Division of Workforce Development (Careers and Continuing Education)

Frequently Asked Questions for the Paralegal/Legal Assisting Student

Are all Paralegal/Legal Assisting courses offered at Kent Campus?

The courses in the Legal Assisting curriculum that are identified by a "PLA" prefix in the college course coding system are offered exclusively in the evening, on Kent campus. All remaining courses in the Legal Assisting curriculum are available during the day or in the evening on any of the FCCJ campuses, or by telecourses.

What are the qualifications of the Paralegal/Legal Assisting faculty?

Florida Community College's Paralegal/Legal Assisting Program is approved by the American Bar Association. The ABA is the leading national organization of attorneys and is the only organization that approves legal assistant/paralegal training programs. The stringent requirements for approval include qualified administrators and faculty, a rigorous curriculum, and extensive student resources. ABA approval is universally recognized by the legal community as an indicator of quality paralegal training. Fewer than 20% of programs nationwide have ABA approval.

Faculty and adjunct-faculty must meet the following criteria to teach in the Paralegal/Legal Assisting program.

• knowledge about the paralegal profession
• commitment to the utilization of legal assistants
• documented experience working with or as a legal assistant/paralegal
  experience in the areas they teach
• have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and completion of a paralegal training program and 5 years work experience as a paralegal or the above plus a masters degree with at least 18 graduate hours in legal assisting related courses.
  

What is the purpose of the Legal Studies Advisory Committee?

The ABA mandates that an approved ABA Paralegal/Legal Assisting program shall have an advisory committee, whose members are familiar with the objectives of the program. Members of the advisory committee must be knowledgeable about trends, developments and issues in the legal assistant career field. The Advisory Committee plays an active role in program admissions standards, securing competent instructors, keeping abreast of changes and trends occurring within the field, assisting/paralegal program officials in job market assessments and career opportunities for legal assistants. In addition, the Advisory Committee assists in securing community cooperation and interest, and evaluating the total program in terms of its curriculum and objectives, the needs of the legal community and performance of graduates.

What is a paralegal? What do paralegals do? Where do paralegals work?

The ABA (American Bar Association) defines a paralegal/legal assistant as "A legal assistant or 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."

Legal assisting - also known as paralegal or paraprofessional - is one of today's fastest-growing career fields. A paralegal or legal assistant is a professional who assists an attorney in the performance of legal work.

Paralegals act under the direction and supervision of an attorney and are not licensed to practice law. Paralegals perform a wide range of tasks, including conducting legal research, interviewing clients and witnesses, drafting and reviewing correspondence and legal documents, digesting depositions, filing legal documents with courts, maintaining legal records, and preparing for and assisting at trial.

Paralegals work in a variety of positions in law firms, corporate law departments, the District Attorney's Office and Public Defenders Association, legal services organizations, government agencies, courts, and nonprofit organizations. Florida Community College at Jacksonville graduates are employed by CSX, the City of Jacksonville, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Healthcare, federal courts and law firms of all sizes. Starting salaries in the Jacksonville area for paralegals generally range from $24,000 to $29,000, depending on the type of position. Salaries increase with experience.