Burlington County College
Gain a successful career in the paralegal field
The Burlington County College Paralegal program is designed or students wishing to seek employment as a paralegal in a law firm, government agency, law firm or the legal department of a bank, real estate company or private business. Paralegals, or legal assistants as they are also referred to, are qualified to assist attorneys in specific substantive legal duties for which the attorney is responsible, but they cannot offer clients legal advice themselves.
Paralegals aid qualified lawyers by interviewing clients and witnesses, taking on research and case management duties and also drafting legal documents such as wills. The Burlington County College paralegal program is designed to enable students to carry out these functions in a professional manner.
On graduating, the student will be expected to:
- Understand legal terminology and the judicial system
- Know how to interview clients, and to collect information relevant to the case in hand
- Draft legal documents
- Know how to find and carry out research on and cite sources of law
- Possess high standards of professional conduct, and carry out paralegal work with the highest standards of legal ethics
The program is rigorous, and focuses largely on a study of legal concepts, and how they are applied together with a firm foundation in general education. Also considered of importance is a firm grounding in business topics in order to provide students with the knowledge and training to work in a legal environment requiring diversified knowledge of a wide range of legal skills.
