Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies
- 120 Credits
- School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Westchester
Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies Overview
Build skills and training with a legally-oriented education and real-world experiences that will make you stand out for future employers.
You can have a fulfilling, stimulating career as a paralegal. Mercy University offers a four-year Bachelor’s Degree program in Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies. The Bachelor's Degree program in Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies is approved by the American Bar Association. Graduates are trained specialists who can:
- Manage law office operations
- Assist attorneys in drafting legal documents
- Assume administrative duties routinely performed by attorneys
Graduates are also capable of conducting legal research, designing and developing new procedures and analyzing and reviewing legal documents.
Paralegals are not licensed to practice law. Paralegals work under the direct supervision of an attorney who is responsible for the work product of the paralegal.
Our program is structured to give you a real world, legally-oriented education which leads to the attainment of marketable skills.
The Mercy University Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Our Paralegal Advisory Board consists of judges, lawyers, paralegals and community leaders. The Mercy University Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies program is a Member of the American Association for Paralegal Education.
Career Opportunities
Employment includes: law offices, government positions, corporations, financial or insurance firms, real estate firms and in health care organizations. Career opportunities include paralegals, legal assistants, and law office managers.
The Mercy Advantage
- Our Paralegal Advisory Board consists of judges, lawyers, paralegals and community leaders
- Internships are available
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Frequently Asked Questions
"A legal assistant or paralegal is a person qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible." (as defined by the American Bar Association)
Full-time students can complete the 120-credit degree program in four years.
Yes.
Yes. Lambda Epsilon Chi (LEX) is the National Paralegal Honor Society instituted by the American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE) in 1997 to recognize men and women who have demonstrated "superior academic performance" in paralegal studies. Induction ceremony for membership is every May. Students who qualify for membership into LEX are notified of their eligibility by the Program Director for Paralegal Studies.
Yes, students are afforded the opportunity to intern.
Yes. The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and the National Association of Legal Assistants.
Program Details & Curriculum
General Liberal Arts and Sciences
General Education Requirements: 60 Credits
Major Concentration
Paralegal Studies: 36 Credits
Open Electives: 24 Credits
Total: 120 Credits
For a full curriculum listing visit our catalog.
Students who choose the major concentration in Legal Studies with a specialization in Paralegal Studies must complete:
- LAWS 130 Intro Legal Studies
- LAWS/ SOCL/ POLS/ PSYN 255 Managing Human Conflict I
- LAWS/ POL 361 Constitutional Law & Policy
- PARA 260 Legal Research/Writing I
- PARA 300 Legal Research/Writing II
- PARA 206 Substantive Law/Document Draft
- PARA 302 Litigation
- PARA 410 Advanced Seminar Paralegal Studies
and
two courses in Paralegal Studies numbered PARA 201 through PARA 303 and two additional courses from Paralegal Studies numbered 201 or above, LAWS numbered 203 or above.
Download a copy of the sequence map for:
ARCHIVE
- 2023 - 2024 B.S. Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies
- 2022 - 2023 B.S. Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies
- 2021 - 2022 B.S. Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies
2020 - 2021 B.S. Legal Studies: Paralegal Studies
Full-Time Faculty
Donna M Drumm
- MaH 209
- ddrumm@mercy.edu
- (914) 674-7441