School of Continuing Studies: Paralegal Studies
2008-2009 Academic Year
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The Tulane paralegal studies program is a college credit program, established in
1979. The program was first grant approval by the American Bar Association in
1981, and it remains the oldest such approved program in this region.
The School of Continuing Studies offers Bachelor's and Associate's degrees in
Paralegal Studies, a Minor, and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate upon fulfillment
of the requirements listed below.
Tulane's Paralegal Studies Program prepares professionals who are ready to
succeed in today's competitive legal environment. According to the American Bar
Association, a paralegal is:
"...a person qualified by education, training or work experience 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 are not lawyers and do not practice law. Under the supervision of
attorneys, they work in large and small law firms, banks, corporations,
legislatures, administrative agencies, legal aid offices and clinics, and in public
and private advocacy associations.
The primary goal of Tulane's Paralegal Studies Program is to educate students of
diverse background to become effective, ethical and professional paralegals who
are employable in a variety of legal settings and who are committed to on-going
improvement and continuing paralegal education. The program encourages
diversity in its student body and faculty and is committed to equal opportunity in
its placement program.
The program achieves this goal by meeting the following objectives:
1. To provide students with a comprehensive general education that includes
studies in writing, formal thought, speech, the humanities, sciences and
social sciences, and that is designed to develop students' critical thinking
and communication skills.
2. To educate students about the role of the paralegal in the delivery of legal
service.
3. To educate students to perform legal and factual investigation and research
using both traditional and technology-based methods.
4. To educate students about the court system, including civil, criminal and
administrative fields, on trial and appellate levels, and also on alternative