2005-07 Catalog - Tacoma Community College

2005-2007 CatalogProfessional/Technical 73PARALEGAL PROGRAMProgram Coordinator: Janet Olejar ............. 253.566.5053The two-year Paralegal program is designed to prepare students to enter into the legal services field as a specialist by providing services underthe supervision of an attorney. In this exciting career field, graduates may be eligible for positions in a law office, legal department of acorporation, public agency, court system, private investigation firm, and paralegal services.Typically, paralegals are trained to prepare legal documents, conduct research and investigations, interview clients and witnesses, prepareprobate inventories, and organize and index documents. They draft correspondence, prepare clients for court hearings and mediation, helpattorneys in litigation, and may also participate in administrative hearings.Although the Applied Sciences degree is not a transfer degree, students interested in attending law school are encouraged to takeadvantage of the various law courses offered in this program.Assessment at college-level English and reading is required for all Paralegal courses. The program can be completed in a two-year periodand students must earn a minimum of a 2.0 GPA (‘C’) in each course. If the grade earned is lower than a 2.0, students must retake the courseif it is a required core course. Paralegal courses are available during the day and in the evening.Upon a student’s admission to Tacoma Community College and enrollment in the institution’s Paralegal rogram, up to 18 legal specialtycourse credits earned from another accredited institution may be accepted, as evaluated by the TCC program coordinator. Transferability is basedupon course content, hours of instruction, and the grade earned in the course by the student. An oral examination may be required in order toestablish competence in the area of study.ParalegalAssociate in Applied Sciences DegreeCourse No. Course Title CreditCore Requirements (43 credits)ADJ 101 Criminal Law........................................................... 5ADLJ 150 Paralegal Fundamentals and Ethics ................... 5ADLJ 151 Legal Research and Writing I .............................. 5ADLJ 152 Introduction to Civil Law .................................... 5ADLJ 153 Civil Procedure ....................................................... 5ADLJ 154 Law Office Management ...................................... 3ADLJ 155 Health/Dealing with Stress ................................. 1ADLJ 232 Interviewing and Investigation ........................... 5ADLJ 233 Internship I ............................................................. 5ADLJ 239 Transition Planning ............................................... 1ADLJ 251 Legal Research and Writing II ............................. 3Electives (12 credits)Select a minimum of 12 credits from the following courses:ADJ 102 Criminal Procedure & Evidence ......................... 5ADLJ 220 Litigation ................................................................. 3ADLJ 221 Family Law .............................................................. 3ADLJ 222 Probate/Estate Planning ...................................... 3ADLJ 223 Alternative Dispute Resolution........................... 3ADLJ 224 Real Estate Law ...................................................... 3ADLJ 225 Bankruptcy Law ..................................................... 3ADLJ 226 Administrative Law ............................................... 3ADLJ 227 Environmental Law/Land Use ........................... 3ADLJ 228 Employment and Labor Law .............................. 3ADLJ 229 Intellectual Property and E-Commerce Law ... 3ADLJ 230 Business Organization/Corporation ................. 3ADLJ 231 Commercial Transactions ..................................... 3ADLJ 234 Internship II............................................................ 5Related Instruction Requirements (35 credits)ENGL 101 College Freshman Composition ......................... 5SPCH 101 Public Speaking/ .................................................... 5or SPCH 110 Multicultural Communicationor SPCH 120 Small Groups Communicationor SPCH 130 Interpersonal CommunicationBUS 110 Business Math......................................................... 5Or college-level Math courseOFFCE 105 Editing & Proofreading Business Documents .. 2Natural Science Any course from the approvedDistribution Course List ...................................... 5Political Science/HistoryAny course from the approved Distribution Course List............. 5Sociology/PsychologyAny course from the approved Distribution Course List............. 5Multicultural CourseAny course from the approved Distribution Course List............. 5TOTAL CREDITS: 92