 ...civil procedure in state and federal courts, the litigation process with emphasis on the paralegal function in investigating and gathering information, and preparing pleadings and motions. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with a "C" or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-103 CIVIL LITIGATION 2 ...civil litigation including discovery, settlement, trial, and appellate procedure. (Prerequisites: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with a "C" or better; 10-110-102, Civil Litigation 1)

10-110-104 LEGAL RESEARCH ...research terminology; sources of law; primary/secondary authority; mandatory/persuasive authority; citation form; factual/legal issues; effective research strategies; validating and updating results; computer-assisted legal research; Internet research. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with a "C" or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-105 LEGAL WRITING ...process writing; writing fundamentals; proofreading; in-house documents; legal correspondence; analytical writing; synthesizing cases/authorities; briefing cases; legal memoranda; persuasive writing; drafting pleadings, motions, legal briefs; drafting discovery documents. (Prerequisites: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with a "C" or better; 10-110-104, Legal Research)

10-110-106 LAW-FAMILY ...this course is designed to familiarize the student with basic legal concepts involved in the area of family relations. The primary emphasis will be in the field of divorce. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-107 LEGAL ASPECTS/BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS ...formation, operation, and dissolution of types of business organizations, and substantive and procedural law involving business organizations. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-110 REAL ESTATE LAW ...law of real property, forms of ownership, land description methods, public and private encumbrances, real estate contracts, deeds, financing sources, title evidence, and the closing process. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-114 ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATES ...property classification; property ownership; succession; wills: modification, revocation, drafting, execution; client contact; probate courts; trust classification; estate planning; ethics; personal representatives; formal probate; summary proceedings; informal probate. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-115 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW ...the paralegal's role in preparation and representation of cases before administrative agencies, structure and authority of administrative agencies, procedures, and substantive state and federal administrative law. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-122 CREDITOR/DEBTOR RELATIONS ...legal rights of creditors and debtors, collection of outstanding debts, execution of judgments, small claims court, bankruptcy procedures, and filing bankruptcy petitions and schedules. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-160 LAW-EMPLOYMENT ...analyze federal and state laws governing employment relationships, job discrimination, sexual harassment, work place privacy, labor standards, and human resource management. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-168 PARALEGAL CRIMINAL PROCEDURES ...substantive and procedural criminal law, the role of paralegals in both the prosecution and defense of criminal actions, emphasis on investigations and preparation of legal documents. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-169 INDIAN LAW ...Wisconsin Indians, tribal sovereignty, federal/Indian relations, tribal governments, tribal courts, treaty making, removal/reservation life, assimilation, reorganization, termination, self-determination, gaming, and other contemporary issues. (Prerequisite FOR PROGRAM ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics with “C” or better. Corequisite FOR CERTIFICATE ONLY: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-175 LEGAL COMPUTER APPLICATIONS ...various computerized methods used to open new client files, organizing and maintaining documentation necessary for computerized litigation, document creation and law office administration. (Corequisite: 10-110-101, Paralegal Intro/Legal Ethics)

10-110-197 PARALEGAL FIELD RESEARCH ...alternative to employment approved by the instructor with related projects and discussion. May include in-depth study of an industry, business, career, or job shadowing. (Pre/Corequisite: 10-102-100, Bus & Info Tech Occup Prep)

10-110-199 PARALEGAL INTERNSHIP PRACTICUM ...practical, hands-on experience applying skills developed in the program at an approved site with supervision by an employer and the instructor with related projects and discussion. (Pre/Corequisite: 10-102-100 Bus & Info Tech Occup Prep)

10-809-103 THINKING CRITICALLY & CREATIVELY ...instruction in realistic/practical methods of thinking, including decision making, problem solving, analyzing ideas, troubleshooting, argumentation, persuasion, creativity, setting goals/objectives. Students apply strategies/tools in a variety of situations.

10-801-136 ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1 ...learners develop knowledge/skills in planning, organizing, writing, editing. Students will also analyze audience/purpose, use elements of research, format documents using standard guidelines, and develop critical reading skills. 3 cr.

10-801-196 ORAL/INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION ...the communication process, perception and self-concept, language, listening, nonverbal communication, interpersonal relationships, communication in groups and public communication; prepare and deliver an oral presentation. 3 cr.

10-804-107 COLLEGE MATHEMATHICS ...an introductory level course designed to review and develop fundamental concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and statistics. Emphasis will be placed on computational skills and applications of rational numbers; problem solving skills with ratios, proportions, and percent; basic principles and application of algebra, geometry, graphing, and statistics; measurement skills in U.S. Customary and Metric Systems; and the use of calculators as a tool. (Prerequisite: Recommendation: Accuplacer Arithmetic Test = 65) 3 cr.

10-809-199 PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMAN RELATIONS ...decision making, motivation, conflict resolution, learning strategies, growth and adjustment, diversity, psychological theories, relationships, psychological disorders, stress, career analysis, social psychology, and lifespan development. 3 cr.

10-809-198 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY ...survey of theoretical foundations of human behavior such as sensation and perception, motivation, emotions, learning, personality, psychological disorders, therapy, stress, and human diversity in personal, social and vocational settings. 3 cr.

10-809-166 INTRO TO ETHICS: THEORY & APP ...basic understanding of theoretical foundations of ethical thought; analyze/compare relevant issues using diverse ethical perspectives; critically evaluate individual, social/professional standards of behavior--applying a systematic decision-making process. 3 cr.

10-809-172 RACE ETHNIC & DIVERSITY ...basic American values of justice and equality by teaching vocabulary, history of immigration/conquest, transcultural communication, legal liability, multicultural majority/minority relations, ageism, sexism, gender, sexual orientation, the disabled/ADA. 3 cr.

10-809-195 ECONOMICS ...scarcity, resources, alternative economic systems, growth, supply and demand, monetary and fiscal policy, inflation, unemployment, and global economic issues. 3 cr.