Paralegal Certificate
The Paralegal Program provides graduates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform competently as paralegals in law-related occupations under the supervision of an attorney. Paralegals work in all phases of practice except providing legal advice to clients, appearing in court, and setting fees. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.
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Message from the Curriculum Chair
Welcome to the Paralegal Studies Curriculum at Westchester Community College. You have made an important career choice, and we look forward to working with you to achieve your educational and professional goals. At Westchester Community College, you will be part of a large campus community with all the advantages in facilities and resources that provides, while enjoying the personal, individual attention from our faculty.
Welcome to the Paralegal Studies Curriculum at Westchester Community College. You have made an important career choice, and we look forward to working with you to achieve your educational and professional goals. At Westchester Community College, you will be part of a large campus community with all the advantages in facilities and resources that provides, while enjoying personal, individual attention from our faculty.
Fall 2021 will mark the thirtieth year in which Westchester Community College has presented Paralegal Studies as a curriculum offering. During that time, our program resources have grown. Currently, our campus library houses a collection of law books in the legal studies alcove, and our paralegal students receive personal accounts to Westlaw, an extensive state-of-the-art electronic law library used by legal professions, facilitating student learning and scholarly research. We offer day, evening and weekend classes, and online versions of some courses with additional online courses forthcoming.
Our program is approved by the American Bar Association, ensuring a high-quality educational experience to give students the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform competently in law-related occupations under the supervision of an attorney. Paralegals work in all phases of practice except providing legal advice to clients, appearing in court, and setting fees. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.
According to recent U.S. Department of Labor projections, “employment of paralegals and legal assistants is will grow 10 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Formally trained paralegals with strong computer and database management skills should have the best job prospects.”
Employment opportunities exist in government agencies and court systems, law offices, banks, insurance, and title companies, as well as in the contract or legal departments of various other government and business enterprises. Your own ambition and enthusiasm will lead you in exciting directions in law.
Our internship course provides hands-on paralegal training in a local law firm or legal agency and, on occasion, an employment option. Students and alumni can use our fine placement service which is committed to helping you enter or re-enter the workforce. Students requesting transfer credit must meet satisfy Westchester Community College transfer credit requirement generally. Paralegal Studies Program students are required to complete at least 18 semester credit hours of legal specialty courses as a graduation requirement. The program will accept a maximum of fifty percent of legal specialty courses toward the Paralegal Certificate or 15 semester credits of legal specialty courses toward the A.A.S. degree. Additionally, paralegal studies students must complete at least 9 semester legal specialty credits in synchronous format through live simultaneous instruction on ground or remotely. For the full transfer policy, please see the tab on this page.
To navigate the curriculum, whether an associate degree or a certificate, the program has an up-to-date web site, www.sunywcc.edu/paralegal, the gateway to a wealth of resources about the program. One-on-one counseling is offered from the first phone call to graduation. Please plan to come in and talk to me about your schedules, your interests, concerns, or requirements for graduation.
Chair: Cynthia Haycock, Esq.
Telephone: 914-606-6972
Email: cynthia.haycock@sunywcc.edu
Paralegal Certification Transfer Policy
Students requesting transfer credit must have an official transcript sent directly from their former school to the Transfer Credit Evaluator in the Registrar’s Office. Westchester Community College will accept equivalent courses from institutions accredited by one the six regional accrediting agencies (Middle States Association, etc.) or through Advanced Placement (AP) examinations and the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Students who have engaged in a course of study while serving in the military may also be eligible to receive college credit. Transfer of international credits is at the discretion of the college. International credits must be evaluated by an outside accrediting agency prior to submission. An institution must be fully accredited at the time the course was taken for the course to be considered. Any course from any college must still pass the test of being equivalent to a Westchester Community College course to be considered for transfer. In general, courses in which a student has received a grade of ‘C’ or better will be accepted for credit if they fit into our course requirements. If the student received a grade lower than a ‘C,’ the credits cannot be accepted.
