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:: Legal Assistant/Paralegal Degree- Associates

A paralegal is an individual who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. Paralegals perform tasks requiring knowledge of the law and legal procedures, but the exact nature of their work and limitations that the law places on the tasks they are allowed to undertake vary between nations and jurisdictions. A paralegal is not a lawyer but is typically employed by a law office or internal legal department of a company; paralegals are typically not allowed to offer legal services independently in most jurisdictions. Paralegals operate under a form of independent legal ethics, but with few exceptions must also typically conduct their work under the formal supervision of an attorney. In some jurisdictions, paralegals can conduct their own business and are called Law Agents, providing services such as settlements, court filings, legal research and other auxiliary legal services; these tasks often have instructions from a solicitor attached.

In the United States, a paralegal is protected from some forms of professional liability under the theory that paralegals are working as an enhancement of an attorney, who takes ultimate responsibility for the supervision of the paralegal's work and their work product. Paralegals often have taken a prescribed series of courses in law and legal processes. Paralegals may analyze and summarize depositions, prepare and answer interrogatories, draft procedural motions and other routine briefs, perform legal research and analysis, draft research memos, and perform case and project management. Paralegals often handle drafting much of the paper work in probate cases, divorce actions, bankruptcies, and investigations. Consumers of legal services are typically billed for the time paralegals spend on their cases. In the United States, they are not authorized by the government or other agency to offer legal services (including legal advice) except in Washington State in the same way as lawyers, nor are they officers of the court, nor are they usually subject to government-sanctioned or court-sanctioned rules of conduct. By contrast, in some jurisdictions (Ontario, Canada, for example) paralegals are licensed and regulated the same way that lawyers are and these licensed professionals may be permitted to provide legal services to the public and appear before certain lower courts and administrative tribunals.

An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded, primarily in the United States, after a course of post-secondary study lasting two or three years. It is a level of qualification between a high school diploma or GED and a bachelor's degree.

The first associate degrees were awarded in the UK (where they are[when?] no longer awarded) in 1873 before spreading to the US in 1898. In the United States, the associate degree may allow transfer into the third year of a bachelor's degree.[1] Associate degrees have since been introduced in a small number of other countries.

In the United States, associate degrees are usually earned in two years or more and can be attained at community colleges, technical colleges, vocational schools, and some colleges, as well as at some universities. A student who completes a two-year program can earn an Associate of Arts/Associate in Arts (AA)[25] or an Associate of Science/Associate in Science (AS) degree.[25] AA degrees are usually earned in the Liberal Arts and Sciences such as humanities and social science fields; AS degrees are awarded to those studying in applied scientific and technical fields and professional fields of study. Generally, one year of study is focused on college level general education and the second year is focused on the area of discipline.

Students who complete a two-year technical or vocational program can often earn an Associate of Applied Science/Associate in Applied Science (AAS), although sometimes the degree name will include the subject (a "tagged" degree).[26]

Transfer admissions in the United States sometimes allows courses taken and credits earned on an AA, AS, or AAS course to be counted toward a bachelor's degree via articulation agreements or recognition of prior learning, depending on the courses taken, applicable state laws/regulations, and the transfer requirements of the university.[27]

Common associate degree titles include:[26]

• Associate of Applied Business (AAB)
• Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
• Associate of Applied Technology (AAT)
• Associate of Arts (AA)
• Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT)
• Associate of Business Administration (ABA)
• Associate of Electrical Engineering Technology (AEET)
• Associate of Electronics (AE)
• Associate of Engineering (AE/AEng)
• Associate of Engineering Technology (AET/AEngT)
• Associate of Forestry (AF)
• Associate of General Studies (AGS)
• Associate of Industrial Technology (AIT)
• Associate of Nursing (AN)/Associate Degree Nurse/Nursing (ADN)
• Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS)
• Associate of Science (AS)
• Associate of Science in Computer Assisted Design (AS-CAD)
• Associate of Technology (AT)

• "Glossary". EducationUSA.state.gov.

