Degree and Certificate Programs

Legal

Legal Assisting (2299)

Associate in Science or Associate in Applied Science

The legal assisting program is for students who wish to seek employment in the legal or criminal justice field as paraprofessionals or for legal secretaries presently employed who wish to assume paraprofessional duties in their field.

FCCJ’s program is structured to meet the needs of the legal profession in the state of Florida, as developed in response to a survey of local attorneys, which showed a great need for trained paraprofessional specialists in the field.

Courses are taught by practicing attorneys or other professionals skilled in their field. An advisory committee composed of attorneys and other professionals meets periodically to make suggestions and recommendations for the entire program.

Note: While legal assistants are not permitted by law to give legal advice, they do work under the direct supervision of attorneys, performing specifically delegated duties necessary in the effective delivery of legal services to the client. Note: Students desiring to enter the legal assisting program must have a personal interview with the legal assistant coordinator prior to enrollment.

The program culminates in a professional internship (PLA 1949 Cooperative Education Work Experience). All other professional core courses must be completed prior to enrollment in the internship. In this course, students will work not less than 120 hours in a law or law-related office. In addition, students will meet weekly to share work experiences and receive final preparation for paraprofessional practice.

Students have two degree alternatives in this program: The associate in science (A.S.) and the associate in applied science (A.A.S.). If you intend to pursue further education at the university level, you should enroll in the A.S. option. If you intend to go directly to work after completing your associate’s degree, consider the A.A.S. While the A.A.S. will not provide you with the articulation benefits of the A.S., the A.A.S. will provide you with the skills required to begin working in the field immediately upon graduation. If you are unsure of which option is best for you, please see an advisor for further counseling.

Required Courses

The following is a list of courses required for this program presented in a recommended sequence of completion. The sequence is only a suggested guide, and there is no requirement to follow the sequence precisely. Students in this program may register for any course as long as the student has met any prerequisites for that course. Where a “professional elective” is indicated in the course sequence, students may choose any course from the group of professional electives that follows the full course sequence.

Course Number and Title	Credits
ENC 1101 English Composition I	3
BUL 2131 Business Law I — The Legal Environment of Business	3
CGS 1570 Microcomputer Applications	3
PLA 1003 Introduction to Legal Assisting	3
*Mathematics	3
*Social and Behavioral Sciences Area A	3
PLA 1104 Legal Research and Writing I	3
PLA 2273 Tort Law	3
*Humanities	3
PLA 1080 Legal Interviewing and Communicating	3
Professional Elective (see list below)	6
PLA 2114 Legal Research and Writing II	3
General Education Elective from Social and Behavioral Sciences	3
****OST 2335 Applied Business Communications	3
PLA 2763 Law Office Procedures	3
PLA 2800 Family Law	3
Professional Elective (see list below)	3
SPC 2600 Fundamentals of Speech   Communication	3
PLA 2200 Litigation	3
Professional Elective (see list below)	1
**PLA 1949 Cooperative Education Work Experience I 3	3
Total Credit Hours	64

*Refer to A.S. degree General Education Requirements.
**An approved elective may be substituted for this course if students have verifiable, related work experience of not less than 12 consecutive months.
***Students are required to select a minimum of six credit hours from these courses.
****ENC 1102 may be substituted with the permission of the Legal Assisting Program Director.

Note: Students earning an A.S. degree must take MAC 1105, MGF 1106 or a higher level mathematics course. Students earning an A.A.S. degree must take MAT 1033 or a higher level mathematics course.