Program Contact: Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox 203-582-6414
Quinnipiac University’s ABA-approved Minor/Certificate in Legal Studies is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the paralegal profession. The minor is planned and taught by lawyers to provide students with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of the legal system. The courses chosen for the minor prepare students to work as a paralegal in diverse legal settings. The legal studies minor/certificate has been approved by the American Bar Association as a paralegal education program. A paralegal performs specifically delegated substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney. While paralegals may not give legal advice to clients or appear in court on their behalf, these highly skilled professionals perform a wide range of tasks and play an integral role in the delivery of legal services.
The education focuses on particular core areas of the law and on developing specific legal research, writing and critical thinking skills, all within a framework of the ethical and statutory constraints confronting the paralegal profession. This combination of theoretical classwork with real-world experience, along with exposure to traditional liberal arts and general education and a major in another discipline at Quinnipiac, prepares legal studies certificate students for a broad range of professional opportunities.
Minor Policy: Students may complete only one minor using the same courses. Majors may not complete a minor within the same department.
A total of 21 credits are required for completion of the minor/certificate. All Legal Specialty transfer courses will be evaluated by the program director to determine their equivalencies and to ensure that the quality and integrity of the program are maintained if such credit is granted. At least nine credits of Legal Specialty courses, including the Internship experience, must be taken at Quinnipiac University. A maximum of nine credits of Legal Specialty courses may be transferred. Quinnipiac does not award Legal Specialty credit by examination or portfolio.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 15 | |
| Introduction to the American Legal System | ||
| Legal Reasoning, Research and Writing I | ||
| Legal Reasoning, Research and Writing II | ||
| Civil Procedures | ||
| Legal Internship Seminar | ||
| Legal Studies Electives (choose two from electives approved as Legal Practice. Other courses cannot be substituted.) | 6 | |
| Family Law | ||
| Wills, Probate and Estate Administration | ||
| Land Transfer and Closing Procedures | ||
| Employment Law | ||
| Law of Business Entities | ||
| Intellectual Property | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Mediation | ||
| Negotiation | ||
Learning Outcomes
Students who graduate with a Minor/Certificate in Legal Studies will demonstrate the following competencies:
- Understand and critically assess how law is made, interpreted and applied in the United States.
- Analyze a legal problem, research and synthesize the law, apply it to a set of facts, and write a legal memo using a generally accepted format for the legal profession with proper legal citation.
- Draft, review, organize and manage legal documents and correspondence using proper format and appropriate content.
- Formulate and present a coherent, well-supported legal argument in both written and oral form to diverse audiences.
- Apply their legal skills and knowledge in a professional legal setting, consistent with ethical standards governing the legal profession.