• "Introduction of Associate Degree in 2004". Australian Qualifications Framework Advisory Board. Archived from the original on August 5, 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2016.

• "Main features of the Associate Degree". Australian Qualifications Framework Advisory Board. Archived from the original on August 5, 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

• "Associate Degrees". British Columbia Commission on Admissions and Transfer. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

• "Associate Degrees". Douglas College. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

• "Diploma Programs at Ontario Colleges". ontariocolleges.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-25.

• "Postsecondary Education in Quebec". Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

• "The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)" (PDF). Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2017.

• "Recognition Ireland Statement on US associate degree". Qualificationsrecognition.ie. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-12.

• "EQUIVALENCE DE DIPLOME (Degree equivalence)". voilanewyork.com. Retrieved 2014-03-29.

• [1] Archived March 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

• "The Dutch Education System described" (PDF). EP-Nuffic. January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

• William Crookes (1877). The Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science. XXXVI. p. 128.

• The Durham College of Science Calendar 1884, pp. 13, 24.

• Levine 1978, p. 158: "The world's first associate's degree, the associate in science, was awarded by England's University of Durham in 1873. The University of Chicago awarded the first American associate's degree in 1898. It offered associate in arts, associate in literature, and associate in science degrees."

• Groves 2011, pp. 160–161, 369.

• Palinchak 1973, pp. 64–65.

• Acland 1858.

• "Summary guide to HNC and HND qualifications" (PDF). Retrieved 22 January 2016.

• "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.

• "Get An Associate Degree in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. 1 August 2014.

• "Q & A on Sub-degree Programmes". Information Portal for Accredited Post-secondary Programmes. Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

• "Associate degree not career booster: Survey". China Daily Asia. 11 July 2016.

• Victor Fung Keung (6 September 2016). "Don't see Hong Kong's associate degrees as substandard".

• "Degree Programs". College of DuPage. Retrieved 1 August 2016.

• "USNEI". Education USA. US Department of Education.

• "Student Zone – College – Finding/Applying". College Zone. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-25.

Industry Description Full Program Listing

Code	Concentration	More Info
	Associate Degree in Legal Assistant/Paralegal
School: Florida Metropolitan University Program: Some advantages and perks for experienced paralegals and legal assistants include working in a professional environment, supervising other staff, or even going into business for themselves. In recent years, the number of new jobs in the paralegal market has outpaced the growth rate for most other jobs. The US Department of Labor estimates employment for paralegals will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. The Associate of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal/Legal Assistant program is designed to provide the student with fundamental knowledge of legal terminology, substantive and procedural law, drafting of legal pleading and responses, and legal research. Graduates of the program should be able to assist an attorney in private or corporate practice. :: Concentration: Legal Training :: Online        ::  Location: Brandon, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: Jacksonville, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: Lakeland, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: Melbourne, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: North Orlando, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: Orange Park, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: Pinellas, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: Pompano Beach, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: South Orlando, FL ::  more info  ::  Location: Tampa, FL ::  more info

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Industry Description

Do you have the analytical mind perfect for work in the legal field? Do you have a desire to become part of the fast paced and influential world where lawyers face off? If so, get the training that will put you into that reality in as little as 18 months. At which time, your legal assistant training will open doors for you, working alongside lawyers in law firms, banks, insurance companies, corporations, government or social assistance areas.

With the various methods of study available today, there is an option that will you’re your needs. Parents looking ahead to their return to the workforce, working professionals desiring to upgrade credentials and the high school graduate ready to train for a career will all find the perfect educational fit for them. Campus based study, modular classes, online courses and distance learning are all excellent educational opportunities. Best of all, no matter which method is right for you, you will have the benefit of the highest quality instructors to help you acquire the skills and knowledge you will need to successfully complete your legal assistant training.

You will learn the language of law, how cases are prepared for trial, how to conduct research and present this in a format that will assist lawyers in preparation for cases that effect the world in a vital way. Flexible, affordable study, the prospect of an exciting and influential career, the assurance of working in a high growth field -- with all of these reasons to begin your legal assistant training, why wait? Begin today!

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