:: Legal Assisting/Paralegal
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)
- "Associate Degrees". British Columbia Commission on Admissions and Transfer. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- "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.
- "USNEI". Education USA. US Department of Education.
"Cal State University". California State University Transfer Requirements.
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.
 Industry Description |
Legal Assisting/Paralegal |
 |  Herzing College
Program: Click the "Go" button for information directly from the sponsor.
:: Concentration: Legal Assisting/Paralegal |
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:: Location: New Orleans, LA |
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Industry DescriptionThis program provides an overview of legal principles, practices and procedures. Areas of study include legal office procedures, word processing, legal theory, and the practical application of legal assistant/secretary responsibilities. The goal of this program is to provide students with the skills and academic knowledge necessary for a career as a legal assistant/paralegal working under the supervision of a licensed attorney. This program is approved by the American Bar Association.
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