FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a paralegal?

The American Bar Association's definition is " 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 and who performs specifically delegated work for which a lawyer is responsible." Other national paralegal associations use identical or very similar definitions.

What is the difference between a paralegal and a legal assistant?

For most purposes, the terms "paralegal" and "legal assistant" are interchangeable. For many years, almost all of the national paralegal organizations, legal authorities, and publications used either term when referring to someone in the profession. Sometimes, if a different term was selected, it was due to a formal job title included within a business structure or government organization. More recently, however, there seems to be a trend toward using the term "paralegal" more extensively. In 2003, the American Bar Association changed the name of its relevant governing committee to the "Standing Committee on Paralegals." Accordingly, NCC now refers to its academic program of study as the Paralegal Program.

What is the difference between a paralegal and a legal secretary?

Although many current paralegals started out as legal secretaries (now frequently referred to as legal administrative assistants), there is a distinct difference in the roles of those two members of any law office staff. One of the important differences is that, as a result of their training and experience, paralegals often provide many of the services that lawyers perform while legal secretaries offer administrative support to lawyers and, sometimes, paralegals. A primary difference is that paralegals may bill for the services rendered to clients while legal secretaries may not charge for their work. Thus, a paralegal is a part of the revenue-producing team in the law office while the salary and benefits of a legal secretary are a part of the administrative overhead of any such office.

What do paralegals do?

Working under the supervision of an attorney, paralegals perform many of the same tasks as attorneys. Among other things, those tasks include drafting legal documents, interviewing clients and witnesses, performing legal research, and preparing for trial. There are some activities which could possibly constitute the "unauthorized practice of law" and, therefore, may not be performed by paralegals. Although these prohibited tasks may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, they typically include matters such as the initial decision to enter into an attorney-client relationship, the establishment of a fee for legal services to be rendered, and the actual provision of legal advice to a client.

How do paralegals receive their education/training?

Paralegal education is offered in a variety of programs including four-year baccalaureate degrees, two-year associate degrees (NCC's academic program), certificate programs at accredited colleges and universities as well as private proprietary schools, and on-the-job training in law offices. There are more than 1000 different credit and non-credit paralegal programs throughout the United States. Approximately one-fourth of the programs are "approved" by the American Bar Association (ABA) - an equivalent of an accreditation process. NCC's associate degree program is an "ABA approved" program. The college holds institutional memberships in the American Association for Paralegal Education, the National Association of Legal Assistants, and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations. Periodicals from some of those organizations and other paralegal publications are available in the NCC library on the fourth floor of College Center.

What does the NCC Paralegal Program consist of?

Currently, NCC awards an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree to those who successfully complete the 63 (or 64)-credit Paralegal Program. Approximately one-third of the credits are for the general education core courses required of all NCC graduates. Some of those courses include English I & II, Speech Communication, humanities courses, and a math or science course. A little less than a third of the program consists of office administration courses such as Keyboarding, Word Processing Applications, and Law Office Procedures in which students learn to use state-of-the-art office computers and software. The remainder of the program consists of legal specialty courses divided into "Required" and "Elective" courses. All NCC paralegal students take Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Real Estate Law, Litigation Practice and Procedure, Legal Research and Writing, and an Internship. In addition, paralegal students must take three (3) of the following five (5) electives - Business Organizational Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Estates and Trust Law, Family Law, and Tort Law. Many of the legal specialty courses are taught by attorneys who practice law in the Lehigh Valley. In addition to input from the paralegal program faculty and students, NCC has a Paralegal Advisory Committee made up of practicing attorneys and paralegals from around the Lehigh Valley including Monroe County. This group meets at least twice each year to review the program accomplishments and make suggestions regarding program administration, curriculum, and professional development. The program coordinator and full-time faculty members attend annual conferences of the American Association for Paralegal Education. To learn more about NCC's program, please return to the "Academics" portion of the college's web page.

Are there opportunities for NCC Paralegal graduates to continue their education?

Currently, NCC has formal articulation agreements with Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT) in Williamsport, PA and Peirce College in Philadelphia, PA. Under the terms of those agreements, qualified students who graduate from NCC's Paralegal Program may continue their education at PCT or Peirce to pursue a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies. Internet connections to the home page for each of those schools are included on the "Links" page of this web site. In addition to those two formal agreements, students are encouraged to explore other options for transfer to four-year institutions.


