Upcoming events at Florida Technical College. See all events.
7/4/08 --- Fourth of July
11/28/08 --- Thanksgiving
Message Board
2008/1/4: Flatech.edu has been relaunched! Enjoy the enhanced site functionality and improved content.
Paralegal Studies
Degree Program
The Associate of Science Degree in Paralegal Studies is a combination of paralegal and general education courses designed to prepare a graduate to become a Paralegal and to obtain an entry-level position in law offices, corporate legal departments, or government agencies.
Occupation Outlook
Paralegal careers are expected to grow faster than average, as law offices try to reduce costs by assigning Paralegals and Legal Secretaries tasks formerly carried out by lawyers. Paralegals are employed by law firms, corporate legal departments, and various government offices and they may specialize in many different areas of the law.
Private law firms will continue to be the largest employers of paralegals, but a growing array of other organizations, such as corporate legal departments, insurance companies, real estate and title insurance firms, and banks hire paralegals. Corporations, in particular, are boosting their in-house legal departments to cut costs. Demand for paralegals also is expected to grow as an increasing population requires legal services, especially in areas such as intellectual property, healthcare, international, elder issues, criminal, and environmental law. The growth of prepaid legal plans also should contribute to the demand for legal services. Paralegal employment is expected to increase as organizations presently employing paralegals assign them a growing range of tasks, and as paralegals are increasingly employed in small and medium-sized establishments. A growing number of experienced paralegals are expected to establish their own businesses.
Job opportunities for paralegals will expand in the public sector as well. Community legal-service programs, which provide assistance to the poor, aged, minorities, and middle-income families, will employ additional paralegals to minimize expenses and serve the most people. Federal, State, and local government agencies, consumer organizations, and the courts also should continue to hire paralegals in increasing numbers.
Training Objectives
To be successful, Paralegals must be able to document and present their findings and opinions to their supervising attornies. They need to understand legal terminology and have good research and investigative skills. Familiarity with the operation and applications of computers in legal research and litigation support also is increasingly important.
Students in Florida Technical College's Paralegal Studies program will take courses in research and writing, tort law, civil procedure, contracts, bankruptcy law, family law, criminal law, and real property.Why Choose FTC?
Computer use and technical knowledge has become essential to paralegal work. The course work at Florida Technical College includes an introduction to computer operations and word processing applications. Paralegals in law firms usually perform a variety of duties that require a general knowledge of the law. The course work in FTC's Paralegal Studies includes a diverse range of legal studies, from criminal to civil and family law.