Northwestern Michigan College
The exiting world of paralegal studies awaits you
A person who is qualified - through education, training, or work experience - to perform law-related work under the direction and supervision of an attorney is known as a legal assistant or paralegal.
Upon graduation, students in the Legal Assisting Program should be proficient at:
- Understanding and communicating basic legal concepts
- Adapting to any business setting and in no time become an integral part of it
- Write skillfully, and read with full comprehension; meet deadlines while producing accurate work within exacting guidelines; generate well-structured, unambiguous draft legal documents
- Use reasoning skills and form judgments; use measurable data to formulate decisions
- Plan and implement activities and projects
- Influence others in their opinions and judgments
- Be responsible for a number of duties which can change frequently; multi-task
Outcomes of Northwestern Michigan College's Legal Assistant Program are:
- To show extensive knowledge and understanding of the organization and operation of the U.S. legal system
- To demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of the organization and running of a law office, and of the role of the paralegal in the effective delivery of legal services
- To demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of ethical responsibilities as they pertain both to attorneys and to legal assistants
- To demonstrate a thorough understanding and working knowledge of pertinent substantive and procedural areas of the law
- To show an ability to use fast analysis skills to understand legal and ethical issues logically and thoroughly, and to effectively problem solve
- Demonstration of the ability to effectively use traditional and electronic resources as means of conducting legal research
- To demonstrate ones ability to communicate in a way that is clear, correct, succinct and effective, both in speech and in writing, and also be able to prepare drafts of pleadings and legal documents
- To demonstrate the capacity for various computer functions with a legal office, especially word processing, legal research, and timekeeping
- To demonstrate interpersonal, teamwork, or leadership skills within a legal environment
