The Paralegal Technology major is available on the Lafayette-Yalobusha Center and the Senatobia campus. Courses prepare students for an exciting career as a legal assistant or paralegal to perform specifically delegated substantive legal work, employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation or governmental agency.
Click here for course listings and details (Major 6090).
What does this program offer me?
The Paralegal Technology program is designed to prepare you for entry into the job market immediately upon graduation. The curriculum was developed in accordance with the American Bar Association guidelines and in consultation with area legal practitioners. We emphasize practical skills and knowledge utilized in common legal specialties such as real property law, family law, and trust and estate law. Upon successful completion of the program an Associate of Applied Science degree is awarded. The graduate is well prepared to find employment as a paralegal in law firms, corporate legal departments, insurance companies, real estate development companies, title insurance firms and banks. In addition, our graduates are prepared to find jobs with community legal service programs, consumer organizations, federal, state and local agencies and other public organizations needing or providing legal assistance.
While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, they often delegate many of their tasks to paralegals. In fact, paralegals—also called legal assistants—continue to assume a growing range of tasks in the nation’s legal offices and perform many of the same tasks as lawyers. Nevertheless, they are still explicitly prohibited from carrying out duties which are considered to be the practice of law, such as setting legal fees, giving legal advice, and presenting cases in court.
If you are interested in this field, you must:
To be a paralegal, you will need to master:
Pre Paralegal Studies (University of Mississippi's 2+2 Option, Major 6099)
This program is designed to transfer to The University of Mississippi's paralegal program where the student may receive a Baccalaureate degree. An Associate of Applied Science degree is awarded upon completion.
Click here for course listings and details (Major 6099).
Instructor: Stephan McDavid
Phone: 662-562-3345
Office location at Senatobia: Berry Building
What can I earn?
Earnings of paralegals and legal assistants vary greatly. Salaries depend on education, training, experience, type and size of employer, and geographic location of the job. In general, paralegals that work for large law firms or in large metropolitan areas earn more than those who work for smaller firms or in less populated regions. In May 2008, full-time wage-and-salary paralegals and legal assistants earned $46,120. The middle 50 percent earned between $36,080 and $59,310. The top 10 percent earned more than $73,450, and the bottom 10 percent earned less than $29,260.
Reference:
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Last Updated Wednesday, August 03 2011 @ 01:04 PM CDT|2,194 Hits 