Here you will find information on courses offered at CCP in Paralegal Studies. Follow the links for more information for the CCP web site, http://www.ccp.edu.
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Community College of Philadelphia trains paralegals who must operate under the supervision of a licensed attorney and are prohibited from practicing law. As a paralegal, you may organize important files, work directly with clients or concentrate on legal research and writing. This career is perfect for a self-motivated person who is looking for a challenging and rewarding profession. This program has been approved by the American Bar Association.
New students are required to take the College’s placement tests at their time of entry. Students who are identified as needing developmental course work must satisfactorily complete the appropriate English and mathematics courses as a part of their degree program.
Students transferring into the Paralegal Studies Program may transfer in up to thirty credits (one half of the credits required for an A.A.S. in Paralegal Studies) from other accredited institutions in accordance with the College’s general transfer policies. Of those thirty credits, the Paralegal Studies Program at Community College of Philadelphia will accept up to fifteen credits of Paralegal Studies courses in transfer from an ABA approved institution with the following conditions:
A minimum of 60 credits, a grade of "C" or better in all Paralegal Studies courses and a grade point average of 2.0 are required for graduation. Certain courses required for graduation may be substituted with the approval of the program coordinator and the dean of Liberal Studies. Students whose behavior is viewed as inconsistent with professional standards may be dropped from the curriculum pending the results of a departmental hearing. All students are required to sign an integrity statement in all Paralegal Studies courses agreeing to abide by standards of ethics and integrity in all assignments and undertakings.
All students seeking the A.A.S degree are advised that they must complete 9 credit hours of legal specialty classes in a traditional classroom format. Courses in traditional format include those meeting entirely in the classroom and classroom hours of hybrid sections. Legal specialty classes are those designed by PLS. Students are urged to meet with a paralegal advisor prior to registering for courses and are cautioned that a degree will not be awarded until this requirement is met.
Students in the Paralegal Studies Program are advised that it is important to have current knowledge in order to successfully compete in today’s legal environment and are urged to complete all Paralegal Studies courses within five years of graduation. To ensure that graduates possess current knowledge and skills, the following requirements apply:
Because of the need to possess current knowledge of technology, PLS 115 (Legal Technology) must be taken within five years of graduation.
Any student who has taken Introduction to Paralegal Studies, (PLS 101), Civil Litigation, (PLS 121), Legal Research and Writing I, (PLS 111) and / or Legal Research and Writing II, (PLS 211) more than five academic years before his / her proposed graduation date must demonstrate current knowledge. The student should meet with the Program Coordinator and develop a plan to demonstrate current knowledge and skills.
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Upon completion of this program graduates will be able to: