About the program
What are the program options at KCC?
If you have college coursework, but not a bachelor's degree, and you wish to enter the workforce upon graduation or to transfer to a four-year school, you are a candidate for the Associate in Applied Science Degree.
What if I have a bachelor's degree?
The 36-hour advanced certificate program is designed for students with a bachelor's degree and appropriate writing and computer experience to enhance their college coursework. Because these students are most often working full-time in a legal or other environment and have already met the general education requirements for a bachelor's degree, this certificate option focuses almost exclusively on paralegal-specific courses. A bachelor's degree is required for enrollment in the advanced certificate option.
Are there admissions requirements?
You must comply with KCC's general admissions requirements. You also should meet with an advisor in Student Affairs and the program coordinator on a regular basis to make sure that your file is in order and that you will not encounter any unexpected problems.
All students planning on enrolling in PLAS 1103 (Introduction to Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies) must complete a set of WorkKeys® assessments in "Reading for Information," "Locating Information" and "Business Writing." Learn more about WorkKeys here. There are additional requirements to continue enrolling in PLAS classes.
NOTE: These grade requirements do not prohibit students from enrolling in other general education courses required for the degree.
- A grade of B or better in PLAS 1103 - Introduction to Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies
- A grade of C or better in ENGL 1613 - English I
- A grade of C or better in ENGL 1623 - English II
Which classes will I take?
In addition to your general education coursework, you will be required to complete 33 semester hours of Paralegal/Legal Assistant classes. Click on a link to see a syllabus.
May I transfer paralegal courses taken at another college?
KCC will accept for transfer the equivalents of PLAS 1103 (Introduction to Paralegal/Legal Assistant Studies) and PLAS 1213 (Civil Litigation), provided those courses were completed in a program approved by the American Bar Association. Students completing legal specialty courses at institutions that are regionally accredited, but are not approved by the American Bar Association, may choose to complete Credit by Proficiency examinations pursuant to Section 8.0 of the Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations in order to receive KCC credit for legal specialty courses. Students with credit from non-ABA-approved programs who choose not to complete Credit by Proficiency shall complete their legal specialty courses at KCC, and the non-ABA-approved courses shall be used as elective credit pursuant to Section 11.5 of the Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations.
Is an internship required?
In-class or book learning is not the only way you will learn about the paralegal profession and your role in it. You must have an environment in which you can apply your skills and knowledge; this is why an internship is a required part of the program. Internships are done at the conclusion of all other PLAS coursework, which traditionally means that you perform the internship in the semester prior to graduation. As a rule, this would be the only course you would take, although you might be finishing some general education requirements while working at the internship site.
You will want to be thinking about the type of legal organization in which you want to work. It can be in any type of legal environment in which we can guarantee substantive paralegal work for a total of 240 clock hours. It will be your responsibility to secure an internship site. KCC will not place you in an internship setting, although we will have a database of legal organizations in the district who have told us that they would be willing to sponsor an intern.
The program coordinator will make periodic site visits to your internship site to meet with you and the internship provider to monitor your progress. You will also have occasional workshops on KCC's campus to attend as part of the class. During the internship, you will be required to abide by all laws and rules of ethics regarding client confidentiality. In addition, all work is to be done under direct attorney supervision.
The program has relationships with most area law firms and government agencies for internship opportunities. If you would like to get more information, please contact the program coordinator.
Can I transfer this degree?
Students normally earn a transfer degree before moving to a four-year college or university. Transfer degrees are generally structured so that all of the coursework will apply to the upper division institution's degree program—and ideally, students begin in that upper division with junior status. Paralegal degrees as a whole, however, are generally occupational—that is, students completing the degree move directly into the workplace upon graduation. It is true, however, that you will earn a higher starting salary and have additional opportunities for advancement if you continue your education beyond your KCC degree.
The process of a community college making arrangements with a four-year institution to transfer credits is called articulation. At the time this webpage was published, KCC had established formal articulation agreements with the following four-year institutions:
It is important, however, that you meet with a KCC transfer advisor early in your studies to confirm that your general education coursework will transfer into a four-year program. For more information, please contact Student Services at 815-802-8500.
Can KCC make me a "certified" paralegal?
There is no college that can make you a "certified" paralegal. In fact, there is no national standard at this time for paralegal certification, although the trend is heading in that direction. There are, however, two organizations that offer independent paralegal certification examinations.
National Association of Legal Assistants - the NALA began offering a CLA (Certified Legal Assistant) designation in 1976. According to NALA's website there are almost 11,000 CLAs nationwide. Participants must pass all five sections of the CLA examination.
National Federation of Paralegal Associations - the NFPA began offering the PACE (Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam) in 1994. According to the NFPA's website the exam consists of two tiers: one comprising general and ethics questions, and one involving specialty sections.
Who will teach my classes?
For specialty courses, such as Civil or Criminal Litigation; Real Estate; Corporate Law; Evidence; Estates, Trusts, and Wills; or Family Law, KCC believes that it is best for students to learn from a practicing attorney or a judge experienced in this area of the law. For this reason, the program also relies heavily on adjunct (part-time) faculty. Adjunct faculty normally will teach evening classes because of their work and trial schedules. They also give students a way to reach them during the business day.
If you need academic advisement, program-related questions or assistance from an adjunct faculty member and cannot reach him or her, please contact the program coordinator.
Will I meet other students?
Getting to know your classmates is important. You should find classmates who study and prepare for classes as you do; that way, you have automatic study groups for tests and projects. You also have someone who can take notes for you if you have to miss a class. It's a good idea to get the phone numbers and email addresses of a few classmates early on in the semester.