All courses accepted as transfer must be approved by the Transfer Credit Evaluator and subsequently examined by Paralegal Studies Program Director/Program Chair to determine if the course fulfills a degree map requirement. In approving courses for transfer, the Program Director will determine if the course for which transfer credit is being requested is equivalent to a course taught at Westchester Community College. The student seeking the transfer credit is required to provide a course description and, if necessary, a course syllabus, sample assignment and/or instructor verification, in order for the Program Director to make a determination as to whether or not the course is equivalent, whether the course can be classified as a legal specialty course, whether the course objectives and practical skills to be developed are equivalent and whether the course meets the needs of the local legal community.
Legal specialty courses are defined in the American Bar Association Guidelines as courses that: 1) cover substantive law, legal procedure, or process; 2) are developed for paralegals; 3) emphasize practical paralegal skills; and 4) meet other instructional guidelines as defined by the SUNY and the ABA. Coursed developed and taught in departments other than paralegal or legal studies program or courses that address theoretical content without a component of paralegal proficiencies and legal ethics, such as business law, criminal justice or political science generally do not qualify as legal specialty courses.
Paralegal Studies Program students are required to complete at least 18 semester credit hours of legal specialty courses as a graduation requirement. The program will accept a maximum of fifty percent of legal specialty courses toward the Paralegal Certificate or 15 semester credits of legal specialty courses toward the A.A.S. degree. Additionally, paralegal studies students must complete at least 9 semester legal specialty credits in synchronous format through live simultaneous instruction on ground or remotely.
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About Westchester Community College
Financial Aid
Nearly 33% of Westchester Community College students receive some form of financial aid. Financial Aid is available to students who qualify. In addition, the Westchester Community College Foundation offers $1.6 million in scholarships annually.
Sports
The Westchester Community College Athletic Department sponsors thirteen different intercollegiate athletic teams in various sports. The roster of sports offered includes Men’s Baseball, Women's Softball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Bowling, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's and Women's Track and Field, Men’s Soccer, and Women’s Volleyball. Visit the Vikings Athletics website for schedules, reports, and more.
Locations
We’re accessible: Public transit-friendly main campus and extension locations. Online classes for wherever you are. Valhalla (main campus); extension sites in New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Yonkers, Shrub Oak, Mahopac, Ossining, Port Chester and Peekskill (Center for the Digital Arts) and White Plains (Center for the Arts).
Fall 2021 will mark the thirtieth year in which Westchester Community College has presented Paralegal Studies as a curriculum offering. During that time, our program resources have grown. Currently, our campus library houses a collection of law books in the legal studies alcove, and our paralegal students receive accounts to Westlaw, an extensive state-of-the-art electronic law library used by legal professions, facilitating student learning and scholarly research. We offer day, evening and weekend classes, and online versions of some courses with additional online courses forthcoming.
Our program is approved by the American Bar Association, ensuring a high-quality educational experience to give students the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform competently in law-related occupations under the supervision of an attorney. Paralegals work in all phases of practice except providing legal advice to clients, appearing in court, and setting fees. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.
According to recent U.S. Department of Labor projections, “employment of paralegals and legal assistants is will grow 10 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Formally trained paralegals with strong computer and database management skills should have the best job prospects.”
Employment opportunities exist in government agencies and court systems, law offices, banks, insurance, and title companies, as well as in the contract or legal departments of various other government and business enterprises. Your own ambition and enthusiasm will lead you in exciting directions in law.
Our internship course provides hands-on paralegal training in a local law firm or legal agency and, on occasion, an employment option. Students and alumni can use our fine placement service which is committed to helping you enter or re-enter the workforce.
Students requesting transfer credit must meet satisfy Westchester Community College transfer credit requirement generally. Paralegal Studies Program students are required to complete at least 18 semester credit hours of legal specialty courses as a graduation requirement. The program will accept a maximum of fifty percent of legal specialty courses toward the Paralegal Certificate or 15 semester credits of legal specialty courses toward the A.A.S. degree. Additionally, paralegal studies students must complete at least 9 semester legal specialty credits in synchronous format through live simultaneous instruction on ground or remotely. For the full transfer policy, please see the tab on this page.
One-on-one counseling is offered from the first phone call to graduation. Please plan to come in and talk to me about your schedules, your interests, concerns, or requirements for graduation.