Clayton State University

Clayton State University

Gain a successful career in the paralegal field

The Clayton State Paralegal Studies Program welcomes all students. The American Bar Association (ABA) has approved this Paralegal Studies Program. The approval of the ABA attests to the high degree of our student resources and our curriculum. With 30 years of combined paralegal teaching experience, we employ attorneys as our full-time instructors. Our hands-on training methods will develop your skills to become successful in the legal field.

Being one of the few paralegal programs in Georgia, students are presented the prospect to attain an ABA- permitted paralegal certificate or degree, just 15 minutes south of downtown Atlanta. Another thing that sets our Paralegal Studies Program apart is the HOPE Grant, which is available to our qualifying certificate students. The HOPE Grant has helped many of our qualified certificate majors who usually get substantially reimbursed for parts of their tuitions and expenses.

As a member school of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University provides our students a plethora of resources and educational opportunities. The two degrees offered in the Paralegal Studies Program are an Associates of Appled Science(A.A.S.) in Paralegal Studies, or a Paralegal Certificate. ABA has approved both of these degrees. Our Admissions Link has valuable information, so please refer to it to find out about our entry requirements to any of our programs. To provide students with the skills necessary to perform specifically delegated substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney, is the main purpose of the Paralegal Studies Program. Legally only lawyers are allowed to practice law.

The students in our paralegal field are trained to:

• Do legal research, both manually and on the computer
• Familiarize yourself with the rules of legal ethics, which include conflicts of interest, unauthorized practices of law and confidentialty
• Prepare legal documents. These include pleadings, incorporation documents, and real estate closing documents
• Law office procedures, billing and timekeeping must be understood
• Develop a familiarity with both the federal and state judicial systems
• Apply legal analysis to fact situations
• Students will obtain a broad education with career specific paralegal courses
• Utilize technology and legal software to create legal documents and to function in their role as a paralegal