Paralegal

Please note: This program is not currently accepting new enrollments.

The legal profession continues to grow. As a paralegal, you could work for a large private law firm; a public agency, such as the Department of the Attorney General or the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, or the courts; or in a small office with one or two lawyers. Good paralegals are in high demand.

Our Paralegal associate degree program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to be practicing paralegals in law firms, government agencies, corporations and the courts.

As a student in our Paralegal program, you’ll learn to effectively and accurately use legal terminology, principles and procedures; conduct legal research; draft briefs, memoranda and pleadings using proper legal formatting; prepare a case for trial; carry out tasks under the supervision of a lawyer; and much more.

Get the skills you need to pursue the career path you want!

ABA APPROVED

The Paralegal program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Non-attorneys may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law. The ABA approval requires that nine (9) credit hours of legal specialty courses be taken in the traditional (face-to-face) format.

Limitation on transfer of legal specialty credits: Effective Summer 2022, students transferring credits into the Legal Studies bachelor’s program may not transfer more than 12 credits of legal specialty courses. Legal specialty courses are:

LGL100/LGS110 Foundations in Law
LGL110/LGS130 Principles of Legal Research
LGL210/LGS135 Legal Research and Writing I
LGL211/LGS140 Civil Litigation I
LGL270/LGS160 Wills and Estates
LGL280/LGS190 Family Law
LGL240/LGS200 Contracts
LGL221/LGS230 Civil Litigation II
LGL300/LGS260 Administrative Law
LGL211/LGS280 Legal Research and Writing II

As required by the ABA, LGS135, LGS140, LGS230, and LGS280 may not be replaced with transfer credits unless the transferred courses were taken in a traditional classroom format.

A minor in legal studies is available to any student outside the paralegal associate and legal studies bachelor’s programs.

The minor in legal studies is not approved by the ABA and is not intended to prepare students to work as paralegals.

Program offered

On-ground, Hybrid

In the news

Angelina Hollingsworth: Justice is Blind

Central Penn College alumna Angelina Hollingworth took the bar exam in July 2022 and learned with jubilation that she passed on her first attempt that

Central Penn Ranked 2nd Most Affordable Legal Studies Program in PA

Central Penn College has been recognized as one of the 100 Best Most Affordable Legal Studies Programs in the nation. The college’s ABA-approved legal studies

Central Penn College Ranked #1 for Accelerated Classes in Pennsylvania

Central Penn College was rated as the “Best for Accelerated Classes” in Pennsylvania by Intelligent.com, an independent, advertising-free site that ranks colleges and programs throughout

Courses

Foundations in Law
Principles of Legal Research
Evidence
Legal Research and Writing
Civil Litigation
Torts
Criminal Law
Wills and Probate
Family Law

Admissions Requirements Accreditations

Careers you can pursue

Paralegal
Legal Assistant
Law Clerk
Title Examiner, Abstractor and Searcher
Legal Support Worker

You will succeed if you are...

Attentive to Detail
Analytical
Have a good memory
Write well
Can draw relevant conclusions from fact patterns

88.1%

88.1% of our graduates were employed in their chosen field or continuing their education within one year of graduation.

* Based on graduates whom we have information during a one-year period from 2022-23. It should be noted that 98.1% of graduates were employed in some capcity or continuing their education.

Academic Programs