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NCC Home Faculty Web Sites John Thomas My Bio FAQs Links Back	Faculty Web Sites > John Thomas > FAQs FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is a paralegal? The American Bar Association's definition is " 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 and who performs specifically delegated work for which a lawyer is responsible." Other national paralegal associations use identical or very similar definitions. What is the difference between a paralegal and a legal assistant? For most purposes, the terms "paralegal" and "legal assistant" are interchangeable. For many years, almost all of the national paralegal organizations, legal authorities, and publications used either term when referring to someone in the profession. Sometimes, if a different term was selected, it was due to a formal job title included within a business structure or government organization. More recently, however, there seems to be a trend toward using the term "paralegal" more extensively. In 2003, the American Bar Association changed the name of its relevant governing committee to the "Standing Committee on Paralegals." Accordingly, NCC now refers to its academic program of study as the Paralegal Program. What is the difference between a paralegal and a legal secretary? Although many current paralegals started out as legal secretaries (now frequently referred to as legal administrative assistants), there is a distinct difference in the roles of those two members of any law office staff. One of the important differences is that, as a result of their training and experience, paralegals often provide many of the services that lawyers perform while legal secretaries offer administrative support to lawyers and, sometimes, paralegals. A primary difference is that paralegals may bill for the services rendered to clients while legal secretaries may not charge for their work. Thus, a paralegal is a part of the revenue-producing team in the law office while the salary and benefits of a legal secretary are a part of the administrative overhead of any such office. What do paralegals do? Working under the supervision of an attorney, paralegals perform many of the same tasks as attorneys. Among other things, those tasks include drafting legal documents, interviewing clients and witnesses, performing legal research, and preparing for trial. There are some activities which could possibly constitute the "unauthorized practice of law" and, therefore, may not be performed by paralegals. Although these prohibited tasks may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, they typically include matters such as the initial decision to enter into an attorney-client relationship, the establishment of a fee for legal services to be rendered, and the actual provision of legal advice to a client. How do paralegals receive their education/training? Paralegal education is offered in a variety of programs including four-year baccalaureate degrees, two-year associate degrees (NCC's academic program), certificate programs at accredited colleges and universities as well as private proprietary schools, and on-the-job training in law offices. There are more than 1000 different credit and non-credit paralegal programs throughout the United States. Approximately one-fourth of the programs are "approved" by the American Bar Association (ABA) - an equivalent of an accreditation process. NCC's associate degree program is an "ABA approved" program. The college holds institutional memberships in the American Association for Paralegal Education, the National Association of Legal Assistants, and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations. Periodicals from some of those organizations and other paralegal publications are available in the NCC library on the fourth floor of College Center. What does the NCC Paralegal Program consist of? Currently, NCC awards an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree to those who successfully complete the 63 (or 64)-credit Paralegal Program. Approximately one-third of the credits are for the general education core courses required of all NCC graduates. Some of those courses include English I & II, Speech Communication, humanities courses, and a math or science course. A little less than a third of the program consists of office administration courses such as Keyboarding, Word Processing Applications, and Law Office Procedures in which students learn to use state-of-the-art office computers and software. The remainder of the program consists of legal specialty courses divided into "Required" and "Elective" courses. All NCC paralegal students take Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Real Estate Law, Litigation Practice and Procedure, Legal Research and Writing, and an Internship. In addition, paralegal students must take three (3) of the following five (5) electives - Business Organizational Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Estates and Trust Law, Family Law, and Tort Law. Many of the legal specialty courses are taught by attorneys who practice law in the Lehigh Valley. In addition to input from the paralegal program faculty and students, NCC has a Paralegal Advisory Committee made up of practicing attorneys and paralegals from around the Lehigh Valley including Monroe County. This group meets at least twice each year to review the program accomplishments and make suggestions regarding program administration, curriculum, and professional development. The program coordinator and full-time faculty members attend annual conferences of the American Association for Paralegal Education. To learn more about NCC's program, please return to the "Academics" portion of the college's web page. Are there opportunities for NCC Paralegal graduates to continue their education? Currently, NCC has formal articulation agreements with Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT) in Williamsport, PA and Peirce College in Philadelphia, PA. Under the terms of those agreements, qualified students who graduate from NCC's Paralegal Program may continue their education at PCT or Peirce to pursue a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies. Internet connections to the home page for each of those schools are included on the "Links" page of this web site. In addition to those two formal agreements, students are encouraged to explore other options for transfer to four-year institutions.