Paralegal careers can be extremely demanding, and attorneys expect them to be prepared for most anything at all times.
However, those people, who are able to pay close attention to details and work under pressure, will enjoy the many benefits of this lucrative career.
Those people in South Carolina, who would like to train within the paralegal profession, have many options to choose among.
All of the institutions listed below offer some of the best paralegal training in the state.
Central Carolina Technical College
Located in the city of Sumter, Central Carolina Technical College offers a delightful associate in applied science/paralegal degree program, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Those people, who would like full details pertaining to the program, can call the college’s general office at – 803-778-1961 or write to the office at – the 506 block of North Guignard Drive in Sumter, South Carolina, 29150. They can also view the program’s suggested curriculum at – www.cctech.edu.
Paralegal students at Central Carolina will need to fulfill the following basic education curriculum – English Composition I and II, College Algebra or Contemporary Mathematics, Public Speaking, Humanities or Fine Arts elective, Social/Behavioral Science elective, Introduction to Computers, Microcomputer Word Processing, and Keyboarding and Input Technologies.
They will also need to fulfill the following law-related requirements – Introduction to Law and Ethics, Customer Service or Business Communication, Torts, Legal Bibliography, Accounting Principles I or Office Accounting, Worker’s Compensation, Family Law, Property Law, Wills/Trusts and Probate, Judicial Process, Legal Writing, Civil Litigation I, Business Law I, and Law Office Management or Internship for Legal Assistant/Paralegal.
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Located in Florence and accredited by the Commission on Colleges, Florence-Darlington Technical College has a fascinating associate in applied science/paralegal degree program for those students interested in the field. If students would like to learn the enrollment procedures of Florence-Darlington, they can call them at – 800-228-5745 or write to them at – 2715 West Lucas Street, Post Office Box 1000548, Florence, South Carolina, 29502. They can also find the procedures online at – http://www.fdtc.edu/.
The paralegal program at Florence-Darlington requires students to fulfill the following basic education courses – English Composition I and II, Contemporary Mathematics, Ethics, General Psychology, Humanities or Fine Arts elective, and Microcomputer Applications.
The program also requires students to fulfill the following legal courses – Torts, Business Law I, Introduction to Law and Ethics, Family Law, Criminal Law, Wills/Trusts and Probate, Legal Bibliography, Civil Litigation I, Property Law, Constitutional Law, Legal Writing, Law Office Management, Advanced Legal Writing, Claims Investigation or Administrative Law, Law Practice Workshop, and Special Projects for Paralegals.
Greenville Technical College
Located in Greenville and accredited by the Commission on Colleges, Greenville Technical College has an unbelievable associate in applied science/paralegal degree program, approved by the American Bar Association. Those persons, who would like to attend Greenville Tech, can phone the school at – 864-250-8111 or write to the campus at – Post Office Box 5616 in Greenville, South Carolina, 29606. They can also find valuable information on Greenville’s website at – gvltec.edu.
The following classes are the general education requirements of the paralegal program – English Composition I, Introduction to Computers, Intermediate Algebra or Probability and Statistics, Basic Anatomy and Physiology or Anatomy, History/1877 to Present, Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication, and American Government.
The following classes are the legal-related requirements of the program – Introduction to Law and Ethics, Family Law, Torts, Legal Bibliography, Legal Writing, Business Law I, Wills/Trusts and Probate, Property Law, Claims Investigation, Civil Litigation II, Litigation Applications, and at least three of the following courses – Business Law II, Civil Litigation I, Worker’s Compensation, Immigration Law, Constitutional Law, Title Examination Procedures I, Internship for Paralegal, and Paralegal Certification Preparation.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College
Located in Conway, Horry-Georgetown Technical College offers a superior paralegal specialist certificate program, accredited by the Commission on Colleges and approved by the American Bar Association. Those individuals, who would like to learn the enrollment procedures of Horry-Georgetown, can call them at – 843-347-3186 or write to them at their mailing address – the 2050 block of Highway 501 East in Conway, South Carolina, 29528. They can also find the procedures online at – http://www.hgtc.edu.
For students to earn their paralegal specialist certificate from Horry-Georgetown, they must possess an associate or bachelor degree, and they must complete the following paralegal-related course work – Torts, Property Law, Wills/Trusts and Probate, Legal Bibliography, Criminal Law, Real Estate Law I, Family Law, Legal Writing, Introduction to Law and Ethics, Business Applications in the Law Office, Civil Litigation I and II, Business Law I, and Paralegal Capstone. They must have also completed the following general education courses previously – English Composition I and II, Public Speaking, Social Science, Natural Science, Mathematics, Humanities and a Foreign Language.
Midlands Technical College
Located in Columbia and accredited by the Commission on Colleges, Midlands Technical College offers a quality associate in applied science/paralegal degree program for prospective paralegals. Those people, who would like to learn about the admissions requirements of the school, can call them at – 803-738-8324 or write to them at – Post Office Box 2408, Columbia, South Carolina, 29202. If they choose, they can also visit Midlands online at – http://www2.midlandstech.edu.
The paralegal program is a two-year curriculum consisting of several basic skills and program-specific courses. The basic skills courses within the program are as follows – English Composition I and II, Contemporary Mathematics, General Psychology, Public Speaking, Humanities, Microcomputer Word Processing, and Introduction to Computers.
The program-specific courses within the curriculum are as follows – Property Law, Family Law, Law Practice Workshop, Torts, Wills/Trusts and Probate, Business Law I and II, Legal Bibliography, Introduction to Law and Ethics, Civil Litagation I, and at least two addition Law-Related electives.
Other Magnificent Paralegal Schools in South Carolina
- Aiken Technical College in Graniteville
- Limestone College in Gaffney
- Newberry College in Newberry
- Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in Orangeburg
- Technical College of the Low Country in Beaufort
- Trident Technical College in Charleston
Where to Obtain Paralegal Certification
After students complete their paralegal programs, they need to consider applying for certification. While certification is not necessary to work in the field, it does broaden people’s job possibilities. If graduates want to obtain certification, they can obtain it from one of the following agencies.
- The National Association of Legal Secretaries
- The National Federation of Paralegal Associations
- The American Alliance of Paralegals
- The National Association of Legal Assistants
All of the above agencies, with the exception of the American Alliance of Paralegals, require applicants to pass a written exam to obtain certification. The AAP requires applicants to have no less than five years of paralegal experience.
The NFPA and the NALA offers useful study guides for the exams that applicants will need to take.