Legal Office Assistant

Diploma Program :: 33 credit hours

(HEGIS Code No. 5005)

The law office requires a competent and efficient assistant to aid the attorney in many important ways, thus permitting the lawyer to devote more time to clients. As the number of attorneys increases, so does the need for trained legal office assistants. A legal office assistant must possess many skills to enable him/her to perform the work required in this area, with a high degree of proficiency.

The objective of the program is to present a curriculum to prepare the student for secretarial positions in the legal profession, including law offices, legal departments of corporations, legal aid centers, governmental agencies, insurance companies, bank trust offices, deed and title companies, and other firms requiring office assistants with legal training.

Emphasis is placed on comprehensive training in the basic secretarial skills as well as specialized courses in legal terminology, dictation, transcription, and records control. The program further emphasizes proper execution of legal forms and procedures, stressing high standards of professional ethics, conduct, and responsibility to the attorney, the client, and the legal profession.

Graduates from this diploma program may continue to the final year of the Paralegal Associate Degree Program with no loss of time or credit.